What’s in a name? Just about everything, when it comes to finding the perfect business name! Small businesses have incredible origin stories for how they name their businesses, ranging from inspiring quotes to mysterious islands and Greek goddesses. You can even file your own name as the trademark for your business!
In search of business name inspiration? Here’s how 37 entrepreneurs found the perfect business name for their startups.
1. Lifty Life
“Our business started in 2020 during COVID-19. The name Lifty Life is a phrase lovingly used to describe lift operators at mountain resorts. Our business started in Whistler, Canada with a passion and focus on ski resort towns. Hence the business name!
Our team is full of laid-back snowboarders and skiers, so it works perfectly to represent us!” — Connor Griffiths, CEO and Founder, Lifty Life Vacation Rental Management
2. Redhead Marketing & PR
“As a redhead, my business name should have come to me easily, but it actually took weeks! There was nothing more frustrating than being able to get creative for my clients but not for myself. One night, during a horrific bout of insomnia, Redhead Marketing & PR dawned on me. Not only does it describe me and my sometimes spicy personality and boldness that comes with being a New Yorker, but I liked the connotation that redheads stand out. As a marketing agency, it’s our goal for our clients to stand out from their competitors and gain attention.
The other unforeseen advantage was that when I go to a meeting for the first time, the prospective client can easily identify me and pick me out of a crowd. It has also made for a logo that really pops, and I continue to get daily compliments on it after being in business for 10 years.” — Hilary Reiter, Founder, Redhead Marketing & PR
3. Schmingling
“My business name is Schmingling. I teach people how to self promote. Originally, Schmingling was the title of my book ‘Schmingling- The Art of Being Well-Connected Through Blatant Self-Promotion.’
I found that people loved to say ‘Schmingling’ more than anything else. Since I like to network and I schmooze a little too, I thought Schmingling was a perfect fit!” — Faith McKinney, Executive Producer, Schmingling
4. SimpleMoneyLyfe
“I started my business, a personal finance and small business blog, during COVID-19. I’m also a brand-new college graduate. My business name was created on the fly. Consumers love edgy business names, which I tried to include in mine. The word life is spelled with an I, but I decided to spell it with a y, just like Lyft. This edginess is what consumers crave.
Furthermore, my name evokes calmness when people read it. Personal finance is a sensitive topic for many, and my motivation and passion is breaking down the complexity of personal finance into concise and actionable advice that readers can immediately implement.” — Drew Cheneler, Founder, SimpleMoneyLyfe
5. March and Ash
“March, in the Roman calendar is the first month of the year. This is because it comes when spring brings us a new season of life. Therefore, March signifies the beginning in life. Ash is what remains of a life once lived, used to fertilize new beginnings.
March and Ash represents a respect for the span of our lives and the role cannabis plays to improve and renew it. Together, the team was able to create a name and brand that accurately represents the expression of their ethos; the culture and beliefs that guide the company.” — Blake Marchand, CEO, March and Ash
6. Handwrytten
“We chose our business name because we wanted the name to be the dot com URL. Handwritten.com was taken, so we became Handwrytten with the handwrytten.com URL.
It turns out we like spelling it with a Y better than an I! It is now a branding opportunity. We don’t send out handwritten notes, we send out Handwrytten notes. The notes aren’t written by hand… they’re wrytten by a robot. It has worked so well for us. We have branded wryte on as our catch phrase when people call in or email us as well. Wryte on!” — David Wachs, Chief Robot Mechanic, Handwrytten
7. Florida Cash Home Buyers Inc.
“We’re a house flipping company based in Fort Lauderdale and have been fixing and flipping properties in Florida since 2011. I originally started the company in 2011 and it was named Omkara’s Investments Inc. Later in 2012, I changed the name to Florida Cash Home Buyers Inc. I did this for two reasons.
I felt that the new business name gives our customers a better idea of what it is that our company does — buying homes for cash. The phrase ‘Florida Cash Home Buyers’ is also a highly relevant keyword. It is typed quite often by homeowners that are looking for the services that our company offers.” — Omer Reiner, Co-Founder and President, Florida Cash Home Buyers Inc.
