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.

Shannon Dexter

One of my favorite movies is “Love Actually,” and the scene featuring “All You Need Is Love” has always been my favorite. It takes place during a wedding, where the character of Jamie (played by Colin Firth) attends the ceremony of his friend, who is getting married and as the wedding unfolds, the music begins to play, and a spontaneous sing-along breaks out. After seeing that movie, I used to tell my family and friends that I wanted THAT moment in my own wedding. Fast forward 9 years, while getting married at the Ojai Valley Inn and Spa, my father surprised me and recreated that moment during my recessional with my husband. Watching my loved ones stand up and sing to us was a moment I will never ever forget. When I was brainstorming names, I wanted something that encapsulated the joy and celebration inherent in events—whether weddings, parties, or corporate gatherings.The name “All You Need Is Love Events” was inspired by that moment, which for me, emphasized the idea that love and connection are at the heart of meaningful experiences. Read more>>

Jen Podany

The inspiration behind our brand name and logo has a unique story. I came up with ‘Bluestone’ after a personal journey to Stonehenge, where I was struck by the protective and almost mystical qualities of the ancient bluestone used there. It resonated with our mission to provide protection with a sense of strength and elegance. The logo, modeled after the Stonehenge sun calendar, represents the concept of blocking and harnessing the power of the sun, mirroring the essence of our sun protection products. Through this blend of history and purpose, Bluestone Sunshields was born. Read more>>

Andrea Hutchman

I have a good friend who does branding and graphic design. I traded her a kitchen design for help with my logo and business name. Over linch, she asked me to describe how I would describe my design aesthetic. I like bright, punchy colors. I like rooms to feel invigorating and creative. I like spaces with a sense of humor. The word that kept coming up was “poppy”, so I became Poppy Interiors. The only unfortunate thing is that people often think my name is Poppy! Read more>>

Monique Shurray

I came up with the name of my company I.M.A.G.E.S. Media Group because I was heavily thinking about the images we see on social media and how a lot of times, they aren’t real but we compare ourselves and make ourselves feel small based on filters. I thought to myself, if we only knew how God see’s us, our creator, we wouldn’t get caught up in social media comparison. We would love and accept who we are without feeling bad for what we are not. So because I love a good acronym, I came up with one for I.M.A.G.E.S. It stands for I am Made After God’s Extraordinary Sovereignty. Read more>>

Chelsea Jones

Naming my brand honestly should have not taken as long as it did! My personal handle is extremely similar to my brand, The Social Snob. I have had the same handle for years and people would literally see me in public and say “Hey, you’re the snob on Instagram, right?” or just flat out call me “The Snob”. When I started my social media management business I was thinking of all these clever names – trying to to include my first name or something witty – but really the perfect name was right in front of me: The Social Snob! Read more>>

Jalisa Greene

Naming a business is hard, but it’s a very fun process. I wanted to have a name that would stand out, that didn’t directly correlate with what the business offers. As we continue to grow who knows what other things may become a part of the business, so I wanted to have a name that could speak to almost anything. In the midst of naming the company I had also been doing a bunch of research on language and how integral Latin is to many modern languages, so I thought it important to include it in some way. Read more>>

Christa Talbott

Salon22’s name encapsulates our vision and mission. “Salon” signifies a space where women from all walks of life come together to connect and uplift one another, creating a sense of community and support. It’s similar to salons of the past where women came together to have bold conversations. Or salons of today, where women connect over a good shampoo and shared experiences. The “22” represents the 22nd century and the space we want to create for future generations of women. A world with greater inclusivity, compassion, and collaboration. Read more>>

Lauren Best

Naming a business can be such a challenge, but for Possibilities Universe, it just clicked. The name came from my belief that there are endless possibilities available to us at all times. I wanted something that really reflects this idea—that life is full of opportunities just waiting to be discovered. Possibilities Universe is all about creating a space where exploration, creativity, and self-celebration can thrive without the pressure to fit into a box. It’s a reminder that every moment holds potential for growth and transformation. I want to support people in being open to this idea, helping them shift away from limitations and embrace a more expansive view of life. Read more>>

Sydney Bien-aime

When I first decided to pursue photography as more than a hobby, I wanted the name of my photo business to match and represent the style of my images as well as the experience and memories my clients were left with. Essentially, I wanted to make sure that whoever was in front of my lens felt beautiful and ‘Radiant’, while they also enjoyed themselves. So, rather than having my business name just include my name, I wanted a unique word to be the leading story. I also wanted to place my middle name behind my first name, instead of my last name at the time because I knew it would change when I got married. So, I came up with ‘Radiant Photography by Sydney Danielle’. Read more>>

Taymar Walters

Growing up in middle school and high school, my nickname has always been T-man but once college rolled around I started growing out of that nickname. Then one day I was listening to a rap song called “Witness” by Ces Cru and one of the lyrics of that song had the words “Pee Lander” in it. I later learned that Pee Lander is the name of a Japanese-American punk rock band formed in the late 90s but I digress. After I kept hearing that term over and over again, I thought to myself “What if I replaced the Pee with the letter T?” and that’s when I came up with the name T-LANDER. Now at the time that my name was formed, I was starting off my brand as a content creator on YouTube and Twitch but my real passion was game development. Since I was aspired to create my own indie game dev company I simply added the word studios next to my name and thus “T-LANDER STUDIOS” was born. Read more>>

