What’s in a name? A lot apparently, as entrepreneurs, artists, and makers of all kinds spend enormous amounts of energy searching for the right name for their business, project, organization, or creation. Below, you’ll find the stories of how various successful brands, creators and entrepreneurs came up with their names.

Hannah Pohlmeyer

Back in 2020 when the pandemic first began, I started baking at home like crazy! Eventually, it was more than just what my family and I could eat, so I started selling my baked goods. My grandma had made me an apron to bake in that said “Life is Sweet” so that’s what I began going by to sell my treats. Read more>>

Lori Thomson

The name of my business is Vera Doyle, named after my mom (who is still alive 85 years old) I knew I wanted to open a store and I went through many name ideas such as my own name, a version of my own name etc but nothing felt right. Read more>>

MaryAnngeline Medenas

My brand name has evolved over the years and wowzers, the initial name and rebranding was so difficult to come up with as I am all about movement and not so much words. Words have never come very easily for me. I expressed myself better through movement. With the help of my family and a ton of paper and ink, I finally launched my business as Movement by MaryAnngeline. Read more>>

Kristen Payton

When I first embarked on this journey I named this establishment Italia. My vision was to create an environment that felt luxurious and cozy. As if you were visiting your grandparents house on the coast of Italy in Manarola. Mediterranean blue walls, ornate mirrors with marble floors, a cute little terrace equipped with bistro set and seasonal flowers. Read more>>

Aly Weinheimer

As so many stories begin with troubles as a result of covid, so did the beginnings of what is now Willa Jean Shop. I started building up the ideas and branding of a business that could help support me as a Chronically Ill/disabled individual. Read more>>

Ryan Hosegood

Paper Peaks was born as a shower thought. The idea came during COVID in probably the one place I do the most imagining which is the shower. I was brainstorming different ideas that may be a viable business venture after a failed attempt at a matcha tea business. Read more>>

Megan Walker

Hey, I’m Megan, the creative mind behind Arch Theory Displays! As a budding digital designer and entrepreneur, I’ve set out on a mission to blend modern boho aesthetics with a touch of innovation while supporting fellow small business owners like yourself. Read more>>

Alli Coy

I approached my Grandfather 15 years ago when I first decided to buy an existing flower shop, and asked him what he’d thought a good, catchy name for my shop would be. He had been in business for decades and run plenty of successful ones. He’d also never thought that me buying this business was a good idea, he said that shops that deal in perishable products never turned a profit, but he obliged me and gave me his best advice. Read more>>

Edmund Yu

Even as I began to teach my very first piano student, I had a vision of where this was all going. At the time, I had a mundane “9 to 5” at the headquarters of a global corporate firm in downtown Manhattan, so coming home in the evenings to my “real” job was an exciting time for me. Read more>>

Jamar Jones

The name Foureva Media means hope and freedom. Back when slaves were promised 40 acres of land and a mule and they never got it. Its striving for something That’s where the 4 in Foureva comes from. My hip hop art name was also 4-0 so the four has always been a part of what I do. And the Eva part is something that is created that builds legacy. And the a on the end is for a little swag. Read more>>

Dayzia Swan

When I was starting the business I actually didn’t have a name for a couple of weeks. I didn’t want to take that process lightly. I knew how important it was for me to truly pick a name that would be great years down the road. A name that I could grow into. Read more>>

Brooke Bakken

It was during Covid – I had recently been laid off and I decided during this time to start my own online boutique business. I had always been in the industry, it was just a matter of continuing to work for corporate/other small businesses, or take the leap of faith and start my own business. I did everything by the book within 3 weeks – including naming my business. That was the hardest part. Read more>>

Leanna Viers

Naming my sign business was definitely one of the first big decisions I had to make as an entrepreneur. There’s those rules that you want to abide by like, make it simple, make sure it’s clear what your business is about, and keep it professional. Read more>>

Chloe Cubbage

I started Hive Interiors in the midst of 2020. I came from a toxic work environment where the owner of the design firm had used her initials (an incredibly popular designer business naming strategy) and it felt like we did was masked or overshadowed, you don’t feel like an individua. Read more>>

Chandria Taylor

My daughters names is Adelyn Rose. After losing her, I began to pray and ask God to help me make her story something beautiful because I was really struggling to make it through. So He gave me the idea of a rose and as I began to study I found that roses scientifically cannot grow without its thorns. That stuck out to me in a major way because we as a people have our thorns, those things that hurt us, but we are like a rose. We cannot grow into who we were created to be without embracing our thorns. And that is how I created the name Like A Rose. Read more>>