8. Cheek’d
“I have a pretty cheeky story behind coming up with my business name 11 years ago. My business, Cheekd, is a mobile dating app that makes missed connections obsolete. After working in architecture, furniture, and design for 15 years, I came up with an idea that lead me into the NYC world of tech and am now solving missed connections. I completely threw away my design career. I’m no longer building structures, I’m now building relationships.
Growing up with the last name Cheek was kind of a pain in the butt (excuse the pun), but it finally came in handy. For months before launching my business, I was racking my brain about the verb that was going to finish the statement, ‘you’ve been _________.’ One day it hit me in the head — You’ve been ‘Cheekd!’ The word is now in Wikipedia.
Although my business has been through several different iterations over the years, now, if our users are interested in each other on the app, they press the ‘GET CHEEKY’ button and they are then able to unlock further information about each other and can begin a conversation on the app. The funnier thing is that a few years ago, I was on ABC’s Shark Tank pitching my dating business for an investment. My epic episode re-airs all over the world all the time and I got this random email in my inbox a while back that I’ll never forget:
Did you ever wonder how different your life would have been if your last name was Smith…..or Johnson…..or Bennett?”
And yes, I have!” — Lori Cheek, Founder and CEO, Cheekd
9. Not Your Mother’s Resume
“I chose my business name because I reject outdated resume practices from the ‘80s and ‘90s. Before I started my business, I would write resumes for friends and family. They’d say things like ‘wow I didn’t know a resume could have this much personality’ or ‘I thought I had to say generic things like hard worker or ‘team player.’
I reject everything boring and lifeless to write modern and eye-catching resumes that would not have been acceptable when your mother was job searching.” — Chelsey Opare-Addo, Chief Resume Writer, Not Your Mother’s Resume
10. Blaze Digital Marketing
“Blaze is my real name. My business name took me about 30 seconds to come up with. Having a name like Blaze makes it easy to come up with a company name. But, I also wanted a domain and URL that would be useful for SEO purposes.
Blazedigitalmarketing.com was available so I bought it and named my company.” — Blaze Bullock, Founder and Owner, Blaze Digital Marketing
11. Design Pickle
“Our flat-rate creative services company has a fun story behind the name. Our Founder and CEO, Russ Perry, loves pickles. He kept finding himself doodling what is now our trademarked logo. As he was trying to launch his idea of a graphic design subscription service in 2015, he had a realization. The name ‘Design Pickle’ actually works for two reasons. The first is it’s memorable, and has a fun, quirky side. And the second is that it refers to our solution — helping businesses that are in a design pickle.
After finding out the designpickle.com domain was open, Russ was sold. Nowadays, the pickle takes on many forms — from a real person pickle suit guy to being a staple costume at events, to making appearances within pop culture references.” — Jess Guffey, Brand Partnerships, Design Pickle
12. Columbus Street Financial Planning
“My business name is inspired by the street I grew up on! It’s symbolic in that my mom and I lived, for the first several years of my life, in an apartment on top of a three-car garage. My mom was on WIC assistance, but we made it.
Columbus Street, to me, symbolizes the American Dream. It’s about working hard to achieve your goals. We’re here to help anyone regardless of wealth, or people with wealth that don’t need the status of working with other higher-priced firms.” — Shawn Ballinger, Founder, Columbus Street Financial Planning
13. Giraffe Window Cleaners
“I am the owner of a window cleaning company in Dallas, Texas called Giraffe Window Cleaners.
I came up with the name after looking at the names of my competitors. All of the names are pretty generic (Fine Shine, Clean Windows of Dallas, Clearview Window Cleaners), so I knew I wanted something different. I wanted something unique, memorable, and maybe even a little funny.
