If you’ve ever tried to name a business, you’ll know this one is hands down the hardest, most frustrating part of the whole process (Well, that was my experience).

When I first started this business, I went with the safe option, Aimee Francis Consultancy. It didn’t light me up, but it gave me an easy fallback. 

This time around, I wanted something I’d want to truly own. A name that felt like a team, not just me. Something that carried a story, a concept, a little more weight.

So, I called in backup, a friend and creative genius, Paul. Paul’s been on this ride with me since the start (and through many of my “Aimee irritates”). Fun fact: he was the copywriter at the very first agency I worked with. I was his client, and his creativity inspires me. He once presented a campaign with scripts and the coolest sketches, I want to use the sketches for the visuals!

So who better to help me crack the name?

The Brief

Here’s what I handed Paul:

• Agency. A name that feels like an agency, not an individual.
• Story. Something that tells more about us, a theme, a concept, a vibe.
• Confidence. We’ve got the skills to pull off the whole “omnichannel” thing, and I wanted the name to reflect that.
• Connection. Online and offline, seamless, holistic, interconnected experiences.
• Agility. A flat, efficient team structure (aka no bloated retainer BS).

Transparency. No big-agency layers, just direct access to the thinkers and doers.

No big deal, right? 😅

The First Attempts

Here’s the thing about me (classic Taurus energy): once I set my heart on something, it’s like moving mountains to shift me. And I had my heart set on Collab Agency.

It ticked a lot of boxes: one word, easy to say, easy to spell, instantly told the story of how we work. The problem? Collab had been done. It didn’t feel unique.

So I let it go (reluctantly) and landed on Converge. Loved it. But… more conflicts.

That’s the thing about names, it’s not just about how it sounds or feels. There are some not-so-glam steps you have to take:

✅ Check ABN name register – https://abr.business.gov.au/
✅ Check domain name availability (.com.au or .au especially). Any provider you can do searches on ie GoDaddy, Crazy Domains etc
✅ Do a SEO/Google check (who else is out there with this name? How easy will it be for you to rank?)
1. Start with Google – Search the keywords you want to rank for (not just your brand name). Make a list of sites consistently appearing on page 1 and businesses you didn’t realise were competitors (often content-led brands or directories). These are your true SEO competitors, not always your commercial ones.
2. Use an SEO tool for an in depth analysis i.e. Ahrefs, SEM rush, Uber suggest just to name a few, it will generate organic competitors, keywords, page analysis and backlinks.
3. Lastly, look at the content & their Authority signals, SEO is largely contingent and winning credibility
✅ Trademark/IP checks (and ideally, get a lawyer involved). I reached out to Dave Steward from Bennet law , so helpful & a really nice guy! https://bennettlaw.com.au/people/david-stewart/

Because here’s the truth: the cost of redoing a rebrand after you’ve realised your name isn’t actually viable or worse receiving a cease and desist letter, is way bigger than the cost of doing those checks upfront.

Round Two

By now, I was losing momentum. Feeling a bit deflated. And poor Paul was probably over my dramatic highs and lows.

But he went again, round two. Out of it came two strong options.

Paul liked the first.
I loved the second.

He tried to coach me through it: “Aims, you just need to pick three you’re okay with and let the lawyer check them. It doesn’t have to be love at first sight.”

But here’s the thing: I have to love it. It’s how I build momentum. It’s how I know I’m onto something.

So we submitted both. And wouldn’t you know it? The first one came back with conflicts. The second — the one I loved — came back clean. Good to go.

Cue the happy dance. 💃 Suddenly, I was back on the horse. The rebrand was happening.
No more scrolling Seek ads wondering if I should just give it all up, dramatic much 🙂

So, What’s the Name?

Oh, you thought I’d spill it here? Not yet. 😉 You’ll have to stay on the Unbranded journey a little longer.

But I’ll say this: the name feels like us. It’s more than a label, it’s a story. It’s something we can grow into and something I can’t wait to finally share.