Happy New Year! I hope everyone who sees this is having a safe holiday filled with laughter and fellowship.

The new year is a busy time of year for any entrepreneur. For those with established businesses, it’s a great time to take stock, decide what things are working, and which processes need to be rethought or dropped. For the entrepreneur still hiding out in the "pre-launch" phase (like me), it’s the time to dedicate himself or herself to moving into that frightening, yet rewarding launch phase. For the person considering becoming an entrepreneur, this is when the resolution to start that business is set.

I remember being at this phase. I was terrifed (still am, in fact). I was looking at creating a handcrafts business with someone I had met through a medieval recreation group, and she was far more gung ho about it than I was. It was great having her energy around because it really helped quiet some of my uncertainty.

One of the best conversations we ever had was the one leading up to our proposed business name. While it generated a unique monniker, it was rather challenging to explain in a way that didn’t make people look at us like we had both sprouted another head. We named the business around a misunderstanding that we both had found completely funny. It turned out that the name drew people in just long enough to ask how we came up with it, but the explanation quickly drove them off before they had a chance to see what we had to offer.

When I started out on my own, I originally kept the name in the hopes of keeping some of her energy around when she moved on. It blew up in my face yet again. I thought long and hard about a new business name, first trying out Tapestry Designs based on a long-stnading daydream of mine. That similarly ran into problems because people found it a bit misleading.

After much debating and a few other aborted name considerations, I finally settled on stating who I am and what I do- My name is Rebecca Thomas, and I design. Hence, my little fledgling business is now called Rebecca Thomas Designs. The process to come up with the name has actually helped me focus on what I want from this endeavor, and has helped me plan some growth into this place.

Now to motivate myself to move forward with this business!

Posted by Rebecca in Uncategorized