I came across the name of one company called Fish Window Cleaning. This made me think that an animal-themed name would be great. I decided giraffes are the perfect animal for a window cleaning company. They are really tall, so they are able to reach really tall windows and clean them. People love the name and find it unique and memorable, so I think I made the right choice!” — Filip Duz, Head of Client Services, Giraffe Window Cleaners
14. Yum Actually
“Our business name Yum Actually was inspired by my young daughter. A couple of years ago, I was struggling to get her to eat enough fruits and veggies. I resorted to mashing up creamy fruits and veggies and turning them into something she wouldn’t refuse — ice cream! At first, she was reluctant to try her orange sweet potato ice cream but after taking a few bites, she looked up and said, ‘it’s yum actually!’
The name was then developed. Fast forward a couple of years and our ice cream is now in 60 NYC retailers. Often, when I demo our unique flavors in stores, customers will say “yum actually!” The name has really stuck!” — Nicole Frankel, Founder, Yum Actually, LLC
15. Crunchy Buzz
“My partner and I were looking for a business name that would embody our focus on marketing health and wellness brands in a memorable way. What’s more, we really wanted to make sure we could find a dot com associated with that name. After much deliberation, I decided on Crunchy Buzz.
My reasoning was that crunchy could work, due to slang consideration of health-focused people being crunchy — and all our marketing helped us get the buzz around. Luckily, nobody had bought the dot com URL. Other ideas we had URLs previously bought and being auctioned for thousands of dollars. Although it’s not necessary to have a dot com address, it helps! This business name has proven to keep things fun and interesting, and makes for a great conversation starter.” — Linda Miriam, Co-Founder, Crunchy Buzz
16. Dosely
“I wanted a business name that makes sense to the product I’m selling and would allow for brand IP protection. I settled on the name Dosely. This is a combination of daily + dose which is what our product is (a daily vitamin!).
Then, I searched on USTPO’s TESS to check for trademark availability, bought the domain name, and sourced the appropriate social media handles. A great name is worth nothing if you won’t protect it!” — Erick Quay, Founder, Dosely
17. iFax
“Making faxes come back into vogue in the 21st century isn’t an easy task. What can go well with faxes to modernize it? What if we put an ‘I’ in front of the word? There was a time where all the companies would simply put an i in front of their product to make it relevant.
For us, this trend still hasn’t gone away. To be completely honest, I don’t think it ever will. I love it.” — Adam Korbl, CEO, iFax
18. ReCreate Solutions, LLC
“For me, the business name had to be deeply personal and highly descriptive. After reaching the pinnacle in my career, I also found myself on the edge of burnout, exhaustion, imposter syndrome, and relational neglect. I found out the hard way that being a driven, high-performing leader is amazing—until it’s not. If I didn’t make some serious changes,
I would burn out. So, I made the terribly difficult decision to resign, take time off, reconnect to myself and my family, and embark on a new journey to understand how I arrived at that point.
That process led to what we termed a total ReCreation as a leader, husband, father, and person. This also led to a new mission: I want to give that same gift of ReCreation to others! So, I completed a Doctorate in Executive Leadership and combining wisdom and practices from a variety of neurological, scientific, historical, business, and therapeutic experts, I teach leaders to defeat overwhelm, take control of their lives, build their unique scorecard, and focus on what matters most.” — Jeremy Bedenbaugh, Founder and Managing Principal, ReCreate Solutions
19. Sendspark
“The origin story of our business name is kind of fun. We were thinking into the core of what we do. We wanted to help marketers connect to customers in a more personal, authentic way. In today’s world where digital communication is the only communication, there is so much noise, and spam, and competition on email & online channels. We wanted to help people send messages that people would actually enjoy receiving, and want to respond to.
And then it hit us!
*Send a video, spark a conversation*
Sendspark ✨
It was perfect. By divine intervention, we were able to get all the social media handles and the domain!” — Bethany Stachenfeld, Co-founder and COO, Sendspark
20. Nuvolum
“Our business name came to us at 2 AM after working all night to get there.
Nuvolum was created 10 years ago. It’s an integrated marketing and public relations firm focused primarily on healthcare. The name combines ‘new’ and ‘illumination.’ To us, it means always looking at things with fresh eyes and a continuous effort to innovate. Sometimes it’s recognizing that what you already have is a cut above the rest. Since video production has always been a huge part of what we do in telling the client’s story, the mark in our logo represents the light on a video set.
