Page 33 of From Drummer to Gamer

Instead of quipping another silly remark, I threaded closer and sat by his side. “What’s wrong?” I asked softly.

He sighed, flinging the notepad aside. “I’m trying to find a name for the label,” he mumbled, rolling his neck over the back of the couch. He looked exhausted and utterly drained.

“You still haven’t named it?”

“That’s what I said.” He slanted me a gaze.

“Isn’t there anyone to help you?”

“No.”

“I’ll help you.”

He shook his head. “It’s okay. I can do it.”

“You can’t do everything on your own. Can I play drums like you? I can’t. So if I want to, I’d ask for help. I know it’s difficult to ask for help when you’ve been doing everything on your own for a long time, but everybody does once in a while. That doesn’t take who you are at the end of the day.”

“When did you get wise all of a sudden?” Surprise laced his eyes.

I shrugged.

“Fine,” he said softly, almost hesitantly. “You can help me.”

I nodded enthusiastically. “Only I don’t know how to name things either.”

He gave me a bewildered look.

“But.” I held up a finger. “We’ll figure it out together. Two heads are better than one.”

He looked like he didn’t believe me one bit.

After doing a quick Google search, I understood the key elements of naming a company and formulated a strategy.

It was a skill that was butter on bread for me, but I didn’t voice it aloud.

“There are two ways we can go about this. One way is that a name holds meaning to you or a random, unique name that’s catchy or marketable. Which one would you like?”

His brow pinched as he thought for a second. “One with a meaning.”

“Okay.” I crossed out the other plan. “With meaning could be a few different things. Like a name that means a lot to you or your own, like a founder name. It can also be a word that feels close to your heart, or it can be from the reason you want to do this. Since it’s a label, it has to be generic yet memorable.”

“How do I do that? I’m not good at things like that.”

My lips tugged into a smile. “Which is why I am here.”

“Okay,” he mumbled.

I set the notepad aside. “Why the label?” I asked softly.

He frowned. “What?”

“The label, why do it all? You could have just been with the band. You guys are pretty famous already.”

“I’ve always wanted to do it,” he said slowly.

“But why?”

He hesitated, averting his eyes to the floor.