Is your name the problem?

A reflexologist I once worked with had a clinic called The Whispering Fern.

Lovely person. Great at what she did.
But the name? Sounded like a scented candle or a woodland fairy sanctuary.

Which would’ve been fine if she was selling soy wax or guided forest meditations. But she wasn’t. She was trying to get local people in for reflexology.

Problem was, nobody had a clue what she actually offered.

Not her neighbours.
Not the mums at school.
Not even the guy printing her flyers (he asked if she sold plants).

So here’s the thing.

When your business name doesn’t say what you do, people scroll right past it. Not because they’re mean. Just because they’re tired, in pain, and trying to find help fast.

If they don’t “get it” in two seconds flat, they’ll book with “Maria the Massage Therapist” instead. Not because she’s better. Just because they know what she does.

So unless your dream client is a forest-dwelling herbalist with psychic tendencies, names like Inner Whispers or The Acanthus Path might not be doing you any favours.

Want to make it easier for people to find you? Try one of these:

👉 [Location] + [Service], like “Lewisham Reflexology”
👉 [Service] with [First Name], like “Pilates with Sophie”

Not fancy.
Not poetic.
But they work.

They help you show up in searches, get remembered at parties, and recommended without awkward pauses.

And this isn’t about “selling out” or abandoning your inner moon-goddess.
It’s just about helping people find you — and book in.

Because let’s face it: without clients, you’re not running a practice. You’re just alphabetising your essential oils and asking the universe for a sign.

If your business name means a lot to you but nothing to a stranger on Google, maybe it’s time for a little renaming magic.

Your future clients will thank you.
So will your bank account.