We started the company the same way we have created hundreds of brands for clients — with a root exercise. Today people compliment us on our name — especially after we produce results for them, and they finally understand what we’re about. — Jeff Thompson and Jock Putney, Managing Partners, Nuvolum
21. Dagmar Spichale
“I decided to take the plunge on starting my business in January 2020 and was thrown right into the COVID-19 pandemic a few weeks later. I have been thinking forever about a name that reflects my high-end product. Eventually, I settled on my own name — Dagmar Spichale. I sell urban luxury women’s dresses and felt that since it was fairly common for high-end clothing labels to carry the founder’s name, me doing the same would be just perfect.
I felt a little squirmy at first as I have a somewhat love/hate relationship with my name. However, when I brought it up in my business support and accelerator groups I received overwhelmingly positive feedback. Now, I see it as a reminder that just like putting myself out there with my own name makes me slightly uncomfortable, most activities I do on a daily basis are outside my comfort zone as well. I like the idea that I am being reminded even by such a small detail as my business name that growing as a person as well as a business is uncomfortable and should feel uncomfortable.” — Dagmar Spichale, Founder, Dagmar Spichale
22. Community Tax
“We spent a good amount of time trying to pick out a business name. We were trying to pick a name that would indicate what it is we do since we are a B2C company. So, we played around with countless names going back and forth until we settled on Community Tax.
We chose to incorporate the word ‘community’ as it gives the aura of belonging and welcoming like a community might be. As for the word, ‘tax’ that helps people understand our expertise. It’s really as simple as that.” — Jacob Dayan, Co-Founder and CEO, Community Tax
23. Dreamday
“When I left my full-time in-house role to start my own consultancy, I wanted more work-life balance. I wanted to design my own day however I saw fit. I arrived at Dreamday because I was thinking about the reason I left in the first place: to be able to create my ‘dream day’ every day.
For me that meant being able to spend more time with my family and kids, going for a hike in the morning, making a green smoothie, and working with innovative direct-to-consumer companies that I was personally passionate about and were creating some force of good in the world every day. Having Dreamday as my consultancy’s name makes me remember why I sought out to start this business in the first place.” — Lauren Kleinman, Founder, Dreamday and The Quality Edit
24. BeAiware
“My partner, Carlos Monero, and I recently founded BeAiware. We started discussing the idea in March and incorporated in July. This is a solution for schools to do contact tracing, quarantine monitoring, and proximity alerts to help students respect social distancing throughout the day during COVID-19.
The business name came as we were brainstorming about the need to ‘be aware’ of what is happening in the school, and the possibility to use AI to help predict which contacts were significant enough to warrant quarantine.” — Murilo Melo, MD, PhD, Co-Founder, BeAiware
25. DragonWise
“I’m the founder and CEO of DragonWise, a small startup in Eastern Pennsylvania. I actually filed my LLC paperwork with MyCorporation!
I’ve been wanting to start my own business for years. This March, I finally took the plunge and have officially been in business for five months. I have been working on developing a line of pet wellness products and healthful living items and planning to launch around summer.
COVID-19 changed everything and lit a fire under me. I said to myself ‘now or never’ because you never know when it will be your last opportunity. This fire fueled a furious journey that went from 0-600 almost overnight
The business name DragonWise was something I came up within two hours flat. We were slammed with so many orders my small team and I were working around the clock. I barely had time to eat moreover pick a business name, and we desperately needed a name! This name is inspired by my mother. My mother was always the most powerful and heroic woman in my life. The ‘Dragon’ has always been a symbol to her, and to me of channeling inner strength and passion to survive and grow from life’s challenges. ‘Wise’ is a reminder to temper passion with wisdom and do everything with intelligence, reason and compassion. This message was not only personal to me, but it kept me motivated and focused on our brand mission and values. I also feel it is very meaningful at this time in history when the world needs to unite and remember to have empathy and kindness.
