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12 Things To Consider When Naming Your Business

What were the factors you considered when naming your business, and why? Where did the final name come from?

 

 

Value the Descriptive Name


“I’m well aware of the trademark issues with descriptive names, but the value they provide without having to build your brand in the early days is invaluable. We decided on “BuySellAds” for three reasons: 1. The domain name was acquirable. 2. It says exactly what our software actually does. 3. Its acronym, “BSA,” has an endearing feel to it.”

 

TODD GARLAND
BuySellAds
Follow @toddo

Remember: It’s Like a Tattoo


“Going with a trendy word will eventually date your company. You can look at a lot of startups and, because of naming trends, you can tell exactly when they opened. I follow the same rule I would when getting a tattoo — choose something that’s meaningful to you or has a story. I got Real Bullets Branding from one of my favorite movies, “The Three Amigos” — it gets a laugh from clients! “

 

CAITLIN MCCABE
Real Bullets Branding
Follow @caitlinmc

Play the Name Game


“Naming a company is painful; we’ve created our own system that includes a large list of criteria and several rounds of revisions. What it really comes down to: Is the name memorable? Tell seven people the name of your startup. Check back a week later to see if they can remember the name. If the majority of them can recall the name, you’re good! If not, it’s time to hit the drawing board.”

 

JUSTIN BECK
PerBlue

Make It Short and Memorable


“I wanted a name that was short (under 10 characters), memorable and easy to spell. I used a bunch of online name generators, which tie into web registrars and check for domain availability. I thought of combining a color with a short word, and when I saw Bluegala come up in one of the generators, I immediately knew I had my name.”

 

JOSH WEISS
Bluegala

Make It Left of Center, But Right on Target


“Naming a company for yourself exposes it as an egoist’s pet project and getting cutesy — Shear Madness for a salon, for example — marks you as a small-time player. Our brands are meant to appeal to men and women alike, which is not the norm in our space. Having an off-center name that makes people pause, yet describes what you do and who your customer is precisely — that’s the winner.”

 

MICHAEL PORTMAN
Birds Barbershop

Describe Where You Want to Be, Not What You Are


“When deciding on my name, I wanted something that was unique and brandable, while still being somewhat descriptive. I wanted people to know what the business was all about as quickly as possible. My company teaches people how to build small businesses they can run from anywhere, so I chose “Location Rebel” because it was unique and summed up exactly what the business was all about.”

 

SEAN OGLE
Location 180, LLC
Follow @seanogle

Go Big


“When we decided to rename our company “www.staff.com,” it was a BIG decision. We did months of research on the cost of domain names and whether it was worth the investment. I had my apprehensions, but it has been great — and not just for our brand, but for our PR and SEO as well. I’d suggest to anybody who can afford it: Go big!”

 

LIAM MARTIN
Staff.com

Keep It Simple


“We wanted something that was extremely simple (one word) and aligned with the voice that we wanted to build around our brand. Companies with confusing names succeed in spite of the confusion, not because of it.”

 

 

 

DAVID SPINKS
Feast
Follow @DavidSpinks

Look at Searchability


“It’s important to have a name that is attractive to potential clients, but it’s even more important to make sure they can find you in the first place. That means that a name that’s too similar to someone else’s is a problem (perhaps even on a legal level). Before you get your heart set on any name, search for it online to see if anyone else has had the same great idea.”

 

THURSDAY BRAM
Hyper Modern Consulting
Follow @ThursdayB

Use Latin to Tell a Story


“A company’s name tells a story and explains the who, what, when and where of your business. For example, Praetor Global is the name of our international security company. The name is inspired by the Latin word Praetoriani. The relationship is that the Praetorian Guard were the “Secret Service” and armed forces used by Roman Emperors during the reign of ancient Rome. “

 

GEORGE MAVROMARAS
Mavro Inc. | Praetor Global LLC.

Use the Five-Item Checklist!


“I considered the following factors: 1. Can I get the URL? 2. Is it catchy? 3. Is it easy to remember? 4. Can people spell it easily (so it will be easy to Google)? 5. Can I get the trademark on it? I thought all of these items would help build my brand, protect my company and make Gloss and Glam user-friendly. My final name, Gloss and Glam, was one of the top two picks I could get the URL for. “

 

NIKKI ROBINSON
Gloss and Glam

Portray Your Values and Vision


“Your company name is the first thing people will think of when they think of your organization. Make sure it portrays the persona, feeling and meaning of the company. A dash of character to align with your values and vision is ideal.”

 

 

 

LAUREN PERKINS
Perks Consulting
Follow @laurenperkins

 

 

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