Finding the Perfect Name
Written by Brad Iwen
Finding the perfect name for your business can be a daunting task nowadays. If you’ve ever sat down to try and do so, then you know what I’m taking about. It seems easy enough, make a list of names that fit with what you do and that sound cool, then narrow it down to the best one by getting feedback from friends and family. The problem, however, is finding a name that has a corresponding domain name available. This is where it gets tricky as domain names are pretty picked over. So, there is usually some compromise involved to get to the sweet spot at the end of the naming game. But I guess that’s what makes finding a name one of those good challenges that leaves you feeling satisfied at the end of the day. Like after you’ve missed the bags board your last three turns and then all of a sudden you sink 4 in a row. You know that feeling?
We have a really fun past time with the kids. We’ll often try to come up with two totally random words that either sound really cool or are simply hilarious together and then we see if that URL is available. It’s the small things in life, right?! We have a pretty great list going. Who knows, maybe some day I’ll come up with a new business concept that utilizes one of them. Anybody have any use for www.meatloafballet.com? If so, let’s talk. Remarkably, our name, Desoto Hill Studio, was one of the rare exceptions to the name game. Geographically and historically, our name just makes perfect sense. Our studio sits on top of a hill that looks towards the Missouri River and the historic town of De Soto, Nebraska. Simple, right? We live on a hill that we’ve dubbed Desoto Hill and we have a creative studio. Perfect. It does get a little deeper than that. Community is one of the most important key words to our brand because, well, we believe in creating and nurturing a healthy ecosystem for our clients and our family and friends. We believe in supporting local businesses and being good neighbors. So, creating a name for our business that pays homage to the community where we live was very important to us.
The concept of “Studio” is also very important to our brand. Since moving back to the midwest from Colorado, we have worked incredibly hard to constantly evolve our work place. It started in a spare bedroom of our first rental house. Then, we bought a house and transformed the lower level to be a work space and client meeting area. Next was a dilapidated building on a boarded-up block. We rolled up our sleeves to build a solid community with our neighbors and helped create the Blackstone District, one of the hottest and fastest growing districts in Omaha. From there, we bought an old church and turned that into an incredible studio and event space for community events, weddings, and neighborhood gatherings. Now, our studio is a red barn that sits on top of a hill surrounded by native prairie and rambling woods. It is the perfect culmination of all of those previous spaces. It is a place for orchestrating photography and video shoots, collaborating with clients, and gathering around an open fire. It is surrounded by open space and offers room to breathe and think. We have designed this studio to be a workplace and an oasis that incorporates outside areas into the design, so moving between the inside and the outdoors is seamless and encouraged.
Our name is so important to us in so many ways. It makes sense on the surface, but there are more layers once you start peeling. We’d love the opportunity to help you play the name game or simply help get your name in front of more people that would benefit from your products or services. And let me know if you want to stop by the studio for a game of bags or start working on that meatloaf ballet.