Name and Track Files Like a Trillion-Dollar CEO

Good morning! 

Don’t miss out before the week wraps up:

1. Name and Track Files Like a Trillion-Dollar CEO. (3 min read)

2. Corporate Transparency Act UPDATE: Things have changed AGAIN—DO NOT file a Beneficial Ownership Information report for your U.S. LLC or corporation. (Read here)

A simple implementation for Thought Experiment Thursday—let’s dive in.

-TCoL

Missed our last feature article? More Clicks, More Customers, More Sales—With A Focused Effort. Read it here.

The fastest way to kill your startup’s efficiency? A document graveyard where no one can find anything.

If you’ve just launched your company (or are still scrambling six months in), the last thing you need is to waste time hunting for a contract, an invoice, or last week’s client proposal. The fix is simple: name your files right the first time.

Big companies have entire teams dedicated to organizing documents. You don’t. Which means you need a system that works effortlessly—one so clear that even your sleep- deprived self will thank you later.

The Winning Formula

Every document name should follow this structure:

[TYPE] [AUTHOR] [DESCRIPTION] [DATE]

Let’s break it down:

• [TYPE] – Use an all-caps abbreviation like AGRMT for agreements, INV for invoices, or RPT for reports.

• [AUTHOR] – If document is internal only, use your initials (BEF, DET, etc.). If external, use the company name (Apple, Pillsbury, etc.).

• [DESCRIPTION] – Keep it short and smart. No need to say “letter” or “memo” in the name—you already labeled the type.

• [DATE] – Use MMDDYYYY format for perfect sorting. No slashes, no hyphens, no guessing games.

How It Works in Real Life

Underscores and dashes are a wasted effort. Leave them out, because modern search algorithms don’t need them.

Bad: final_contract_Pillsbury_last_version_revised.docx
Good: AGMT Apple Pillsbury signed 09012024

Bad: meeting_notes_john_final_final.docx
Good: NOTE BEF mtg w PEV 07232024

Bad: invoice PPC new client-october.docx
Good: INV PPC 10312024

See the difference? When you get this right, the computers and apps do the heavy lifting—grouping your files by type, ordering them by date, and making searches a breeze.

Why This Matters More Than You Think

You might think, I’ll just name it whatever and search later. Don’t. Here’s why:

1. Email searches become nightmares. Ever tried finding an old attachment with a vague subject line? Proper file names fix that. Need to find a doc that you worked on three days ago—just search for “03172025.”

2. Filing becomes instant. No more dragging documents into random folders. Just search by type or date and let the system pre-sort and arrange.

3. Upgrading to Salesforce, Box, etc.? Your document dumps into new apps will be so much easier.

4. Everyone wins. Your team, your investors, your future self—everyone saves time (money).

Common Sense Rules That Save You Pain

• Avoid using “final.” Documents evolve. The date tells you which version is latest. Someone else’s “final” might not be your final of that same document. Do add descriptors like “draft” and “signed.”

• No special characters. Stick to letters and numbers—no slashes, dashes, or exclamation points.

• Juggling multiple companies? Simple, at the beginning of the name string, add an abbreviation for the company that the document pertains to: JE Engineering? “JEE”; ACME Moving LLC? “ACME”; etc. So now, an invoice for PPC from JEE would be named: JEE INV PPC 10312024.

• Playing hardball with your key vendors. We have one reader that corresponds daily with certain vendors and has imposed its naming system on any documents those vendors send to the company. At first, the vendor complained, but then they realized their own system was terrible and adopted the customer’s system.

• Put your naming system out as a company policy document. Also, add it to your new hire packages.

Your Shortcut to Startup Sanity

Here’s a cheat sheet of some useful abbreviations to get you started:

• AGMT – Agreement

• INV – Invoice

• STATE – Statement

• REC – Receipt

• EML – Email

• LTR – Letter

• MEMO – Memorandum

• NOTE – Notes

• PAY – Payable

• RPT – Report

• SPRD – Spreadsheet

(Save these and create additional ones for your team.)

Set the Standard Now—Before It’s Too Late

Your startup is brand new. That means you have the rare chance to set up habits that won’t haunt you later. Get this right, and you’ll save yourself and your team years of wasted time.

Don’t quite like this system? Then use this article for inspiration and make a system of your own. That is what great entrepreneurs do!

File names seem small. But small things—done right—build legendary companies.

Would you like a simple Naming Policy template for your business? Subscribe to The Co. Letter™ Premium here and gain access to this and all our article templates. Be smart, save money, and get things done.

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