Are you wondering how to name your business?
Of course you want your business name to reflect your mission and who you are as a woman and person, right?
But sometimes we’re trying so hard to come up with the “perfect” name, we don’t see the name right in front of us!
Maybe your business name is hiding somewhere in the creation story of your business, just as mine was!
A coaching client recently asked me how I’d come up with the name The Usual Magic for my Transformational Life and Book-Writing Coaching.
“Actually, I didn’t,” I told her. “A friend came up with it when I told her the book agent story.”
She raised her eyebrows and looked curious.
“It’s a long one,” I said, chuckling at the memory and how far I’d come. “Definitely for another day.”
We both laughed, but I knew she wanted to hear it, so I dug through my old articles and found the story to send to her.
Then I thought it would be fun to share with you, too!
So here you go…
The Story of How I Named My Business
I was heading to New York City to meet my literary agent.
The literary agent for my book Preemie.
The literary agent I had hoped for from the get-go.
The literary agent in the #1 spot on the list of sixty I’d queried.
The literary agent I’d pursued for over a year.
I spent days picking out just the right outfit.
A sleeveless short navy dress with a long matching jacket.
“Cityish, right?” I’d asked hubby.
“Just be yourself,” he’d replied.
Big help.
“Shoes or boots?” I’d asked my sister-in-law once I’d made it to Connecticut.
“Definitely the shoes. They’re fabulous.”
“Do I look ready for New York City?”
My brother chimed in. “Kase, don’t say New York City. Just say ‘New York’ or ‘The City.’”
“Right,” I said.
His advice while dropping me off at the train station the next morning was, “Just be yourself.”
“John,” I gave him a knowing look. “Be myself?” Here I collapsed my knees in a buckling motion while simultaneously throwing my arms in the air and accidentally hitting myself in the head with my bag.
“Right,” he said, looking around the station, taking a step away from me. “Just be you, toned down and contained a bit.”
When he asked if I was sure I knew where I was going, I pulled the notepaper from my bag, flapping it in front of his face.
Just Being Myself
An hour later I was in “The City,” standing in Grand Central with two hours to make it to the Upper West Side.
Bathroom. Hair still straight. Check.
Outfit smooth and stylish. Check.
Hungry. Check.
Smoothie stand. Check.
Ginger-Mango. Check.
Notes from brother. Check.
Up the steps. Check.
Vanderbilt Ave. Check.
Cab to Central Park West. Hmmm.
No cab.
Phone out. Call brother.
“Where’s the cab stand?”
“What cab stand?”
“Outside Grand Central.”
“Kasey, there’s no stand. Just step in the road and put your hand in the air.”
Oh.
“A cab stopped!” I yelled into the phone.
“Good. Get in it!” my brother yelled back.
“Right.”
I opened the cab door. My first thought was, “Wow, this cab is immaculate.”
I stepped forward, trying to get my bag into the back seat first. I was fumbling to hold onto my phone. Then I watched as the lid of my smoothie caught on the lip of the cab door.
It was an explosion.
A Ginger-Mango Smoothie Explosion.
It took me a moment to realize what had happened. Smoothie dripped from my eyelashes. It fell from my hair. I could feel it traveling inside my left ear. When it hit the ground it splashed up between my legs. The front of my dress and jacket were covered. COVERED.
Nightmare, right?
The back seat of the cab was sloshing with smoothie and suddenly the street was full of honking cabs, waiting for us to move.
I stood frozen, clutching the roof of the cab.
“Um, do you have any napkins?” I asked the cabbie. He threw a bunch my way.
I wanted to close the cab door and tell him to have a nice day.
But I got in.
The smoothie moved like a giant yellow blob as I pushed it across the back seat.
“Um, do you have any more napkins,” I asked.
More napkins came my way. I tried to wipe the front of my dress and ended up with white napkin lint on top of the baby-puke colored stains.
“I don’t know if I should laugh or cry,” I said to the cabbie.
Another wad of napkins fell in my lap.
And then I laughed.
I laughed and laughed and laughed all the way to the Upper West Side.
After giving the cab driver an enormous tip and more apologies, I called my brother from a park bench.
“Kasey Mathews you did not. Please tell me you did not do that.”
“I did.”
“Ok, don’t panic,” he instructed. “There are dress shops all up and down Columbus.”
And he was right, there were. Only each dress shop was teeny-tiny, filled with a select few teeny-tiny dresses that cost like 500 dollars!
My “city” outfit and jacket had come straight off the clearance rack at TJMaxx.
I was running out of time and not sure what to do. Wear what I had on? It’d make a great story, but seriously, it wasn’t an option.
Then I saw it.
I’d come upon Shopping Nirvana.
A three-story discount designer store.
It was like TJMaxx on steroids.
“Oh my goodness,” my friend asked, her eyes wide open. “What happened then?”
“Oh, you know,” I said, waving my hand in air. “I ran into a store. Found a gorgeous dress that was a perfect match to my shoes and fit like a glove. And it was fifty bucks. You know, it was just the usual magic,” I said waving my hand in the air.
And that, my friend, is where the name was born.
It was just The Usual Magic.
photo thanks to yeshi kangrang
When I first set out to find a name for my writing, coaching and speaking practice, I had a long list of all these clever names I’d come up with.
But nothing felt quite right.
As women entrepreneurs we pour our hearts and souls into our businesses and are so closely connected to them, sometimes it’s hard to see clearly.
Your business is like your baby. And like a baby, you love and adore her (and she can drive you crazy sometimes, too!).
What I discovered is that sometimes the name of your business is hidden in the story of your baby’s (business) creation!
Ready to Discover Your Business Name?
Think back.
When did you first decide to launch your business?
Where did the idea come from?
Grab some pens and paper and tell your story.
Bring it to life on the page!
Or have tea with a friend or colleague and take a trip down memory lane!
Chances are, your “baby’s” name is hiding somewhere in your story!
Keep me posted!
Want some help?
Business coaching is a big component of my Transformational Life Coaching Practice.
I help women all over the world bring their businesses to life in a way that’s playful, inspiring, intuitive and organic!
Let’s talk!
Book a Complimentary Discovery Session today to learn more!