One of our taglines is ‘Be Well, Be Kind, Be Wise.’ I hope this message has as much meaning to our customers and friends as it does to us.” — Marie Viin, Founder and CEO, DragonWise
26. Rain Organica
“My newly launched business makes skincare for hikers. The reason I chose the name Rain Organica is about a million-fold. Here’s the cohesive version:
I knew from the outset that I was not selling to a typical skincare enthusiast, but rather an outdoor enthusiast that knows she needs to protect her skin while she’s out in the elements. Since her primary objective is to be outside, I wanted to reflect what these products are
made for. Namely, to go wherever you go.
Rain is inherently messy. When you’re in it, there’s no getting out of it. The best thing you can do is to fully embrace it. It’s also incredibly nourishing, and there’s something about rain that
is captivating whether you are out in it with no cover or inside listening to the rain fall. And, of course, it’s deeply cleansing leaving behind a brighter world.
I’d been struggling with a name for this new business for a couple months testing made up words, thinking about what would resonate with the hiking community, and somehow, almost by fate, Rain caught in my mind, and it would not leave.
I also wanted a name that conveyed a sense of place. To me, the word Organica conjures images of a northwestern rainforest. A physical place, almost utopian and completely natural.
The two words together captured the essence of the brand in a way no other words I could create or remember could. To me, they mean skincare created to nourish your skin. Skincare created to remove all boundaries between you and nature delivered to you in the most sustainable way possible.” — Brandy Searcy, Founder, Rain Organica LLC
27. WorldWise Tutoring LLC
“I originally named my business Tertiary Tutoring, as tertiary is often the highest level of organization and education. No one understood it or could pronounce the word. So, I decided to change the name a couple years later.
I wanted a name that reflected my business’ goal of helping our students become lifelong learners, global citizens, and competent and conscious leaders. I also wanted something that reflected my belief that ‘we are one,’ meaning every living thing across the globe is connected. So, I played on the words worldwide and wisdom to form ‘WorldWise.’ The idea came after a brainstorming session with my friend and her husband, who are in totally unrelated career fields. The logo of the globe with interconnected lines further emphasizes the multiple meanings behind my company’s name.” — Lindsey Wander, Founder and CEO, WorldWise Tutoring LLC
28. Peak Access Solutions
“Our company is Peak Access Solutions LLC. We launched right at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic. Because our market is primarily construction, we lucked out that we were able to not only survive, but take our company to nearly 40 employees in less than six months.
Our name was a play on what we do. We build scaffolding and access for construction and industrial projects. So, we needed something fitting for heights but also something that accurately conveyed that we are the best. Words we toyed around with included Apex, Summit, and Next Level before deciding Peak Access was the perfect fit because we wanted to be the top of the industry in service.
After running some branding past a few colleagues, and seeing that name recognition for the word Peak was very strong, we started the LLC and bought the domain name. We began our first project right as word began to spread about the coronavirus. Soon after, we were traversing empty roads just hoping that we too wouldn’t be told to stay home. Our competitors slowly stopped calling on projects and pushing their schedules back as they were laying off employees. We took that as a direct sign to push forward even harder. That’s when our responsiveness and service level began to take root and give us the strong client base we now have. We have built some amazing projects this year, surpassing our largest competitors in capability.
Six months later, we have nearly 40 full time employees in the Tampa and Orlando area, an SEO team, a social media manager, and have now crossed well into seven figures in revenue. We are the fastest growing scaffold company in Florida!” — Robert Lewis, President, Peak Access Solutions, LLC
29. Intuitive Libby
“My business name is Intuitive Libby. Interestingly enough, the name is exactly what my business teacher advised me not to do! I will admit I do have a tinge of a rebellious side or rather a tendency to question things, but when it came to the advice my teacher gave regarding how to choose the name for our business and company website, being oppositional wasn’t my intention. She suggested that I use my full name because that would be best for search results. However, I already had a website with my name that was dedicated to my writing and I also knew there was another Libby Brittain who was working at Facebook at the time and she had all the social media handles wrapped up. From a branding perspective, it didn’t make much sense. My teacher suggested I add the word, ‘Intuitive,’ to the end of my name. This made it, ‘Libby Brittain Intuitive’ but it just didn’t sit right with me. Every time I would either talk to someone about my company or write down the name, I would automatically write, ‘Intuitive Libby.’
