1541: What's in a Name by Isaac Morehouse on Exploring How They Shape Identity, Perception and Destiny

[00:00:00] This is Optimal Work Daily. What's in a Name by Isaac Morehouse of IsaacMorehouse.com.

[00:00:07] So, what's in a name? A lot. Words are like magic. If properly wielded, they confer the ability to own a thing.

[00:00:15] I didn't put a lot of thought into company names, even after creating Praxis.

[00:00:19] The name Praxis came to me all of a piece with the idea for the company.

[00:00:23] It was a package deal and one of the handful of weird, almost mystical experiences I've had in my life.

[00:00:29] I knew what it meant and I knew it was what I was naming the company.

[00:00:33] I couldn't imagine entertaining any other name. It just wouldn't fit.

[00:00:37] But it doesn't always happen this way.

[00:00:38] When we decided to split off a new entity from Praxis to pursue a different product and strategy, the name Praxis didn't work.

[00:00:46] The entities needed to be different, free to pursue their own growth strategies without brand confusion.

[00:00:51] I didn't see this at first. Venture capitalist James Currier at NFX did.

[00:00:56] His article on the power and importance of a company name did the trick.

[00:01:00] Like all the best material, I knew it was true as soon as I started to read it, even though I wished it wasn't at the time.

[00:01:06] After fully committing to a new name for this new venture, it got surprisingly hard.

[00:01:11] In the past, names had chosen me, but now I had to choose a name.

[00:01:15] It felt clunky and forced. But I've done daily blogging for years, so I know that creation sometimes feels uninspired.

[00:01:22] I know the best stuff doesn't always come from the muses, but from will and persistence.

[00:01:27] We set about a process of collecting name ideas. Internally, the team came up with 50 or 60 contenders.

[00:01:34] I came up with another 80 myself. Then we tried using an online service called Squad Help for more.

[00:01:40] All in all, I had a list of 350 name ideas. I began whittling it down day after day. I got to my top 30.

[00:01:47] I sent those around, discussed with staff, adjusted some more, and got to about 20.

[00:01:52] Some of them were sorta kinda close to crash, but it was not on the list.

[00:01:57] Several nights, I lay in bed unable to sleep as names ran through my head.

[00:02:01] I had a notepad by my bed to write them down if I thought they were good.

[00:02:05] Often in the morning, I was surprised by how stupid some of them were, when in a dreamlike state I thought they were the bee's knees.

[00:02:11] One night at about 3.30am, I woke up with a bunch of ideas.

[00:02:15] Dash, smash, board, dashboard, crash board, career crash, crash.

[00:02:20] I wrote them all down and fell back asleep.

[00:02:23] The next morning, I looked at the list and really liked it. There was something here.

[00:02:27] I worked it over several times, played with the words and their uses and meanings, bounced it off a few more people, and finally decided that crash was perfect.

[00:02:36] Like Aslan and Narnia, it's not safe, but it's good. Perfect.

[00:02:41] Here's a few thoughts I jotted for the team on the name.

[00:02:45] Quote,

[00:02:45] Let me quickly share a few thoughts on why I love the name crash, despite its sort of edgy connotation with an accident or crash and burn.

[00:02:53] Practically speaking, I love that it's one syllable, a known word with known and easy spelling, no other known companies using it.

[00:03:00] It's got both verb and noun usability, and it's packed with action and makes you pause.

[00:03:06] It sounds nothing like any other boring education organization with names that come right off motivational posters.

[00:03:12] And stuffy weirdos will always be annoyed by its usage in a positive sense.

[00:03:16] Spiritually speaking, I like the idea of crashing the party or crashing obstacles or anything with some kind of momentum or elevation.

[00:03:24] Crash has a somewhat violent connotation. Good. No one said it would be easy.

[00:03:29] We want to take that energy and channel it to positive progress, radical and practical.

[00:03:34] A crash is the violent collision of things resulting in a reformulation.

[00:03:39] That's what real learning looks like. That's what real progress and change look like.

[00:03:43] To come alive, you've got to break some molds and expectations and assumptions.

[00:03:48] We've been using the career launch metaphor.

[00:03:51] Discover your interests, build your signal, launch your career.

[00:03:54] Which can be sort of awkward to combine the ideas of crash and launch, but somehow I think it works.

[00:04:01] Crash course is the fastest way to get the most important stuff needed to do a new activity.

[00:04:05] It implies action over perfection.

[00:04:08] A party crasher is someone who comes into a stodgy, formal affair, ignores the stuffy dress code, and has a good time on their own terms.

[00:04:16] Everyone is drawn to and wants to hang around the party crasher because he's more interesting than the suits on the guest list.

[00:04:22] In basketball, you crash the boards, aka fight for rebounds.

[00:04:26] It's a gritty, blue collar kind of activity that is crucial to the game, yet less flashy than scoring.

[00:04:32] Sort of a pride in the rough and tumble, down in the trenches, roll up your sleeves work.

[00:04:38] Obstacles can be maneuvered around or submitted to.

[00:04:40] For instance, I think college is a waste, but I have to do it.

[00:04:44] Or they can be crashed through.

[00:04:46] Screw these assumptions. I'm going to blow the status quo to bits.

[00:04:49] That might help convey the way I think about it and why I love the name."

[00:04:55] So, we're all in now.

[00:04:56] And it did have a kind of transformative power, at least for me.

[00:05:00] The insight and inspiration for Crash emerged from what we built with Praxis.

[00:05:05] But it didn't take on its true form and possibility until we gave it a name.

[00:05:09] No, the name isn't the thing to worry about when you start a company.

[00:05:13] Solving a real problem is.

[00:05:15] Getting customers is.

[00:05:16] But a name isn't unimportant either.

[00:05:18] If your long-term goals are ambitious, you'll need a name that can handle it.

[00:05:26] You just listened to the post titled,

[00:05:28] What's in a Name? by Isaac Morehouse of IsaacMorehouse.com.

[00:05:32] And big thanks to Isaac for letting us share his work.

[00:05:35] He is the founder and CEO of Crash, as he mentioned in the piece.

[00:05:39] Crash is a career launch platform.

[00:05:41] And he previously founded and currently serves as an advisor to Praxis, a startup apprenticeship program.

[00:05:48] And when he's not with his wife and kids or building his company, he can be found playing guitars, reading, writing, getting angry, watching sports teams from his home state of Michigan, or enjoying the beach.

[00:05:58] And Isaac has a ton of great content on his site, which again is IsaacMorehouse.com.

[00:06:04] He's also got a podcast called Office Hours that covers career and life advice.

[00:06:09] And that is also very much worth checking out.

[00:06:11] Have a great rest of your day, and I'll be back with you again tomorrow for the Friday show, where I'll have a post from MyWifeQuitHerJob.com, and where your optimal life awaits.

[00:06:21] You will have a test and I'll take a look at it.

[00:06:21] You may not get any time for all experience.

[00:06:22] That's a big thing to do since that.

[00:06:22] Thank you.