Have you ever named a business or developed a new brand before? How long did it take you?
Now, how many times have you had TWO people trying to name something??
Let’s just say that after a few months of adding possible names – grouped by category no less – we had probably 250 names… And along the way there was enough agreement on 1-2 that urls were actually purchased! But in the “ripening” period following the initial excitement that maybe a name had been found, none fully spoke to both Heather and Kim equally.
So they set down the exercise and take a break and then one day, Kim changed the name of the shared Google Drive they were using to….
VOLDEMORT. That which cannot be named.
(if you do not know this reference, you have totally missed out on the fabulousness of Harry Potter)
And then a week or so later, Heather parried with her own form of gallows humor by changing the picture on the Slack channel they were using to discuss the new entity to… Voldemort’s face (it took Kim a week to notice and then she howled with laughter).
Once the naming break had been in force for a month or two, they determined that “big guns” were needed and they brought in a branding expert, Candor Concepts, to help figure the brand out. It took several intense sessions of diving into what each Partner wanted, what look and feel we were trying to achieve, what tone/persona, … and several “almost” names that, again, didn’t survive the ripening period… until one day the word “luma” was presented. And both Kim and Heather both went “Hmmmmm….”
And they started the waiting game of the ripening period again.
And a week later no one had said “Nah, that’s not it.”
And then there was a day that they both agreed: “I think this is it.”
And the rest is history – the “light” reference fit so well with the issues we see our clients have and how we help them:
- Client are often operating “in the dark” because they either don’t have up-to-date books or they don’t know how to interpret reports even if the data is up-to-date
- We liked the image of “lighting a path” out of the darkness
- When you “shine a light” out ahead of you in a dark place, you can make a plan for how to get to your desired destination
And now, references to “light” are EVERYWHERE in our business…
- Lanterns = pods
- Lantern Leaders = client managers
- Lightkeepers = bookkeepers
- Glow Level = the level of “lighting up” a client selects from a services point of view
- Shine a Light = Diagnostic Review
And finally, the name brought to light (see what we did there??) our tagline:
“Your business. Illuminated.”
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At Luma Accounting, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, our name is more than just a brand; it represents our mission of helping business owners solve bookkeeping and accounting challenges. Today, we provide bookkeeping, accounting, job costing, and financial clarity services to small businesses across the U.S.
Along the way, we’ve learned that the right name, and the right systems, can bring real clarity to business owners. That’s why our Services are designed to simplify the numbers so you can focus on growth.
Need reliable bookkeeping and accounting support for your Portland or U.S.-based business? Contact Luma Accounting today by filling out our quick form to schedule your free consultation and discover how we illuminate financial clarity for small businesses nationwide.