I decided to test it out amongst friends and family. I noticed many had a tendency to get hung up on the long name of Libby Brittain Intuitive, while others would place the word “Intuitive” first as I did. Based on my observations, it appeared my business was going to be referred to as Intuitive Libby no matter what. Why fight it? It’s catchy and it’s what felt right to me from the beginning, which makes sense since I am intuitive after all!” — Libby Brittain, CEO, Intuitive Libby, LLC
30. Burbz
“I’m the founder of Burbz, a property management software company for landlords and PM’s. I always knew one day I would start my own business. About 10 years ago, 60 Minutes had a segment about the perfect business name and the components that went into naming them. Two words and the letter B had the best effect on test groups. In their opinion, the best existing company name was BlackBerry.
Skip ahead all those years later. I recalled the effect of the letter B. Soon after I came up with the idea for our value prop, the name ‘Burbs’ came to mind. It was real estate related and a common enough phrase that most people would immediately get the reference.
Letter B: check. Two words: miss.
As the founder of Burbz, one of the main reasons I was passionate to start this business was to help our community of landlords and tenants. We truly view our members as part of our community. With every new user, we always say ‘welcome to the Burbz!’. Our name is a constant reminder of who we serve.” — Kenny Dahill, Founder, Burbz
31. Clover Patch Media
“Less than a month ago, I started a media and presentation training service called Clover Patch Media to help prepare executives for interviews and presentations and assist communications teams with message development.
I started this consultancy after I was furloughed in late April. The COVID-19 pandemic forced my employer to make drastic cuts in senior positions and I was among those impacted.
As a former network news anchor, I’ve come to appreciate that audiences gravitate to stories and ideas that involve a personal connection. In deciding my business name, I wanted something that was a reflection of who I am and what I hope to inspire.
Twenty years ago, I nervously told my family I was gay. I knew they would be accepting but had no idea the degree of their support. My father, a man of few words and emotions, said being gay was like being a four-leaf clover; it is something special and unique that occurs in nature.
His response was overwhelming. I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect way to show support. Over the years, the clover has become my moniker and a reminder of that moment.
For me, it made sense to incorporate the clover into my business’ name because it represents a time in my life where confidence carried me through an uncertain situation. That is what I hope to provide to all my clients.” — Dan Kloeffler, Founder, Clover Patch Media
32. SeCa Hose Holder
“I’m the co-owner of the SeCa Hose Holder along with my Dad. It’s a revolutionary garden tool, a hands-free water hose holder, that we invented. We had to come up with a unique business name. There are companies out there, like Yeti, that make a product and have their name become synonymous with it. We wanted to be able to come up with something like that, but quickly found it a little challenging! So, we got to thinking….
Our family (Dad: Mark, Mom: Michele, Son: Seth, Son: Cade) is very close knit and very much a part of this business. My Mom decided one day to start combining letters of our first names…
She tried a few combinations until one stuck. SeCa. It was original and had a ring to it that we loved! My parents both wanted my brother and I’s names as part of a company we hope to create a legacy from!
In the end, we got our clever name we wanted and one we’re super proud to associate with our one of a kind invention! While we’ve been around for almost 2 years, COIVD was an incredibly important time for us. We pushed forward with our original plans we had for the year and emerging stronger than ever! We stuck together as a family and did what we could to further our dreams!” — Seth Samuelson, Co-Owner, SeCa Hose Holder
33. Steeped Content
“My business name, Steeped Content, originates with my passion and coincides with my service offering and target market, tea companies.
