Laissez-Faire Attitudes Yield Shitty Soufflés
Thoughts on Client Enthusiasm
I lead about 25 naming projects every year and I’ve noticed a common characteristic that is a solid indicator for how fruitful a specific creative relationship will be: passion. To put it simply, do you care about what you’re doing and do you get others excited about it? Further, for naming purposes, do you actually care about changing the name of your company or product? If you are just going through the motions because your co-founders/board/several hundred internet trolls are making your life hell, the process will not be nearly as potent or powerful as you wished it would.
Our team can help you unearth fresh ideas and explore new naming options, but it is imperative that you are enthusiastic about your own project. This bears repeating: no one can force you to be interested in what you and your company do—that’s something you have to bring to the table. Ultimately, one of the best qualities you can have as a prospective client is passion for your company or product, and a parallel enthusiasm for the power of the name.
Are you excited about the craft you spend most of your waking hours perfecting? Are you invested in your company making a strong pivot with a new name? Good. You’ll be invested in the naming process.
Just look at how stoked this guy is to direct jets in freezing weather…
…dude just wants to love aviation and dance.
Being passionate about your company or product is vital because it naturally follows that you have high hopes for their potential. If you dream that your company could scale to be a lucrative acquisition, develop the next pivotal product to combat a chronic disease, or simply make some people happier, then you’re going to have an open mind about what a new name could be—you might even be downright giddy at the prospect.
A name is a foundational part of your brand so you should engage in a name change with equivalent excitement and investment for the process. A new name can transform your business and how just about anyone sees it. Taking the initiative to change your name when it feels like something may not be quite right is a clear, strong signal. You’re telling anyone familiar with your brand—and every new interaction or relationship to follow—that you’ve had a big think or found a new, strategic direction, and you want to champion this new mindset.
This band from Liverpool notably changed its name when they were fatigued with fame and wanted to mix things up.
Those who delve deep into the naming process like it’s an adventure to unearth some mythical artifacts will have the open mind and eager eye to find something beautiful. Those who anticipate a fluorescent light-soaked, styrofoam cup-equipped scenario with word salad brand names on the table should maybe just buy some magnet poetry and crack open a bottle of Chuck Shaw chardonnay. At A Hundred Monkeys we believe in the power of words and the fundamentally transformative experience a name change can spark for companies and products. We’re here for people ready to embark on an adventure to discover a new way to sing their song to the world. You’ll need to have some passion and an open mind, but couple those with our hopes for your new vision and there’s nowhere we can’t go.
