Okay guys, it’s confession time.

I’m quitting Namestorm-ing.

If you’ve been ’round these parts awhile, you may recall that a few months back, I launched my first ever BETA service to help entrepreneurs with something I see them struggling with all the time: coming up with fierce, fabulous & on-brand names & taglines for their products & services.

UGH. I swear I can hear the collective groan at the mere mention of this often-tedious task.

Anywho – it was honestly a great offering, and a total steal at its price point.
And you guys knew it, too.  In fact…

I cooked up over 300 names & taglines in a little under 30 days.

THREE FREAKING HUNDRED.

So you might ask why I’ve taken Namestorm off the menu and plan to keep it that way for 2014.

Let me pull back the curtain & give a little peek into my process:

1. I created it because I wanted to get better – not because I loved doing it.

Now, I’m not saying I don’t enjoy coming up with names for clients. I do like naming things, and I have a particular panache for taglines, if I do say so myself.

The only problem? Naming aint easy. However, I knew it was a pain point for many of my clients, and the lil’ perfectionist in me wanted to be great, not good.

As it turns out, I need to know a lot more about a person’s brand + biz (+ personality) than I thought to provide them with a name we both can be proud of! Namestorms were an awesome way to get to know a few super cool clients, but I normally ended up spending wayyyy more time getting to know their brands (& them) than I planned because my initial intake form just wasn’t cuttin’ it.

I had to “just ship” quite a few Namestorms, and I honestly didn’t feel good about it. But I knew I couldn’t dwell on it forever.

Still, I’m NOT okay with putting subpar work out into the world. Just not.

Boo on that, kids.

2. Nobody needs 10 stinkin’ name ideas.

In hindsight, I realize that not only did it take forever to create said 10 name & tagline ideas, it also didn’t quite make sense given the context of the offer. Most people were coming to me because they already had ideas but couldn’t make up their minds or commit. Giving them 10 more ideas to mull over? Not exactly the best game plan. Oops!

3. Even though it was a beta test, I was extremely undercharging.

Holy hell, did I pour my wittle heart into every single Namestorm. I also spent about 3 hours on each one – sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. Yep! I didn’t leave the house (or my pajamas) for two whole weekends. And I still couldn’t deliver ’em on time!

However, there was a silver lining to this: I got really good at having to hit the “Send” button before I was “ready.” I think this is a skill that will serve me well.

3. I jumped on an opportunity without thinking about my own needs.

Basically, I noticed a gap in the marketplace and just went for it. ‘Cause, that’s the game is played, right? Well, maybe. Naming is a serious hot button issue for lots of biz owners, so I couldn’t help but think, “Here’s my chance! Something people want and are totally willing to pay for ’cause it’s so damn annoying.”

Alas. Just because it’s something people will pay for and something I can do well, doesn’t mean that it’s the right thing for me to offer. It just doesn’t. Maybe it’s just not the right time for you. And that’s okay! Remember that, ladies.

In my ideal world, I would have gotten to know each & every Namestorm client personally with a consultation and lots of back & forth emailing. Such was not the case, and I was left feeling a little like…”that’s it?!” after work was done. *insert sad face*

So why not create my ideal world? We’re all adults here. No sense in doing something that’s making me feel less-than-stoked. What’s the saying? If it isn’t a HELL YES! it’s a HELL NO, right?

Now, don’t get me wrong. A hot name & tagline is priceless….but it’s only one piece of the puzzle. Before I’ll even touch naming your biz, I want to know the basics first, like your core message, your big vision/why & of course, a lot about you & how you operate.

BUT WAIT! I’m not actually giving up naming for good.

In case ya haven’t heard: All of my services are getting serious facelifts for 2014 (and so is this website – yay!) and they’re coming back fiercer than evah.

And when my sexy new services debut on January 1, 2014 (give or take), they’ll all include the option to “add-on” a Namestorm session for a set price (TBD).

I won’t be doing single serve Namestorms as a regular ‘thing’ anymore. As of January 1, the only way to have me create a clever tagline and/or name for your business baby is to become a regular client so I can truly get to know you & your business.

It’s important to me that my clients walk away with killer names & uber-clever taglines, but it’s even more important to me that I know their brand inside & out before offering my hand to help.

Wanna know all about the new services when they hit the Interwebz?

Jump on my list over there to the right to get VIP access to my services before they launch publicly, plus other fun goodies to boot.

Finally, to all of you who were involved in the Namestorm-frenzy: I appreciate you! Now go out there & do some business, babe.

What Should You Do Now?

1. Take inventory of your own services. List ’em all out. Recognize how you feel when you think about each individual service. Is there one that makes you cringe?
2. Decide whether to switch it or ditch it. Not every service that shows up on your cringe-o-meter needs to hit the trash bin. Sometimes it just needs a little facelift. Consider reducing the amount of work you provide (have 4 coaching calls a month? try taking it down to 2!) or raising the price to compensate. Maybe you need to re-work it to include different elements (like a group coaching call or a pre-recorded audio lesson instead of a live, personalized call).
3. Repeat every 3 months.

Your Turn! //

How do you know when it’s time to say goodbye to a product or offering? Is it an intuitive process, or are you more about analytics? Spill!