What's in a Name?

As a guy born in the 70s, I wasn't around during the first Lunar Landing, but I very much grew up in the shadow of Apollo. I vividly remember visiting my grandparents' house for dinner on Sunday nights and my uncle was always working on elaborate model kits. He had a Saturn V, a Gemini capsule, the Lunar Excursion Module (or LEM - the spidery looking thing that actually landed on the Moon), and my favorite, the Lunar Rover. Combine that with a passion for astronomy, then the amazing storytelling of Star Wars coming to the screen when I was a six-year-old and, well, the nerd seeds had been sewn. 

Like most kids, I desperately wanted to become an astronaut. And, like most kids, I somehow became "practical" along the way and found other things a little closer to home to light my fires. I have always been passionate about storytelling and, as I began to hit high school and university age, marketing became my passion.

Fast-forward a couple of decades and, after several years as a marketing executive working for various technology companies, I decided to begin an agency of my own. I wanted it to be different. I had spent so many years on the corporate side of the table that I learned what worked and what didn't, and I also learned that high-quality, knock-your-socks-off, get-more-than-what-you-pay-for marketing support was pretty tough to come by. I wanted to create a place where I could bring my experience, expertise, and work ethic to bear on more than just one business at a time. 

The model I envisioned for the business is one where, unlike most contractors, our whole purpose wouldn't be tied to setting-up our next lucrative contract with you. I wanted to do quite the opposite: create scalable and impactful programs and teams, mentor someone within that team to take a leadership position, and eventually phase myself out of the organization if that's what was best for the business. Sure, the agency side of KickMotor can accommodate project work, but the core of our business is driving meaningful, strategic growth. We're extra horsepower when you need us. 

In looking for a name for the business, I found the most apt analogy for what I was trying to build was that of an "apogee kick motor." 

As a vehicle is launched into space, it is often parked in a "transfer orbit". It has generated enough power to escape the atmosphere, but it isn't quite where it needs to be. So, a "kick motor" - a specialized onboard engine - will fire up, change the trajectory of the spacecraft, then boost it to its higher-level orbit.

It just felt like the right name, one that is perfectly aligned with the value we bring to an organization. (It's also a great way to indulge my childhood obsession with space.) 

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