Why I Named This Blog “That Stuff Adds Up”

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If you’ve ever tried to create a brand name for your business or blog, then you know it can be a difficult process.

There are many factors to consider including your target market, product and/or service offerings, domain name availability and copyrights. In fact, there are so many “things” to consider when developing your brand name that you’ll likely give yourself analysis paralysis.

I would love to tell you that I breezed through this process, but I’m no exception. I over-analyzed everything and probably spent way too much time trying to name this blog.

Thankfully, I came up with a name I’m happy with and even learned a few things in the process that I’ll share with you.

Here’s the story…

When I first sat down to start brainstorming potential names for this blog I already knew what I consider to be the two most important inputs: (1) the focus and subjects of the content and (2) my target audience.

For me, the focus of this blog is personal finance and the subjects all center around earning, saving and investing knowledge. And, my target audience are people between the ages of 18 and 39 who want to achieve financial independence.

Using these two inputs, I started making a list of potential names.

I came up with a ton of names, but none of them would work for me. They either didn’t have that “ring” to them or were already taken. If I found a base word or phrase I liked, but was already taken, then I would go down a spiral trying to create variations of it only to end up wasting my time.

Some of the names from my list were: Earn Save Invest, Money On My Mind, Millennial Money, Financial Mentor, Millennial Wealth, My Financial Hero, Mentor Finance, and many, many more…

After spending days trying to determine a brand name, I asked my wife, Ashley, for her advice on my top two finalists. She picked the one that I was also leaning towards, but I still didn’t feel confident about our top choice…

So, I asked her if she could think of a name for the blog and that’s when the magic happened!

She said, “What about ‘That Stuff Adds Up?’ That’s your catch phrase you say anytime we discuss our personal finances!”

That was my “Aha!” moment!

Ashley was right. That is the phrase I say any time we discuss money.

If Ashley asks me if we can get a subscription (ahem…BirchBox, BarkBox, Netflix) because “it’s only $10 per month”…That stuff adds up.

If Ashley asks me if we can order cocktails when dining out for dinner…That stuff adds up.

When I think of asking for a raise at work or pursuing a new job/promotion…That stuff adds up.

When I think of whether to invest more in our savings account or retirement accounts…That stuff adds up!

So, the next time you want to purchase another subscription service I hope a thought bubble pops up over your head and you think to yourself “That Stuff Adds Up!”

And, when you try to convince yourself not to contribute more to your retirement accounts because it’s only $100 extra per month, I hope you think to yourself “That stuff adds up!” (especially due to the beauty of compounding).

This one phrase captures all of the subjects this blog focuses on including spending less, saving more, earning more, investing, the effect of compounding, etc.

And, the cherry on top? It’s personal.

I mean, this blog’s focus is personal finance and the name originates from our personal experiences that have kept us on track to achieve our financial goals.

What amazes me is that this brand name was sitting right in front of me the entire time; I just couldn’t see it! My vision was clouded trying to follow all of the “expert advice” on how to strategically develop a brand name.

This leads me to my learnings I want to share with you, especially if you aspire to start your own blog or business one day.

1. Make it personal. Blogging is a mature and saturated market. If you wan’t to be heard and followed, you cannot afford to sound like everyone else. You need to be different and stand out. What better way than to make it personal to you?
2. Ask others who know you really well for their opinions. You don’t have to do everything on your own. Sometimes it’s hard to see what’s obvious to others due to your own bias.
3. Know your blog’s focus. You want your brand name to relate to the focus of your blog so it’s easy for new readers to understand what your blog is about. If they don’t relate, then you may confuse people and miss out on attracting new readers.

What do you think about my story and the winning name and logo? Have you had a similar experience? I’d love to read your comments below! 

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