Naming your business is an exciting step as you make your entrepreneurial dreams a reality. The right company name can become an invaluable asset, helping you build your brand and connect with customers. However, finding that perfect name takes effort and creativity. Follow this guide to set your new venture on the path for naming success.
Start with Some Brainstorming
Don’t be afraid to let your imagination run wild when brainstorming potential names. At this early stage, throw around any words or phrases that come to mind, even if they seem bizarre. You never know when some unique combination will form the basis of your company name.
Consider descriptive names that tell potential customers what you do. For example, The Taco Truck or Bob’s Burgers. Or go abstract with names like Slumberland or Paperclip. Word associations and conversations with others often spark clever name ideas.
Focus Your Options
After that initial brainstorm, take stock of your expansive list. Start crossing out names that don’t fit, make false claims, or could run into trademark issues. Focus on options that give your brand room to grow over time beyond your original niche.
Settle on a few interesting candidates – maybe five to seven names. Say them out loud to get a sense of how they sound. Google them to uncover any conflicts. Test them out with objective friends and get their reactions. Slowly narrow in on one or two standout options.
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Check Availability
Once you hone in on one or two top contenders, the availability checking begins. Make sure no other business already uses that name. Thoroughly search county/state registers, trademark databases, web domain registrars, and social media sites.
For ultimate assurance, you may need to hire an attorney to fully vet the name’s availability. But you can conduct lots of initial searching before spending money. Don’t fall in love with a name before confirming someone else doesn’t legally own it.
Choose Your Structure
Most names take on one of these common structures:
Descriptive: Details what the business does. For example, The Home Depot or American Airlines.
Invented: Made-up words or phrases. Examples include Hulu, Kodak and Verizon.
Founder’s Name: Includes the name of those who started the company. Like Johnson & Johnson, HP or Starbucks.
Geographic: Uses a location that relates to the business. Such as Austin City Limits or Alaska Airlines.
Consider which option meshes with your goals. A descriptive or geographic name works for small, hyperlocal businesses, while invented and founder’s names allow more universal application.
Select Your Suffix
Suffixes or terms at the end of names also carry legal and stylistic implications. If you operate as a sole proprietor using a descriptive name, you don’t need any formal suffix. Registering more official business structures requires specific suffixes:
Sole Proprietorships/DBAs: No suffix or “N/A”
Partnerships: Use “& Company”
Limited Liability Companies (LLCs): Append “LLC”
S-Corporations: “S-Corp” or “S-Corporation”
C-Corporations: Simply “Inc.” for incorporated businesses
These suffixes ensure you comply with regulations and communicate essential information to customers. Certain industries also have tradition suffixes that could benefit your brand – like “Designs,” “Creations” or “Publishing.”
Research Competitors
Master the names of potential competitors during your selection process. Study how others in your niche have named and branded their companies to spur inspiration. However, don’t copy another business’s name. Beyond legal issues, mimicking competitors won’t help differentiate your brand in the mind of customers.
Set Yourself Apart
A creative, unexpected name sticks in people’s minds, representing a key brand differentiator. Include an unusual word, break grammar conventions, or add unique spelling. Names like PlanetFit while misspelling common words catch readers’ attention without appearing unprofessional. Such distinctiveness makes your business name more memorable and protectable. Just don’t make it overly complex.
Evokes Emotion
Truly great business names spark some feelings or emotion, even if customers don’t fully understand why. The name itself paints a sensory picture or speaks to core values that resonate. Photography studio names like Snapshots or Vivid Vision work on this emotional level to relay passion and trustworthiness.
Sounds Good When Spoken
Never underestimate how your company name will sound when spoken aloud. Complex names with odd groupings of consonants can twist tongues. Hard to pronounce names also spell trouble for radio and television advertisements. Test out a few candidates in phone calls and everyday conversations. If people regularly stumble on the name, then it likely needs refinement.
Allows Easy Spelling
Along with oral ease, customers and partners should be able to quickly spell your name correctly after hearing it. Uncommon words and stylized spellings might distinguish your brand. Just avoid over-the-top combinations that result in lots of misspellings. Otherwise you’ll spend precious marketing dollars correcting people everywhere your name appears.
Conveys Your Story
Truly memorable and ownable names relate back to the underlying story, vision and values of your company. They capture the founder’s personalities, passions and purposes that set brands up for authenticity. Outdoor retailer REI does this impeccably, taking the initials of founders dedicated to Recreation Equipment Incorporated for public use.
A Name to Grow With
Think big picture about plans for future growth and changes to your offerings. Choosing Box Office Productions might work great for starting out creating online films. But it locks that brand into entertainment and limits pivoting should you begin booking music concerts down the road. Build growth potential directly into your name.
Trust Your Instincts
There’s no defined formula to create the “perfect” name. At some point you’ll land on a business name that simply feels right even if you can’t explain why. It will just uniquely encapsulate your company’s essence. Many stealthily-successful brands relied on instinct when choosing names like Apple, Nike or Zillow. Go with what moves you as the founder while meeting all technical guidelines.
Final Validation
Before settling on your ultimate name, take some final steps to validate it positively resonates:
- Repeat it to friends and request brutally honest feedback.
- Check once more for trademarks/domains/social media accounts.
- Visualize it in applications from business cards and email signatures to delivery fleet branding.
If the name remains strong through those last tests, then you likely have a winner! Moving forward, take proactive legal steps like registering trademarks to protect your business’ invaluable identity. A thoughtfully crafted, available and emotionally-appealing name brands your company for prosperity. So take the time to refine options until that absolute right choice clicks into place just like The Perfect Pear or That Little Cupcake Shop did.
The naming process takes time but sets your business up for clarity and connection with future patrons. Follow this guide as you creatively develop options, check availability, gain outside opinions, and finally settle on the name that feels like an ideal fit. Take these steps seriously to not only find an amazing name but protect your chosen identity. Before you know it customers will come to instantly recognize your new brand just by that special moniker.
