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.

Janika Hall

Jan-Ika Creates came from a lifelong love of the arts… and a complete lack of talent in most of them. I can’t sing (unless you enjoy the sound of off-key optimism), I can’t dance (unless flailing counts), and my painting skills top out at stick figures and enthusiastic blobs. But I love art—all of it.

So I thought, maybe writing was the answer. But even that wasn’t enough. I didn’t just want to write stories—I wanted to see them. I wanted to turn blank spaces into colorful scenes, ideas into visuals. I wanted to create magic without needing a paintbrush or a stage. Read more>>

Paulina

The name of my brand, Honey P Beauty came about through the effort to welcome all. I believe in providing a comfortable and safe space for everyone regardless of their identity. The lash community is heavily female-dominated and I wanted to be able to include everyone by referring to my clients as ‘honey’ — a gender-neutral term. I identify with the LGBTQ+ community and want everyone to feel comfortable and welcomed into my space, knowing there is no judgment. Being able to refer to my clients with a term that is all inclusive is what inspired me. I want it to be known that Honey P Beauty is a discrimination-free, all-inclusive safe space for all. Read more>>

Sylvia Lewis

I studied photojournalism in college and began my career as a photographer under my maiden name, Sylvia Reyes Photography. My last name has always held deep personal meaning. It connects me to my dad, who passed away from cancer during my senior year of high school, and it serves as an outward link to my Mexican heritage, something that is not always visible in my appearance as someone who is multiracial. My dad was my biggest motivator, and in his honor, I named my first professional camera after his nickname, Chuy. Read more>>

William Pinkney

If a brand were to tell a story and metaphorically embody that story in a cinematic way, Sacred Sensors is exactly what it would look like. The name itself represents a shift in focus: away from obsessing over gear and camera models, and toward truly understanding the core of visual storytelling: the camera, itself. The “sacred” part reflects how I see this craft — not just technical, but spiritual in the way that creatives communicate messages. Read more>>

Shanelle Johnson

My grand mother on my mother side past away before I was born. Her name was Lily. My mother’s middle name is Ann. My middle name is Lillian! So it’s all related to the history of my family and where I come from. The health and wellness came about because my grandmother passed away from cancer and my mother had cancer but is now free from it ( Praise God). So my goal is to dive deep into herbs, sea moss and ways to tap into my health so I can stop generational curses. Read more>>

Sandy Meulners-Comstock

Naming a company is challenging! As we were forming Mend Collaborative, we knew that we wanted our firm’s name to represent how we approached our work. We explored a lot of opportunities before realizing we kept saying “mend” or “mending” while talking about the types of projects we wanted to work on, as well as what we wanted our company culture to be rooted in. On the company culture side, many of us have had experience working at other firms where underpaid and overworked was the norm, a byproduct of a toxic and antiquated approach to studio culture in graduate school. We knew that we wanted this firm to be a healthy place for people to work and have balance, respect, and positive growth, at the same time understanding that a healthy work environment needs to be an ever-evolving process where we listen, adjust, and grow some more. Read more>>

Kalyn Bonn

I chose “Moving Mountains Together” for my life coaching business because it perfectly captures my philosophy on personal growth.

The Power of “Moving Mountains”

The phrase “moving mountains” is a metaphor for overcoming what seems impossible. It speaks to the biggest, most daunting challenges we face in life—whether it’s a major career change, a deep-seated fear, or a difficult personal transition. I want my clients to know that I believe they have the power to tackle their biggest obstacles and achieve their most ambitious goals. Read more>>

Shameka

“When I started my candle company, I wanted a name that carried more than just pretty words — I wanted it to carry meaning. 1857 is woven together from my children’s birthdays, a quiet love letter to the ones who inspire everything I do. Each candle I create is rooted in that love, crafted to wrap a room in fragrance and invite moments of self-care, comfort, and connection into everyday life.” Read more>>

Scott Werley

The inevitability of landing upon my business’ fungi-friendly name Sporulate Design goes back to over a decade ago when my wife and I were living in the San Francisco Bay Area.

My interest in fungi began in the spring of 2014, when a friend randomly introduced me to the culinary world of morels. After relocating from the San Francisco Bay Area to Portland, Oregon two years later, I spent much of my free time foraging for choice edible mushrooms throughout the Cascade and Coast Ranges. Read more>>

Alex Monticelli

When in the process of creating my brand, I knew I would be very heavy in the nature side of photography. Some photographers like studio spaces or a industrial feel, but I knew my work would be very earthy, green, and focus on people out in nature. So when I was creating my name I wanted it to reflect the type of photography I do and thats how I came up with Moss and Lens. Read more>>

Mikael Valentin
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Finding the perfect name was honestly a challenge. We had a list of ideas, initials, local references, even some classic corporate-sounding names yet none of them had the heart we were looking for. The answer came to us one evening in an unplanned moment. Our son, who we had nicknamed ‘Baby T,’ let out a little cry. My wife called out to him, and in that instant, it all came together! We knew we wanted a name that symbolized growth and new beginnings, and ‘Baby Tree’ felt like the perfect fit. It’s a name that’s deeply personal to us, and it embodies the nurturing spirit of our work. Read more>>

Doreen Laskiewicz

When I was getting ready to create Grit & Goals Magazine, I had a couple things in mind for what I wanted to convey. Many times on social media we see lots of imagery that shows the smiling faces and wonderful end results. Sometimes work just… sucks. Even when you’re passionate about what you are doing and creating, the day-to-day grind of making it happen can be challenging, monotonous, hard, and even boring. Grit conveyed that determination required to play the long game. Goals implies looking to the future and moving forward. So those words together felt right to represent the magazine and the stories we tell. As to my photography, it’s what I create so my name felt like the right choice. My name is not common so I’m pretty certain there won’t be any confusing me with other photographers. Read more>>

Isabel Jackson

Actually I am in the process of simplifying the name to be Chelt Interiors which is a simpler version of Cheltenham Interiors. Cheltenham is the town in England where I am from and where I grew up going to boarding school there between the ages of 7 to 17. Boarding school is my first decade of significance in my life. After that there was the Italian decade where I started working. Then the London and Dubai decade where I turned 30 and worked in banking. Then my Washington DC Interior Design and settling down decade. I am in the decade after that where I started my business in 2015 and now in 2025 it is still adapting and transforming as I take on new and exciting projects such as writing contributions to design magazines and home flipping as well as client work for homeowners. Read more>>