Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt personally victimized by trying to name your hot new idea.
There,
there –
I know.
You thought the name would just “hit” you in the shower… maybe one did! But then your friends had opinions about it, and the government had RuLeS about it and turns out you can’t have it anyway because it belongs to someone who definitely doesn’t deserve it. You don’t really mean that. You’re just bitter. (Which I get.)
And now you’re here– probably a little relieved to know a “me” exists—but also thinking, “Am I really about to pay someone for this?” (bats eyelashes)
Let me just validate your feelings for a sec – naming isn’t easy. If it was, I’d be out of a job. And so would the teams at Mack Daddy Naming Agencies charging 5-figures to do exactly what I do – only with more meetings, a bloated timeline, and at least one guy (Steven feels right) suggesting you drop a vowel or slap on “-ly” like that makes it innovative.
Luckily, this page* will put us on a first-name basis so this is your permission to let go, and let me! :)
*And the rest of them.
I’m Katie with the good names
But my husband calls me Babble because I talk a lot. I’m not offended because as you can see – I have a lot to say and fun stories to tell and I don’t have a podcast.
Good thing I can use this About Page as an outlet!
(And then you can interview me for YOUR podcast)
Reading Time: 2 minutes
(or click here to skip to the weird stuff.)
Once upon a time, (F it — the best stories start this way) 3-year-old me wanted to grow up to be a “Mama Princess,” which is cute for “Queen.” Hindsight: making up job titles was less about royal ambitions and actually just foreshadowing.
Had I embraced my prodigious creative naming prowess sooner, I might have avoided The Great Meltdown of 2010™ where I performed the tantrum of a lifetime successfully convincing my parents that Musical Theatre would be a good pursuit for me. Two obligatory semesters of music theory and a humbling “C” in piano later, PR sounded more “practical.”
Once upon a time
Sorry, old habits die screaming.
What happened next is proof that childhood dreams have a funny way of coming true
But my husband calls me Babble because I talk a lot. I’m not offended because as you can see – I have a lot to say and fun stories to tell and I don’t have a podcast.
→ “drives well in a hoop skirt,
→ “adequate face painter” and
→ “dog, dog, or dog balloon animal twister.”
I'd landed my lifelong dream job as a princess... for kid parties.
But I don't know who was more starry-eyed – the sticky-fingered toddlers or me on payday. I made more money in a borrowed ball gown than I did in a blazer. And that’s when it hit me: I'd make even more if I 'wore' both.
So, I pitched myself a new role – Marketing Director by day, AND discount Disney character by weekend. I taught myself everything I needed to know to speak “parent.”
Brand messaging, positioning, voice, and storytelling… and as for a party trick tip: how to say “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” backwards. (Please don’t ask me to do it now, I’m afraid I’ll pull a muscle.)
Business was booming, but I was really starting to feel the weight of the wig on my shoulders. My weekend party commutes were aging my car in dog years, and mustering enthusiasm for
'Happy Birthday dear...*mumble* took effort with a capital EFF [this].
Rock bottom found me as the budget Belle in a Taco Bell drive-thru.
A punny (but poetic) place for an origin story, really. Maybe it was the wig cutting off circulation to my brain, or maybe it was a prophecy wrapped in a “beefy 5” burrito foil - but staying behind the screens sounded like a much better idea. In fact, it sounded like the happily ever after I was looking for.
I traded playing princess for wit, wordplay and comedic timing and ‘character’ work took on a whole new meaning.
The same skills that kept toddlers engaged and enthusiastic – a story, a song, and a flair for theatrics – worked just as well on grown-ups with budgets and CFOs.
All I had to know was my ABCs…
…and my ROIs, and KPIs, and CPCs, and LTVs… I threw myself into a new role as copywriter without so much as a wham, bam, here’s the plan — hope you like alphabet soup.
Offline, it was explaining the job itself: “No, that’s copyright—I do copywriting with a W...and 25 other letters.”
And online, the noise was coming from inside the “haus” (Are the girlbosses in the room with us now?)
The early days were a tale of two struggles.
And for the past 8 years, I’ve been the “fixer” when that advice inevitably backfired. I made a name for myself – figuratively and literally – as the “personality” hire. The one brands call they realize clarity without creativity is just...boring.
I’ve built a reputation for work that is just as clever as it is effective. My work has generated $1M+ in email revenue for a single client, appeared on award-winning wellness products, and helped founders find their voice again.
The coven of coaches coaching coaches pushed “clear over clever” like it came with a free tote bag and a pair of steak knives.
But it wasn’t just my copy that caught attention—it was how I named and positioned my own offers. I didn’t just slap “Haus,” “Academy,” or “Collective” on something and call it a day. My names anchored entire concepts. World built. Became verbs. All the marks of a “good” name.
They stood out alone. They stuck. And most importantly, they sold.
That’s what caught the attention of brands who had outsourced their identities to agencies. Before I knew it, naming referrals started rolling in. First, small projects for personal brands. Then, “pinch me” projects—like naming a red lipstick (dream achieved!) and a blow dryer for a UK celebrity stylist who – casual flex – has run his hands through both Princess Di’s hair and the Beatles’. And since my cat is named Eleanor Rigby, I took that God *wink* very literally.
I studied the psychology of naming, linguistics, literary devices, origins of words, and one name led to another…
In the past 2 years
I’ve named brands, bands, babies, and beauty products—and that’s just my B-list.
Kinda funny how my childhood knack for naming wasn’t just cute backstory but the beginning of a whole new chapter in my business.
And when it came time to name that chapter, there was only one choice…
26&thensome is the naming & brand strategy studio fit for a queen (or shall I say, a “Mama Princess”) – because when it comes to turning ABCs into OMGs, I know exactly how to keep audiences SPELLbound. (You had to see that coming…)
*bows*
*blows kisses*
*longer bow*
Sophie from WorkShy Studio
“Testimonials are a powerful way to boost a brand’s image and provide a sense of what it’s like to work together...”
Sophie from WorkShy Studio
“Testimonials are a powerful way to boost a brand’s image and provide a sense of what it’s like to work together...”
Sophie from WorkShy Studio
“Testimonials are a powerful way to boost a brand’s image and provide a sense of what it’s like to work together...”
Sophie from WorkShy Studio
“Testimonials are a powerful way to boost a brand’s image and provide a sense of what it’s like to work together...”
Sophie from WorkShy Studio