Naming a company is one of my favorite kinds of projects. Not only do I get to engage in lateral thinking, but that thinking is the product. It’s a kind of alchemy, carefully boiling hundreds of options down to a handful, in search of the single word that transmutes an abstract concept into substance — solid, unique, and memorable.
I recently led efforts to name two stealth companies: one in the financial space, the other in B2B services. Here’s a peek into my process for both.
Finance Company
For this company, the target audience was bold, highly competitive entrepreneurs. They’re looking for a reliable partner who gets them, so the name had to embody ambition, excellence, and growth. My recommended options also carried an active, virtuoso tone.
B2B Services
In this case, the service we were naming filled an often-overlooked hole in the startup journey. The customers have a vision, but need help connecting certain dots to make it a reality. The names I developed for this company channeled expertise, access, connection, and the power of alignment to produce compounding results.
