In the most recent issue of Inc. magazine (the Inc 500 issue), Norm Brodsky writes (in Street Smarts) that time spent in the start-up phase deciding on a name is some of the most wasted time of all. Time lost brainstorming should’ve been spent creating your business since really, any name will do - as long as it’s not detrimental to your message, your customers don’t care!

Michael Pollock’s post Forget Creating A Brand. Build A Great Business. speaks from a similar vein, using Starbucks as an example. He quotes John Moore (and I’ll paraphrase) as saying that Starbucks gave no thought to creating a brand - they were too busy creating a business. By continuously striving to be the best they could be in every aspect of their business (as any business should), the brand created itself, automatically and unavoidably.

Both of these articles hit close to home as I have been spending (obviously way too much!) time brainstorming a name for a new business venture - and have felt much of it could have been put to better use. Coming from a visual background, I struggle with the amount of time I sink into developing the aesthetic and experience, trying to achieve absolute perfection, when instead a more revisory approach would help me achieve greater productivity in a shorter period of time. (Which is why this site is live instead of sitting on my hard drive as I develop.) As Jason Fried says (again, paraphrased) - you have to celebrate the small successes because they fuel your determination to achieve greater goals.

As my frustration has grown in trying to find an ideal moniker, I’ve been more and more reluctant to waste additional time, instead hoping that it will dawn on me in a random fit of inspiration. At least then I’m able to stay productive and work on building my business instead of just a brand.