Chapter 8 - THE COMPANY LOST A NAME
Our board meeting lasted forty-three minutes.
Agenda item seven:
Corporate rebranding.
No drama.
We had already expanded far beyond the original regional identity.
“Vance” had also become unnecessarily associated with Andrew’s personal representations.
My board did not remove the name as revenge.
We hired a branding firm.
Reviewed market recognition.
Legal implications.
Investor familiarity.
Months later, the company became:
Horizon Meridian Capital.
The first time I saw the new sign, I cried.
Not because I hated Andrew.
Because I finally understood how much of myself I had reduced to keep him comfortable.
My daughters came to the office opening.
Sophia stared at the wall.
“Where’s Daddy’s name?”
“It was never Daddy’s company.”
She looked confused.
“Then why was his name there?”
“Because it was also my married name.”
She thought.
Then:
“Do we have to change our names?”
“No.”
Immediate.
“Your name belongs to you.”
Important.
She smiled.
“Good. I like Sophia Vance.”
“Then keep it forever if you want.”
That mattered more than rebranding any company.
I was not teaching my daughters that healing required deleting half their identity.
Andrew was their father.
The name was theirs.
Patricia did not own it.
May you like
Neither did I.
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