Our name. A gift at birth. Or a curse?
A name lovingly chosen by our expectant parents with questions as deep as; what looks good in a Christmas card? Does it match the other names in the family? Which grandparent should we ingratiate ourselves to? Is there someone inspirational whose memory we wish to live on through our children? Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds certainly have ticked a couple of the above when recently naming their newborn son. Wilfred Lawrie, after their respective grandfathers and Nicholas, in tribute to the two Dr Nicks (Price and Hart) who the PM credits for saving his life from Covid-19. I too put my hands up to conceding to the above line of questioning myself.
Even with all the love and romanticism invested in our names, how many of us actually even like ours? Yet our name defines us, precedes us even. Impressions are made just on our name – age, background, assumed personality - something some go to lengths to disprove. But at the end of the day it is us. Like it or lump it. People know us by it, people remember us by it and people refer to us with it; therefore, making it one of our strongest selling points.
Some companies come up with the most brilliant and creative names for their businesses to reflect their particular product or service whilst others choose to root theirs in tradition by calling on surnames or maiden names. As a prospective customer or client do I feel a natural affinity with a name that evokes family history and longevity? A silent endorsement of the business? Maybe. Maybe not. But at the end of the day, it is the people behind the brand and the service they provide that sets it apart from the many others in their sector; the company name purely a calling card.
Do I like my name? Not particularly. It is now even longer through marriage, people can’t spell it and am I Philly or Philippa? Or even Lindsay as many people conclude. But, it is me and it is unique to me. Chosen by my parents who were full of hope and expectation for an exciting future ahead. Feelings I share for my new venture. So, it made sense to use it for my own business both for ease of recognition and referral; as well as love and a sense of pride. After all, PLC PLC has a certain ring to it, don’t you think?!