Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? So, we asked some very sharp folks to tell us the stories of how they came up with the names of their brands.

Nicole Zummo

It’s kind of a funny story.. so the name of my business is Fluidnix. I’m constantly being asked what that means and where it came from. It actually has nothing to do with tattooing. Back in 2017 I remember scrolling on instagram and there was a video of this woman using watered down paint to create this gorgeous free flowing ocean scene. I had to try it. I gathered my acrylic paints, went outside & just went at it. It was so much fun and so freeing to see all of these loose colors dancing together on a canvas in a way you could never achieve with traditional methods of painting. Read more>>

Daniella Leoni

When we were brainstorming ideas for our brand, we wanted to come up with a name that would be fun, inviting, a tad mysterious and that would give couples the opportunity to open themselves up to new experiences. Why Don’t We? came from the idea of leaving an open ended question for new possibilities, as in, Why Don’t We Try It? Read more>>

Charles Williams

What’s in a name? I serve as a photographer formerly known as Chasmatic Odyssey – it’s a play on the abbreviation of my name, “Chas”. People didn’t always draw the correlation and they would mispronounce it as “charismatic odyssey”. That was no fun, so around 2017 I decided to switch it up. I didn’t want to just be “Chas Williams Lens” you know – I wanted to be known as artsy, rich. My Wife is a serial entrepreneur and business coach and she ran one of her coaching tactics on me. Read more>>

Emily Runkle

Our company, Ballet Embody was named after my business partner and I did an informal brain storm/ word cloud with words that we thought could encompass the type of ballets we perform. From the more abstract to the theatrical, our ballets always contain some sort of narrative, and as dancers, we strive to dive into the work and fully “embody” reach role that we play. We almost named it Ballet Embodied (past tense), but a friend of mine pointed out how the phrase should be present tense, since our work as artists is ever-evolving. Read more>>

Lindsey Leigh

Ironically my name is actually Lindsey Graham, one of those famous names but for all the wrong reasons. I get a lot of cracks from the TSA folks in the airport. As I live in South Carolina I knew I had to separate myself from the politics surrounding it. At every event someone would pull me aside and ask for my political opinions, or I’d be getting tagged on social media on accident when someone went on a rant. Leigh is actually my middle name. Read more>>

Shyanne

I came up with the name of my company because my last name is pronounced cheese-bro ,and I am married, and do lettering so I combined it all to call myself “mrscheeseletters” ! :) Read more>>

Deshonna Buchanan

Sunflower Soul Studios was birthed out of my love for sunflowers. Initially, I couldn’t identify the reason why I was attracted to them but in time it became clear. During the pandemic I started my own garden,  planting my first sunflowers. The resistance to growth was apparent, but with time and patience they began to bloom. As they transformed, I began to identity with them. A sunflower’s growth is directly related to the amount of sunlight it receives. Everyday I am given the opportunity to build my brand by depositing my light into it. Read more>>

Megan Schmitz

Senior year of college we were tasked with developing a brand as part of our senior project and I opted to create my own business. I had pages of notes with adjectives, phrases, definitions – just a LOT of words trying to come up with the perfect pairing but nothing was jumping out. In all honesty I ran out of time and had to pick something in order to move on. Part of my project was developing a client work process so I settled on the word ‘praxis.’ Praxis is the process by which a theory, lesson, or skill is enacted, embodied, or realized. In a not-so radical move, the words ‘design studio’ were added to the end to just be obvious about who I was and what I did. Read more>>

Amanda Hale.

Figuring out the name of my business came to me very easily. My last name happens to be Hale, which growing up caused a lot of heads to turn or questions to be asked but I would always get a good giggle from it. My parents would joke around with family and friends that my first name should’ve been Raisin instead of Amanda, because I was quite the bold and adventurous child despite being so shy. While daydreaming for years about the thought of creating my business I always knew Raisin’ Hale Vintage was THE name and it gives me so much happiness to also display my family name everywhere I go. Read more>>

Sani Brown-Adefope.