Tiffany Banks

I came up with the name “Tiffany Heals” due to traversing through my own inner healing experience and how transformational it was and has been for me. In the process of acquiring my Reiki and Archangelic Light certifications, there were many life changes happening for me. I was going through separation and divorce, and my children and I moved into the house with my parents, which was initially rocky for all of us. During these changes, I had become undone spiritually and had to work through inner child healing, mother wound healing, looking at where I needed to take accountability, just a plethora of things. It was definitely a phoenix rising moment in my life. Read more>>

Meghan Burns

When I had the idea to open my business, the most challenging issue I faced was coming up with a name for it. I spent months trying to come up with something unique, but nothing was sticking out to me. One morning while enjoying a cup of coffee with my mom, she said “why don’t you call it “With An H”? since my name is Meghan, with an h. The lightbulb went off right here, and we laughed because we thought it was funny, yet so fitting since my name ism 9/10 commonly misspelled. As for the logo, my mom ended up grabbing a napkin and making a rough sketch of it. She was the mastermind behind it all! So I owe it to all to her. From there, the name and the logo was born, and it stuck! I wanted something personal yet unique. Sometimes people are confused by it, but personally I think it draws attention, leading them to want to know more, and why! Read more>>

James Scott

The name of my company was inspired by a question that a student asked me while I was doing a painting demonstration. “Mr. Scott, does your hand always shake when you paint?” This started a side ramble of how my hands and legs always shake when I sit to create art but it doesn’t stop me from trying to create something I think is meaningful. I was getting discouraged about the treatment of art in education and the wheels in my brain started turning. I wanted to create a platform where people could step away from the widespread commercialization of the “art for clout” idea and return to the idea of making art for art’s sake. I wanted to start my own art school. I wanted to create a community of artists who, despite any setback, can create and learn from each other without the pressure of having to make something go viral. Read more>>

Dre

MorgPound Entertainment. Growing up in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn and living so close to the Morgan Ave L Train line. My friends and I always considered ourselves to be a crew and a tight-knit one at that. We went around telling folks that we were a part of the MorgPound click since gang affiliations really weren’t a thing in NYC prior to the Dipset movement so we were all a part of community clicks. I decided to select the name in homage to all of us that called ourselves a part of the MorgPound click and ran with it. It’s me, it’s in my blood it’s a part of my identity growing up and it is the legacy that I talk about in my music as well. Growing up we definitely had some crazy times and did some wild things, nothing illegal, and just had plain old fun, so choosing to name my business MorgPound Entertainment was a no brainer for me. Read more>>

Bryanna Gordon

You’re totally right – naming a business IS hard! But whenever you find that name that clicks, the breath that you didn’t realize you were holding rushes out in the biggest victory sigh! It’s very rewarding! Coming to the conclusion of naming my photography business “Milestone KC” was no easy task. In the photography world, most people rely on their own names to represent their brand, initials in a decorative monogram, or various renditions of “photography” “studio” “shutter” in the title. I’m by no means judging those who use this tactic! In fact, the first business name I operated under was “BG Film and Photo.” I’m 3 for 3 in the cliche category! Read more>>

Kevin Thomas

Coming up with the name “FattyPack” was a not an easy task. I had this product idea for years before dedicating time to bring it to market. Initially, I was set on a different brand name and spent $5,000 on its domain in preparation for our launch. However, as I started the trademark registration, my attorney concluded that we would likely infringe on an existing trademark. That was a tough pill to swallow—a huge setback early in our start-up journey. I went back to the drawing board and compiled a list of new brand names to share with friends and family for their feedback. “FattyPack” emerged as an instant favorite. It’s playful, memorable, and, while I worried it might be too edgy, the excitement around the name was undeniable. The name is simple: FattyPack—a fanny pack for your hat! It felt like the perfect fit, and I now realize that the $5,000 spent on the other domain was a mistake worth making. Read more>>

Brandon Weil

“poo” + “musette” = Puzette! Over the past ten years, I’ve become a dog person. I love getting out with my dogs – walks, hikes and trips to the dog park or around town are our favorite. As my pack grew from one dog to several I found my hands increasingly full and was looking for a way to carry gear on our outings. I tried several off the shelf solutions, including hip packs, fanny packs, running packs and backpacks, but nothing worked. Then, I remembered that I had a few musette bags in my cycling gear bin in the basement. Musettes are simple, flat bags with a long strap used to hand food and water to cyclists in long races. I dug one out, attached a poop bag dispenser to it, and the first puzette was born! From this day on the bag was indispensable. I used my makeshift puzette for years as it made daily dog life much more manageable. But after watching many Shark Tank reruns in the fall of 2022, I was inspired to turn it into a real thing, and started the company in January 2023. Read more>>

Kevin Eroot

The name was inspired by some close friends of mine. A few years ago I joined a small life coaching cohort with a couple dozen people from around the country. We focused on things like goal setting, emotional well-being, and financial habits, but a bigger theme emerged that was captured in the phrase Life & Legacy.  The friends I’ve made in the group aren’t just making decisions for themselves and the here and now. They’re making decisions for their families and future children, decisions that in some cases unwind generations of destructive mindsets and behaviors. They are putting in tremendously hard work that will never earn a medal or standing ovation, but it will make all the difference for themselves and those they care about. Read more>>