What's in a Name?

The name selection emerges as one of the first decisions and challenges when establishing a company. A summary of basic criteria follows:

1. The name must be unique.

2. The name should have a corresponding available web domain (for example: www.zonzaconsulting.com).

3. Ideally, the name should be memorable and offer either a literal or aspirational connection with the business model. As an example of a literal naming convention, a new business owner named Andrea Jones might wish to call her new company Andrea Jones & Associates. As an aspirational example, she might wish to call her company Star Talent Search if her business will focus on talent acquisition.

The "Andrea Jones & Associates" type of literal naming convention is easy, but conjuring a unique and aspirational company name can be very challenging.

What is Zonza?

We visited the Mediterranean island of Corsica (French: Corse) back in 2011. After spending a few days in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, we boarded a ferry in Nice with our little Citroën Picasso and embarked on a four-hour journey to Bastia. Corsica is most famous as the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte, but it is also the birthplace of one of the greatest national independence leaders in world history: Pasquale Paoli, who led Corsica through a brief period of independence during the mid-18th century. Paoli became a key inspiration to Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and the American Independence movement of the late 18th century—and to other national independence movements that were to follow.

Corsica's history traces back through many millennia: there was a neolithic culture, followed by the Greek and Roman empires that were attracted to Corsica's strategic location, natural resources, and ports. Except for the brief independence period led by Paoli, the island has been subject to the rule of various empires, kingdoms, and nations throughout its history. From the 9th through the 15th centuries, Corsica also suffered under numerous waves of Islamic aggression. In fact, the Corsican flag depicts an Islamic Moor's head: a symbol of the islander's will to violently resist subjugation.

The island has been a French territory since the late 18th century, but even today one can see tangible and violent signs of resistance against French rule: most road signs are bilingual (French and Corsican, which is essentially an Italian dialect), but in many rural places the French portion of the signage has been obliterated with some combination of spray paint and machine gun rounds!

Zonza is a small village in southern central Corsica surrounded by stunning mountain topography and the nearby forests that are dominated by chestnut trees. It's a magical, atmospheric place and an island hub for trekking and mountain climbing. We hiked long distances and also worked in a bit of non-technical climbing and scrambling, most notably at the Trou de la Bombe: a glaciated hole carved out of a granite cliff that resembles the shape of a needle head. We climbed into the Trou de la Bombe and precariously balanced ourselves, sitting on a knife's edge with a sheer drop of several hundred meters—it's certainly not an activity for the faint of heart!

Zonza is also a wonderful culinary destination, although that could be said for all of Corsica. We were fortunate to visit during autumn when the chestnuts were ripe; we collected many chestnuts and enjoyed chestnut tarts at the local patisserie. We also sampled the finest cheese and charcuterie that we have had anywhere in the world. The cheese is made from sheep's and goat's milk; the charcuterie primarily comes from the wild boar that roam in the forest. All of these animals feast on the locally abundant wild herbs and chestnuts, which in turn give the cheese and cured meat a wonderful flavor and aroma.

Why Zonza?

We loved our time in Corsica, and we particularly enjoyed our time in Zonza. The Corsican people are imbued with an independent, courageous, and occasionally contrarian spirit. We admire these qualities and aspire to them, and that's why this distant, off-the-beaten-path village inspired our company name. Besides, a name based on a heartfelt personal connection rings more true than one created by a marketing committee or an AI engine.

What do you think? Please drop us a line if you would like to share your thoughts, experiences, or questions: