Why I chose the name…

Imagine the scene… You’re nearing exam time and you have so much revision to get all this subject matter into your head and yet you still have to find a name for your business for that day when you pass with flying colours (yes, I was optimistic back then too 😉 )

Now those who know me know I love a good distraction so I thought long and hard about what I would call my Clinical Canine Massage business every time I sat down to do revision…

I knew I didn’t want to tag a geographical location in the name coz I didn’t want to be tied to a specific location in future…

I thought about the therapy itself… How it was “Hands On” but someone had already taken this as a name… “Safe Hands” was already taken too so I wasn’t allowed that even though it explained our in-depth theory and practical training perfectly…

So I started to think about me and how I wanted to portray myself in a business name… I asked others how they saw me: They listed: “honest”, “caring”, “funny”, “intelligent”, “bit of a perfectionist”, “a good listener”, “driven”, “gets back up when knocked down”, “Crazy Dog Lady” and my personal favourite: “leaves everybody with a smile on their face”.

…which all left me even more bloody confused… so I took myself off on a retreat with some friends to give myself some fresh perspective… and it was there that the name was gifted to me amongst some quiet time: “Hands On Heart Clinical Canine Massage Therapy”.

It felt perfect:

• #HandsOnHeart I care… about your dog and their pain levels, about reducing their risk of injury, about you (the owner) and the quality of life you both have together…
• I am fabled for saying “I can’t lie for shit” in a networking meeting so the business name also portrayed that Honesty and Integrity that is at the heart of everything I do…
• It portrays that “Hands On” therapy but also showed the ultimate benefit of massage in aiding the circulatory system, of which the Heart is instrumental.

So I took it one step further with my branding and literally wore my heart on my sleeve by putting my logo on the sleeve of my uniform… Pawfect.

But the explanation doesn’t end there…

I am still learning about myself and my dogs and my business and it’s weird because I can feel myself growing into the “Hands On Heart” name with each and every client as I connect with each of them. Whilst listening to a particular client and her week with her dog, I found myself realising that I am not just the Hands that help reduce the pain in your dog, I am also the Heart that listens to you, the owner…

I wonder what other secrets this business can show me in the future? Stay tuned to find out as I do!

How did you come up with your business name?

Or if you haven’t got one yet, what ideas do you have for a business you hope to open one day?