It was a little bit of divine inspiration and a lot of bit of my Mama. Mama always treated me like the cutest thing in the world. She dressed me up in the cutest clothes and she always did my hair in the cutest styles. She always called me ‘Cutie Pie’ or ‘Chocolate Chip’ because I’d play in the sun so long that I’d try a shade darker from sun exposure. Read more>>

Ayeshia Smith

I actually always knew from when I was a kids that I was going to use my middle name, Ayeshia, for my brand. I always felt the name looked unique and when I researched the meaning I discovered the name meant both love and alive. The meaning really resonated with me a lot because I make each garment with a lot of love and I want my clients to be able to feel both loved and alive when wearing my pieces. Read more>>

Brandi Lewis

I worked at Ann Taylor for a few years and I met some really amazing people that are still my friends today. I was doing my evening shift with Erica. She worked there and I became like a little sister to her. We were talking about my brand and trying to come up with a name. As we talked more I realized that I wanted my brand to be universal and for everyone. “-To think outside the box and achieve your dreams.” So we came up with the name Syeko.? She helped me come up with the spelling and it’s been on ever since. Read more>>

Babajide Bashiru (J.B)

GREATNESS GRAM was formed with respect to my inspiring journey from Africa. It has influenced my brand’s vision, which aims to break away from the tradition of defined borders. My brand is rooted in highlighting Black stories, both past & present. While our main goal is to leave a genuine impact & continue to shine a spotlight on the brand’s vision of transcending borders and uniting global communities through art and fashion. Read more>>

Amy Capello.

This isn’t something I talk about very often, but it’s a fun story and I love this question. Most coaches that I know often name their company with their own names; it makes it easy to identify them and they are their brand so it makes sense. I didn’t want to go that route and wanted to name my company after something that would inspire and really convey the heart of what I want for my clients. Read more>>

Annette Malkin

Many people think of public relations as just publicity and we offer our clients so much more than that. We are strategic storytellers and brand builders and utilize the power of culture to help our clients grow their business, do social good and build their community. We believe the most effective way to raise awareness for a brand (personal, organization or company), to build loyalty and to create a two-way dialogue with stakeholders, is to integrate the brand in culture. Read more>>

T. Smith

To be honest about it, the name “Precious Hollows” came to me in a dream. I remember when I began contemplating on beginning my business endeavor, I always knew what lane I wanted to cross in, and that was art and fashion something that I’ve always had a passion for since a kid. But coming up with a name was something that just wasn’t coming easy to me. I was just stuck at knowing what I wanted the brand (whatever the name was to be,) to be and that was on the lines of building a “Elite American Luxury Lifestyle” brand. Read more>>\

Francisco Cabrera

I felt the word Pronto encompasses the significance of my two cultures and their impact on my life. The meaning of the word is the same in both English and Spanish, conveying efficiency and promptness. Growing up, I was obsessed with movies/ television. I would watch the behind-the-scenes for hours and dissect them frame by frame. I couldn’t help but notice there weren’t many faces that resembled mine. When you don’t see yourself represented culturally in a particular field, it may seem out of your reach. Read more>>

Corina Hernandez

The name was thought off fairly quick. no struggles. C.A.N boutique stands for my children. I knew that it had to be for them. When launching I had 2 boys but the boutique name was already figured with my 2 boys and my first name initial. I thought to myself if I have a third child they will have a name with the initial “C” and exactly what i had thought came to life & better. My 3rd child came along and most perfect gift my baby girl who goes by the name Capri & to complete C (Capri) A (Axiel) N (Noah) together it makes the word CAN that also has meaning to yeah & show my children we CAN do anything & everything we put our mind into. Read more>>

Katt De Moss

One major characteristic about me, personally, is I am a total sun babe! I can spend every day at the beach, countless hours getting lost in a book under a warm sun. There’s just something about the sunlight that brings me pure happiness, motivation and growth and is a place I turn to heal and to find answers when I feel a little lost. So during the pandemic, in the midst of me trying to get this idea of a brand off the ground, I spent a portion of each day at the beach. Read more>>

Colleen Lippert.

I actually named it in honor of my grandfather. I was very close to him and considered him my “anchor” in life. He was also in the Navy, so it’s fitting! He didn’t get the chance to see me start my company, but I feel like he is always with me. Tying him to my business brings me a lot of comfort. Read more>>

Cheri Banks

My name is Cheri Banks and my husband’s name is Chris Banks. When we were in college, we were inseparable. If you saw one, you saw the other. Because of this, people started to call us CB². The name stuck with us throughout college and was just something we always remembered. He’s very involved in my business, so when I decided to officially start it – I thought, what better name than CB² which represents us both. Read more>>

Brit Williams

When I decided to create a granola bar business, I knew that there would be a lot of competition with how saturated the market is and I needed to come up with something special to differentiate myself. At that same time my first child was 2 years old and we were teaching him manners, I noticed that I felt much differently when he would yell “No, Thanks!” vs “No!”. Although, “no, thank you” is still a “no”, it comes with a sense of respect and consideration. I thought, if manners could change how I feel when talking to a toddler, what could more manners do while talking with others – friends or strangers. Read more>>

DJ FourTay.

