LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET

There seems to be trend these days to name your company using a few letters from the alphabet that are random and unconnected. On my corner alone, there is ACE, OAK, BNKR, ACNE, and someone else whose name I can't remember because it is a group of letters I can't wrap my head around, like AYR, APC, ARP or something like that. Last night I went to a bar/restaurant named ERB which actually does stand for something if you look at the fine print, but I can't remember. The only reason I can give you the correct letters this morning is because I looked it up (I remembered the address, not the name)  

While this trend is seemingly catchy and perhaps part of the cutting edge of new business advice, and obviously very popular, I question the decision. Maybe it is just me. But when you name your company, you want staying power. You want people to remember who you are. And you want the name to mean something. If I can't remember who you are, I can't recommend you to friends or family. It will be difficult to contact you, shop you online or come visit your store.   

Shakespeare may have famously said, "What's in a name? that which we call a rose. By any other name would smell as sweet." and that may be true when it comes to roses, but when it comes to business, your name can mean everything.

xo, jan
@janmccarthy
www.janmccarthy.com