Naming your New Business #1
from Startup Daddy.com 5/08 enhanced by Peter/CXO Wiz4biz
Voice of Experience. Having “named” my startups more than once, I am going to make the argument that choosing a name for your business is even more difficult than choosing a name for your child. While you don’t have to factor in things like people in your past that had that name, in-laws, and what will happen to your business on the playground, (as with your child), once you decide that you like the name, you’re done. No so with your business.
The Devil is in the Details. With a business you need to go much further. You need to find out if there are other businesses with that name, and if so, if they are in your industry. Is the Trademark available? Is the Domain Name available? Does it mean the same thing to others as it does to you? The list goes on. There are businesses out there thriving on this very concept. They help people name their companies. These services are not for most people. Most would never entrust such an important, personal decision to strangers. Besides, aren’t you on a budget? So here are are some tips and advice about naming your business.
Choose a Name with Meaning.
Unless you have a HUGE advertising budget, you want to stay away from names that do not mean anything, and do not indicate what the business does. Google, Yahoo, EBay, & Amazon, spent millions before most people knew they existed, or what they did. Using your name as part of the Business’s name is fine, but only if you never intend to sell it to anyone outside your family. You want to avoid anything too “generic” as well. “Magnificent Massage”, may tell your potential customer exactly what you do, but it does not distinguish you from your competitors. If they see your brochure, or an advertisement with that name, it is not likely they’ll remember you. You need to strike a balance between creative & descriptive, so when people hear the name, they remember it and they have at least a vague idea about what you do. (ie, “Brenda’s Balancing Massage” does)
Think BiG from the Beginning.
You may also want to avoid any local references in your name. Be optimistic. You’re going to take over the world right? LoL A multi-national distributor of Widgets with the name West Coast Widgets, just doesn’t work. SJ Day Massage might seem like a great idea in the beginning, but what happens when you want to open the other 10 locations? What if you move?
[ Checking Name availability, Trade-marking, Domain Name & other Considerations in Premium Content ]