TheHNGShow stands for hiphop New Generation witch is the hottest podcast in the state of Michigan for established artist and Up and coming Artist. I came up with the name and the concept from being an Uber driver picking alot of talented local artist and instantly thought these Up-and-coming need a platform to grow on so then I started TheHNGShow and it’s been going for two years strong Read more>>

Sharryn Harewood

Gran Cee Handbags & Accessories is a fashion staple for the modern, beautiful, strong, empowered woman. The brand is devoted to helping all women, look a proud New Yorker, Founder & Owner Sharryn Harewood infused her love for New York fashion and love for her mother into creating her business. The name GranCee celebrates the matriarch of her family. Read more>>

Fr3deR1cK Taylor

The name of my company is based on the principle that images (pictures) need to include all people. This ideology is the basic framework of the future (tomorrow). Tomorrow Pictures means that we all belong and we all matter. Read more>>

Ashleey Simone

Coming up with the name for my brand was a bit challenging. I wanted the name to not only represent the mission behind the business, but a name that sort of described where I desired to be, in that specific season of my life, when starting the business. It was a very difficult, trying time for me, but my business was my escape. It made me happy. It took my mind off of all that was going on in my world. It made me feel free. Coming up with new formulas, trying them out and seeing results brought me to a place of joy, which allowed me to find peace in my new normal. Read more>>

George Alexander.

Aphelion is the word for the point in an object’s orbit where it is the furthest it gets from the Sun. In many ways, this word embodies myself and my journey to the watch world. I studied and worked for years with the aspiration of being a basketball coach, and actually achieved that dream, but it wasn’t sustainable economically to continue to pursue that, so I had to move away from something that was at the center of who I thought I was at the time. Other than God and my wife, basketball was what my life revolved around, so I had to move far away from the Sun, so to speak. Read more>> 

Zach Popp

The Boardwalk Podcast is named after the Kandahar Airfield Boardwalk, a wooden walkway lined with stores and shops that served as an escape for people stationed in Kandahar during the Global War on Terror (GWOT). We walked the Boardwalk after lunch and discuss myriad topics ranging from politics and sports to science fiction and Afghanistan itself. Read more>>

Epiphany Davis

Well, honestly, it just kind of came to me No but seriously, with a name like a Epiphany I’ve heard literally every rendition of jokes about it from the time I was a child. Because of that, I always used a play on my name for work. As a freelance performer it was “it works for Epiphany” and when I was launching this company as an event planner I knew that I wanted to find a way to use my name again. Have An Epiphany just made sense. After all, it’s the best idea you’ve ever had. Thus the company name, and the tagline were born – sitting at my best friend’s parent’s dining room table in New Jersey January 2018. Read more>>

Debbie Hunsaker.

I wanted a name that demonstrates our firms commitment to continual learning and improvement to support schools to the best of our abilities. A commitment to meeting schools where they are at and partnering with them to reach the goals they have set for themselves and students.. the name STRIVE seemed to encompass that. We have worked as a team to develop our mission, vision, and mantras for our educational services and our nonprofit (paperwork not finalized). Read more>>

Adam Milsted

Way Too Beautiful. That is our professional wiffle ball team. We started back in 2007 in Philadelphia, PA. We didn’t have a team name and said the next song on the radio would be it. The next song happened to be “Beautiful Girls” by Sean Kingston. The first line of the song is, “You’re WAY TOO BEAUTIFUL girl.” Since that moment, our team name has become famous in the wiffle world. Read more>>

Brandy Henry-Linton

I consider myself to be the wild writer who loves pushing the threshold of what writing should be and making it my own. I believe in the art of self-expression and doing what makes you happy as well. Therefore, when creating a name for my company, I chose words that symbolizes what I think writing and I had in common. Being wild isn’t a bad thing. You can be wild about your future, your dreams, your art, your family…any and everything. Read more>>

Tay Stratton

In 2013 when the bug first hit me to start a business, I came up with the name Fennel and Fire. It came to me on my morning walk. I thought…garden to gourmet…Fennel to Fire. I thought I would offer fresh flowers, cooking and entertaining goods, and gourmet items, including specialty teas, salts, and spices. In the late ‘90s, I visited a store in Decatur, GA., that really inspired me. It was named Watershed. It was the most fabulous store/restaurant. It had a garage door before garage doors were cool. Read more>>