The Story of "Faster Glass" 

David Phillips, Founder

 

In February 2010, three months after our son was born, my wife arranged to have a series of baby photos taken at a professional studio. As a tech geek, I was fascinated by the gear the photographer used, as well as how she went about her work. The final images were amazing, which led me to think that perhaps I could take really nice pictures if only I had the right camera.

 

Self-delusion strikes again.

 

Expensive equipment doesn’t make one a photographer any more than a top of the line oven makes one a chef. So I proceeded to learn as much as I could about the art and tools of photography, soaking up a new lexicon along the way, including a rather curious term. In the world of shutterbugs, “fast glass” refers to premium-quality lenses that deliver more light intensity to the focal plane, thus allowing a faster shutter speed and, ultimately, better pictures. Cool stuff. I filed it away and kept digging, kept learning.

 

Fast forward to September 2010.

 

Coming up with a name for a new consulting practice turned out to be much harder than I thought. I didn’t like the idea of using my name or initials, but I couldn’t come up with anything that struck a chord. Finally pulled out a tool I often use with clients, which is to ask the question, “What business are you REALLY in?” Realizing that helping people frame their problems and opportunities differently was the business I wanted to be in, the fog started to lift. I held my hands up in front of my face, thinking about framing a scene. . . like a movie director . . . or a photographer. Click!

 

“Fast Glass” morphed into “Faster Glass”, as a nod to the former Avis tagline, “We Try Harder.” We had a name that fit. And a story to go with it.