I have always been fascinated why people name their companies what they do.
Larry and Sergey named their search engine “Google,” a play on the word “googol,” the mathematical term for a 1 followed by 100 zeros. The brand ‘LEGO’ comes from an abbreviation of two Danish words “leg godt”, meaning “play well.” Jeff Bezos nearly called his company “Cadabra,” as in “abracadabra”, but rapidly re-concepted when his lawyer misheard the word as “cadaver.” He reportedly opted for “Amazon” for two reasons: to suggest scale (Amazon.com launched with the tagline “Earth’s biggest book store”) and because back then website listings were often alphabetical.
When I set out to name the company, I wanted it to reflect me, but more importantly I wanted it to stand for creating progress in business and society today. I have always loved the word “Bold” and knew I wanted it in the name. It makes you feel courageous, fearless, and strong when you say it. It gives you a feeling of action, of intent, of purpose. I knew Bold on its own was not enough. Being bold with no intent is not what I wanted.
For the past decade, Orange has been my favorite color. It doesn’t show up much in what I wear, but rather I am drawn to environments, art and experiences that use the color orange. Orange patterns, textiles, and photos catch my eye and make me more engaged. It’s the color most associated with extroverts, warmth, energy, activity, and taste. Orange is a blend between red and yellow in the spectrum of light. My intent with this company is to blend things to create progress. Whether that’s blending strategy with analytics, families with schools, marketing with technology, or loyalty with charities.
I named Bold Orange to bring to life a company that had the courage and humility to lead in a different way. What we do is not original, but how we do it is better and different than others out there. The blending of people, capabilities and tools is an art. Doing it with relevance and authenticity is a skill.
Bold Orange is a human connection company. Today is our birth day. We look forward to meeting all of you and having a brave and bright future together.
Be bold, it feels good,
Margaret Murphy
Founder