Almost everyone asks me why I chose Agatha as the name to represent my newly formed consulting company. I quickly respond that it is an homage to my grandmother, who was an immigrant, entrepreneur and breadwinner in the 50s and 60s, before such attributes were usually associated with a woman. Hella Agathe Backer, who answered most readily to Gagga, was an amazing woman, shaking things up in her own quiet way during WWII and then later immigrating to the states with her husband and four young children.

*Note, while my grandmother spelled her name with an "e", I chose to use and "a" for simplicity sake.

That story is simple and most people nod appreciatively. But true to my analytical nature, behind the decision to name my company Agatha Consulting is a multi-layered analysis which might be interesting to those who are contemplating a new venture and familiar to those who have gone before.

My first step, as you might imagine, was to make a list of clever consulting names that I felt would represent me well. The list was long and wonderful, the creative juices were flowing!…then I started checking URL availability. I quickly learned that all normal and most creative URLs are owned…people make a sport of buying them cheap and collecting them! I used to think that entrepreneurs who named their companies unique names, often new words even, were simply clever! I now believe that it is out of necessity if you want a .com web address.

With that lesson learned, my next step was to secure 10 or so URLs. Once I had these in hand, I sent out a google survey (yep, nerd alert) to my friends, family and colleagues to ask them to rank my finalist names. With brutal honesty…they told me what they thought.

Quotes:

I think [Agatha Group] is a tough name…it sounds a bit old [not] the image you want.
Agatha sounds old.

The data was clear…I should go with the safety of my own name. Yet, I resisted! I wanted something that could grow beyond me, perhaps a group that would later attract other consultants who wanted to join me on my journey to improve healthcare.

So, as the independent and persistent woman that I can be, I sent out another survey about a month later. This time, I asked them to rate 6 names on a scale of 1-5. I used this data to assign a relative weight and rank to each name. No shame in the bit of introduced bias!

And we had a clear winner! Along with another great quote: “Can't mark "hate it" as it might have meaning to you, but "Agatha" makes me think of an old lady.”

I love these guys! I am so fortunate to be surrounded by honesty and unwavering support.

By honoring my past in Agathe's name, I capture her trailblazing initiative and spirit, providing a foundation that fuels my mission and values.

Agatha Consulting it was! We are off and running with a new logo (thanks Pier 2 Marketing!) and much support!

I am so thankful to those who have supported me as I have set off on this journey, and the inspiration of those who have gone before.

What’s in a name? Usually more than meets the eye!

What's in a name? A look at the data and instinct behind naming my start-up.