One of the most creative parts of starting something new is finding a name and it’s also one of the most challenging. Below, you’ll find the stories of how various successful brands, creators and entrepreneurs came up with their names.

Ashley Morgan

Growing up I was always known for my unique and daring outfits. The main complement I would get is “Girl you be so fly!”. At the time I really didn’t think too much of the word “fly” as it relates to creating a name for my business, I just thought that was the word that people used to describe me. Read more>>

Sarah Jacobson

“Perfect practices does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.” – Vince Lombardi, NFL Coach We can spend hours and hours – months and even years of time – working on our business, and still not make any money, get any clients, or have any impact. Read more>>

Ayesha Williams-Islam

My brand has gone through multiple name changes since I started what would be considered a “side hustle” back in 2001. The original name was Simply Organized because the focus was to help entrepreneurs stay organized, not only with paperwork, but also within their business space. Read more>>

Courtney McCarthy

I try and keep a hint of sarcasm and wit with my business and life in general. “Don’t sass me” was something I would say jokingly, so it seemed fitting with the route I wanted to take with my candle names. Read more>>

Taylor Javey

My name is Taylor Javey! I was born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio on October 11 (aka 10-11) which is how I came up with the name for my company “1011 Fabrics.” Read more>>

Ana Hough

Determining what the perfect name is to represent your business, is hard work! If you’re anything like me, this step in the process can be very intimidating, and overwhelming sometimes. Read more>>

CJ Walker

The story of how I came up with the name stems from a late friend Emil Ebrahimi, known professionally as SCARR. Emil was infatuated with the number 47 and what it meant spiritually. Read more>>

Erika Staub

The story behind how we got our company’s name begins in Molidorf (Molin) a small village in Banat, Yugoslavia. Molidorf is where my German Grandmother (Oma) called home until WW ||. Read more>>

Mercedes Edney

I am from St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. The Ixora flower is very popular back home and blooms in multiple colors. I wanted something that reminded me of home, as I started this company back home for the first 8 months before relocating back to Charlotte. Read more>>

Virginia Carter

At Sweet Tango, we’re all about mixing the elegance of dance with the delight of self-care. It’s like creating a fantastic tango on your skin, and trust us, it’s a blast! Read more>>

Brandy Hunter

It really is! To be honest, I couldn’t be more pleased with the name and I tell all my customers the same thing when they ask about it. “My fiancé calls me “Sugar” and my friends and family call me “Bird”! Read more>>

Shaleen Ratansi

Coming up with an original name for your business is difficult, I didn’t choose a name at first. Instead, I started building the business identity – what problem am I solving, how will I solve it & why is it important. Read more>>

Patrice Nephew

My business name “Events DownPat” is a play on words. It includes my name “Pat” as I am affectionately called (the shortened version of “Patrice”) and the phrase “down pat” which suggests that things are perfectly mastered and are completely under control. Read more>>

Imani Swanson

It’s actually a funny story; when I started styling people in college through my modeling group, Lethal Allure, at Savannah State University, people always used to say that when I styled people it always looked like something I would wear. Read more>>

Amy Yassinger

In 2008 I had moved back home to Chicago after graduate school and needed to work so I could start paying back my student loans. I was working 5 different jobs (restaurant, retail, singing lessons, small gigs here and there, and selling chicken sausage in a grocery store). Read more>>

Nathan Tan

I studied Industrial Arts and Graphic Communication at San Francisco State University graduating in 1994. After a short testing career in the video game industry, I finally landed my first graphic design job and had a ten year run at that employment path. Read more>>

Nicole Vaz

The era that was covid and lock-down. In the midst of a crisis there can be a ray of light if you can take that advantage and my business was born. Read more>>

Joanne Wetzel

The Five Freedoms are the gold standard of Animal Welfare around the world. While I never truly intended for that to become the name of my business, it simply stuck. Read more>>

Ashley Cotter

In high school, I started working at a women’s clothing boutique that I absolutely loved. The boutique, Pip’s, in Corning, NY is what introduced me to the fashion industry on an entirely different level. Read more>>

Melissa Lockhart

In my elementary school, a mural included the African proverb, “it takes a village to raise a child.” My parents had a wonderful village that helped raise me. One of those people was our neighbor, Melda. Read more>>

Alex Naylor

I came up with the name Salon Arcana by way of multiple reasons. I am a huge lover of astrology and tarot. In a traditional tarot card deck there are 78 cards comprising both the major and minor arcana. Read more>>

Matt Feldman

Finding the right name for a business can be a surprisingly tough and frustrating process. First, you have to find a name that aligns with your business and its mission and then you have to hope that the name is trademark-able. Read more>>

Lisa Collins

The story behind the name “To Each Is Om Yoga and Wellness” beautifully encapsulates the essence of personal journey and discovery within the practice of yoga. Read more>>

Artesa Anderson

As I was building my business model I went through several names that friends and family suggested might be a good fit. During discussions on the products, I kept referring to them as sweet boozy cakes or boozy cakes. Read more>>

Denver Crawford

It’s hard to remember the first time we began referring to ourselves as “Art Hoes,” but it must have started around 2017 when Christopher “Ender” Coryat and I first met at a coffee shop downtown. Read more>>

Drewbie Wilson

I used to sell insurance. To make more money with sales, I learned marketing. Started a marketing company on the side that made me way more than insurance. Read more>>

Devon Settembrini

The naming of All Sett Up, stemmed from before I even knew I would be taking the leap to start my own company. 4 years before my launch, it was a sunny day in the Dominican Republic, where we were away celebrating my now husband’s birthday with friends, Read more>>

Brandon Randall

In 2013, Indianapolis started to see an increase in homicides and several of the people who lost their lives were former students of mine. I increasingly became frustrated with the local media outlets’ portrayal of young people who were victims of violence. Read more>>