The Cost of a Clever Name No One Could Remember

I wish I could say this was someone else’s story.

One of those tales I heard from a client, or something I picked up while consulting.

But no — this one’s mine.

And it still stings.

The Name Felt Brilliant… Until It Didn’t

We were launching a side project — a creative agency with big plans.

Nimble, innovative, disruptive — all the usual buzzwords.

We wanted the name to reflect that.

Something no one had ever heard before.

Something clever. Memorable. One of a kind.

After hours of whiteboarding and playing alphabet Tetris, we landed on it:

"Zynotek".

What We Thought It Would Say

In our heads, Zynotek sounded sleek, futuristic — a blend of “zen”, “innovation”, and “tech.”

We loved how it looked on paper.

We told ourselves it would stand out.

“It sounds like a real brand,” we said.

“It’s modern, clean, global.”

“People will remember it because it’s different.”

But different doesn’t always mean discoverable.

And clever doesn’t always mean clear.

What Actually Happened

People couldn’t spell it.

They couldn’t pronounce it.

They weren’t even sure what we did.

Was it a biotech startup? A meditation app? A cybersecurity firm?

We’d go to networking events and spend the first two minutes of every conversation explaining the name.

“Zynotek. It’s spelled Z-Y-N-O-T-E-K… yes, with a K…”

Even friends we’d known for years would say things like:

“Wait — what was that brand you started again? Zenotech? Zyntek? ZinoTech?”

We laughed it off at first.

Until we stopped laughing.

The Real Cost of Confusion

Our web traffic was almost nonexistent.

People weren’t searching for us, and when they did, they typed it wrong.

We started seeing misspelled traffic landing on other sites.

One prospect even emailed us saying he couldn’t “figure out how to find us online” after seeing our pitch deck.

That’s when it hit me:

We were making it hard for people to connect.

Not because the product was off, but because the name created distance.

What Finally Broke the Spell

At a local startup mixer, a speaker introduced us as “Zeno…tech?”

Then paused.

I smiled through it, like I always did — but inside, I knew we’d hit a wall.

The name that once felt sharp and modern had become a wall between us and the people we were trying to reach.

What We Should’ve Done

We should’ve picked a name people could say easily.

Something you could hear once and type without guessing.

Something that didn’t require decoding.

Because when your name needs an explanation, you’re not branding — you’re apologizing.

What I Wish More People Knew

A name doesn’t need to be clever.

It needs to be clear.

Easy to recall. Easy to trust.

The good news? We evolved.

We refined the message.

Simplified the visuals.

And most importantly, we leaned into clarity over coolness.

Zynotek is still around today — a little wiser and more focused.

And the lessons we learned back then still shape how we operate now.

This reminded me of something I shared earlier — about the shop my father built, and the quiet cost of choosing the wrong name. You can read it here:

How My Father’s Store Taught Me the Power of a Name

Names carry weight.

Sometimes, the wrong one carries you in the wrong direction.

But with the right perspective, even a misstep can lead to something better.