what's in a name?

In May of 2022, my wife Marissa decided to start her own business. She didn't know exactly what she would be doing, but she knew it would involve photography, and she knew she wanted this new venture to bring joy to herself and to others.

I was instantly excited, I helped in any way I could (paperwork, website, sounding board, reviewing work, branding thoughts, etc). There was undoubtedly a lot to do and figure out. One of the first things she needed to decide on, was a name. A few years back, there was a clothing brand the both of us liked in our area, and we had recently determined they were no longer around (PLFX Co). A name including PLFX was really exciting at the time, but it wasn't clear if it fit. After all, it would only be her to start, and she would be working out of our home (like I already did as a remote developer).

origin

PLFX is an abbreviation for the name Palafox, which is the main road in our modest city, Pensacola. We don't live on it, and we don't work on it. But Palafox has meaning to those who live here. It's not just a busy street, it's the spine of the most walkable neighborhood in the region, with the most local restaurants, breweries, bakeries, baristas, and makers of any street or district around.

Even with the wonderful inspiration, Marissa's first clients would be businesses doing marketing photography, and most of her leads were coming from word-of-mouth, so she decided it would be best to just be her.

She went with MH Creative (or Marissa Hebert Creative Services), and got to work.

rediscovering what you just discovered

Anyone who has built something from the ground up knows that when as much as you are creating, you are learning. After just a year in business, she realized that she was building something with an identity of its own.

PLFX was a name that made even more sense than before, with many of her clients doing business on Palafox and at the saturday Palafox market. It was a done deal (we had actually already registered the domain for plfx.studio), and her rebranded instagram really started to feel alive.

into the fold i go

Now I too make a bold step out into the unknown. In November of this year (2023), I left my job at Headway to attempt to launch my dad's app into the B2B space, and to really make the app loveable. I've stolen co-opted the brand of PLFX for my own uses here as a contractor & freelancer. Even though my focus will all be on Family Care Circle for the time-being, I find this is a big migration for my career.

It's a huge opportunity to find an identity as a developer, and I'm hoping to be working projects that feel as vibrant and important as the real Palafox street, and as joyful and life-giving as the OG plfx.studio.