Is Canelo a good name for a software company?
We have developed an amazing analytics portal, Luci, that is the primary interface for our data and analytics platform for superannuation funds (pension funds) in Australia.
Our customers are great advocates, but more importanly, they really use Luci. Our monthly active users average 70%, which is nearly 2.5 times higher than the global best in class average from Gartner of just over 20%.
With such great results, and a great story to match, we have decided to spin Luci out into her own company.
But what to call the new company!?!?!
This article is about the familar story any start-up goes through in naming their company. This is our story.
- Luci
Well, our customers call our platform Luci. We call her Luci. Luci is personalised to us. We have our heroine, we have our avatar. I love the artwork. In fact, I was going to call my first born, Luci. But we had a lovely boy, Francis.
Concerns: apparently IP protection for a company name is a thing. We couldn’t trade mark Luci. Nor could we get a domain name. So…. agonising months ensue….
2. Drunken inspiration
I would call up my co-founder at all hours of the night with newly inspired names. We both ended up looking at every name we saw as a possibility. Movie production companies (I love them), bands, random words smart friends used, and a random maze of hybrid names.
*We dabbled in Spanish, Japanese, and Portguese names for a while too
3. Canelo
Our ginger saviour, in the form of my favourite boxer. Bring it, Canelo and end our name search.
What an amazing guy. But I had to face the facts, after months of searching for a name with Janice, I was at the depths of my naming inspiration. Eres el mas fuerte, Canelo.
4. Name generators
Now this is actually quite interesting. We used a few. And then we stumbled on Frozen Lemons. What a cool site, name, and service. So up we signed, and then…. aaargh, more debate answering their questions like, which company names did we really admire.
But we got it done, and in less than 48 hours, humans (I’m fairly sure) delivered us 5 names. No peeking, Janice and I waited and read the names together. Well actually, I was driving, and Janice read the names out to me. It totally didnt work. The avant garde names of future tech titans really did require reading them, synthesising their essence, and then imagining their future awesomeness. Over phone shouldn’t be done.
So how did that Frozen Lemons reveal moment leave us feeling? Probably more confused.
Advice:
I have none, except persevere. It might take weeks or months, but we think you have to hold out to find that truly inspired name you can really get behind, believe in, and well, probably more importantly, find a domain name for.
In the current English speaking world where it seems every useful word in the Oxford dictionary is taken, choosing a name is massively painful. It will delay your ambitious launch plans, mostly by lost time wondering if a new brand of Yogurt might parlay into a play of words for your start-up. I really admire those founders that have the name selected as they develop their concept.
A ha!
We have the name! Far out, we did it. Actually, Janice did it. Love you co-founder. Next up we talk about the launch of Luci, with a new name and brand. Now the real work can begin.