Tea is my lifelong passion. My skills lay in digital marketing, specifically content marketing, honed through agency experience and a master’s degree in Marketing Strategy and Innovation. Exposure to many small and medium tea companies showed me that they were overpaying agencies for content marketing or merely operating without it. Neither of these two sceneries was good for business. The problem was simple. Entrepreneurs of tea companies usually had extensive product knowledge but lacked content marketing expertise. Agencies usually had content marketing expertise but lacked product knowledge. I wanted to start a business that gave tea companies the expertise they needed: knowledge of both content marketing and tea.
The name Steeped Content was born. The name draws on a passion for tea shared between myself and clients and marries it with what I’m uniquely equipped to offer, content marketing.
The word ‘steeped’ builds subtle, clear associations to tea. It also calls to mind depth and richness of thoughts and insights. That’s what I deliver and what the brand is about.
To me, my business name, Steeped Content, means staying true to my passion and staying laser-focused on where I can create the most value for customers.” — Mackenzie Bailey, Founder, Steeped Content
34. BroutonLab
“Everyone asks us why we called our company BroutonLab. It is an unusual business name for a data science company. Not many people know that far in the Sea of Okhotsk, there is a little island called Broutona. This island has a mysterious past and has never been inhabited. British naval officer William Robert Broughton discovered the island in the 1970s. Since then, it bears his name.
There is a legend that the island has its own unique, powerful energy. Explorers discovered strange bunkers and abandoned underground structures that were built by the Japanese in the 1900s. Most likely, they were used for the research of electromagnetic energy. Like this island, neural networks have a lot of hidden power that we are still to discover, and there are many mysteries surrounding them.” — Michael Yurushkin, CTO and Founder, BroutonLab
35. Cairn Consulting Solutions
“I had such a good time discovering my business name and taking the time to find something that resonates deeply with me has been so valuable over the years.
My cousin and I took four hours and went through a bunch of names including all Greek goddesses, lots of random objects, etc. An important part of the search was looking up the definition of words. In fact, the definition was one of the deciding factors on selecting Cairn. I knew I loved the imagery of cairns — the balance, the fact that when I’m hiking, I’m always looking for the next one to know I’m on the right path. Seeing the definitions reinforced that I wanted to be a cairn for my clients. We didn’t finalize the entire name in those four hours, but we were clear that cairn was in the business!
Because I love cairns, I use the imagery all the time in my speaking and my programs. For leadership development we build a cairn that will become the guide on the leaders’ journey. For organizational design, we use the imagery of balancing all aspects of design to build cairns that can survive the elements.” — Amy Lafko, MSPT MBA, Owner and Principal, Cairn Consulting Solutions, LLC
36. Click A Tree
“Click A Tree started as B’n’Tree, or Bed and Tree. It is a wordplay on B&B, where you get a bed and breakfast. Instead of serving breakfast, we plant one tree for every booking that is made via our travel platform in cooperation with partners such as Expedia, Skyscanner, etc.
As a tourism professional I started off in the tourism industry, where I had my experience and my networks. One of my mentors kept referring to B’n’Tree as Click A Tree, since it takes one click of your mouse to plant a real tree.
The name stuck. It perfectly summarized our mission — to make sustainability simple — and that it only takes the click of your mouse to plant trees.
Hence B’n’Tree turned into Click A Tree — thanks to Erik, my awesome mentor.” — Chris Kaiser, Founder and CEO, Click A Tree
37. Wild and Found Photography
“I am a Colorado-based photographer that specializes in adventure elopements. When trying to come up with my business name, I spent a lot of time thinking about the type of client I wanted to work with. My clients are typically outdoorsy, nature lovers, with a passion for things like travel and adventure. They are the type of people that don’t necessarily just accept social norms without question but forge the path that is right for them. This same attitude about life is what drives them to choose an adventure elopement instead of a big, traditional wedding.
I came across a quote from Robert Brault that really struck me and led me to my business name. ‘What we find in a soulmate is not something wild to tame, but something wild to run with.’
For people who love adventure, travel, and freedom, to find a partner who shares this love is to be known and understood.
Lost isn’t quite the right word to describe life before meeting your partner. A more accurate description is that you were wandering, wild and free. But now, yes, you’ve definitely been found.” — Kim Hefner, Owner and Photographer, Wild and Found Photography