Photo by Lauren Daly
We first talked about what the name Tycoon means to us in 2007, and you can find that post here. Since then, the world has changed and so have we. But one thing has stayed the same.
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Have you ever wondered why our company is named Tycoon Events? This is not an uncommon question for us, and one that we are happy to answer since the name ‘Tycoon Events’ was not drawn from a hat or decided on a whim. It has a meaning, serves a purpose and after the challenges we have faced over the last year and a half (ahem, an event business trying to survive a global pandemic), we are especially grateful for a name with such significance.
Tycoon.
Back in 2014, our founder, Eryne, was working for an event production company and felt like something was missing. She felt the entrepreneurial pull tugging at her heart and couldn’t shake the feeling that she was meant to do more, be more, see more, create more, express more, accomplish more and inspire more.
For a long time, she’d been dreaming of making her own way. She found inspiration in two quotes and she posted on her bathroom mirror to be reminded of them every day.
Quote #1: “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” – Steve Jobs
Quote #2: “Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs.” – Farrah Gray
One day, she and her significant other found themselves driving to Calgary to support a family member. They started discussing the idea of new business endeavours, which wasn’t an uncommon topic for them. But there was something different about this particular day.
One thing led to another and next thing they knew, they were doing company naming exercises. It was a fast back-and-forth of rhyming, acronyms, definitions, name associations. At one point, Eryne’s partner yelled out “typhoon!” Eryne was quick to respond correctively and say, “I think you mean ‘tycoon’!”
Initially, Eryne thought it sounded too bold, assertive and boisterous. So they continued to play the name game on their drive.
Once they arrived in Calgary, Eryne asked her parents, “What do you think of when you think of me, my work ethic and how I tackle projects?”
Their response was quick: “You’re a force to be reckoned with.”
Over the next week, Eryne found herself thinking about the name, the trip and the comment from her parents. Around the same time, she happened to look at her daily horoscope – not something she frequently does – and it read, “…you’ll be a force to be reckoned with, Leo.“
That was the sign, the ‘meant to be’ moment, that Eryne needed to move forward.
Immediately, she looked up the definition of ‘Tycoon’ and here is what she found:
ty·coon
/tīˈko͞on/
noun
1. a powerful person in business or industry.
synonyms: magnate, mogul, industrialist, businessman, financier, entrepreneur
With the two quotes from her bathroom mirror still fresh in her mind, she realized she wanted to build her own dreams and live a life she could create for herself. She wanted to be a force to be reckoned with, a mogul, an entrepreneur, a leader in the industry, industrious and innovative.
She wanted to be a tycoon.
Now as I, Lindsay, write this recap of the Tycoon origin story, I can attest to the fact that Eryne is all of those things and more. I met Eryne shortly after the inception of Tycoon Events and to say that I am proud of her and her accomplishments would be an understatement. She really is a force to be reckoned with and if the pandemic has taught me anything, it is that Tycoon Events lives up to its name, day after day.
– Your Tycoon, Lindsay XO