Maytar Shapira

Meetoosh was a childhood nickname that my close family and friends would call me growing up. Ironically I used to hate this nickname and eventually tried asking people to stop calling me by that name. My friends at school would laugh when they heard what my parents would call me. Read more>>

Lori Bousman

Foto Vibe was a concept I came up with in 2016. I wanted to start a Photobooth company that was modern, elevated, unique and more upscale than booths I had experienced over the years as a guest at previous events. I knew with my background experience I could do so. The name needed to be unique, fun and catchy. Read more>>

Rachelle Haering

When I opened my shop, I literally had too many jackets and started selling from my own collection, and that’s how I came up with the name. But I also believe, you can never have too many jackets! I think that’s true with vintage, that you can never have too much. The more we shop sustainably, the less waste we are creating. Read more>>

Mari Siman

Creating the company name Spread Joy, meant something very personal to me. My late grandparents carried the last name Joy and they embodied everything that comes with that name. Everyone who ever came in contact with them, knew how infectious their personalities were and the joy that filled their hearts. Read more>>

Kris Robinson

Aconnectedspark is the name of my brand and to be honest, it just popped in my head one day. I was beginning my readings where I work with the elemental guides and Aconnectedspark came into my awareness. I am a spark that connects others to their spirit guides and the Light that is within themselves. Read more>>

Angel Rosales

During my time in California, there was a surge in popularity for retro-style t-shirts featuring iconic TV shows like CHiPs, A-Team, and Saturday morning cartoons. While these shirts were cool, I found myself brimming with ideas for unique designs. Teaming up with my friend Jesse, we embarked on a journey to create original, non-duplicated concepts. Read more>>

Crystale Vail Spearman

I went for awhile without a name. When I was researching photography businesses, I noticed that many people just used “Photography by XXX” and it was actually suggested that this is the way to go. But as I grew in the amount of photography sessions I was doing, and more specifically, as I started attracting clients who were not connected to me (i.e. not friends or family) I started noticing a trend. Read more>>

Marissa Gencarelli

We had been looking for a name that was rooted in Mexican culture, but not too obvious. First we started with names used in my home state of Sonora, Mexico though all were too difficult to pronounce. We were looking for a simple word to describe our spirit of explorers, after all that’s what got this company started: exploration in food. Read more>>

Erin Walsh

Every generation of parents has to redefine what it means to care for kids. Through workshops, writing, and online classes, we translate the latest discoveries in brain science into easy to understand language for parents and educators and offer practical strategies that work in the messy realities of our daily lives. We believe that parenting and teaching requires creativity and playfulness and we wanted a brand that reflected this. We created Spark & Stitch Institute to SPARK insight and understanding into what children and youth need to thrive and STITCH science to practical strategies for raising connected and courageous kids. Read more>>

Nichol Wojcik

I honestly think coming up with a name is the most difficult part of starting a business! I knew I didn’t want my name as part of my business name and that it should be “macarons” and not “bakery” since I was never going to make anything else. Every time I thought of a name I liked, I looked it up on Facebook and found someone else was already using the name. Read more>

Divine Nwachukwu

The name of my brand is “Divinegrahicscreations”. I thought about the name during the times I was still under tutelage via graphics designing, it wasn’t really difficult for me to come up with because I was like, since this particular design is my brainchild, why don’t I bear the name “Divinegraphicscreations” and that was it. The name is derived from my first name (Divine) and with that, it gives me this sense òf ownership over my work. Read more>>

Alyssa J. Devine

I created Purple Fox Legal as a reflection of my appreciation for entrepreneurship and passion for intellectual property. The name was created from my understanding of trademark law as well as my research on color psychology and marketing. I asked myself what looks good, sounds good, has an available domain name, has available social media handles, isn’t already being used, and would serve as a strong trademark on the trademark distinctiveness spectrum. Read more>>

Brandy Riley

I believe part of my God-given purpose is two-fold; 1) break generational cycles and 2) build a legacy for my family. I was adopted into the family I’m in at 2 months old. The name of my company, Riley Design Studio is something that I envision leaving behind for the next generation of creatives in my family to run, and impact the community with. Read more>>