The Writer's House: What's in a name?

One of the early decisions to be made when starting a new business is about the name. I have never been a fan of using my own name as a business name. First of all, my last name (in all possible variations) is quite common in The Netherlands. But also, it feels like I am limiting myself upfront to a one-woman business by using my own name.

That being said, what would be a better name than? Having these thoughts in the back of my mind, it occurred to me that the business address, Jericholaan 81, actually has a history of being the house of a writer. The Dutch novelist Ernest van der Kwast lived there during his early years. He wrote about the place in his book Mama Tandoori, a moving and funny family history. Realising this, the business name The Writer’s House was born. By no means do I want to compare my writings to Ernest van der Kwast’s. Scientific writing is quite different from writing novels, although there are similarities as well. We both want to tell a compelling story to our audience after all.

What’s in a name you may say. Of course the business name is just a name and I will have to live up to the client’s expectations and deliver high-quality output irrespective of whatever my business is called. Nevertheless, I’d like to believe that the name The Writer’s House brings with it a bit of the creative writing that is attached to the history of this place.