Naming Your Business

[KristineS]

I've gone through the naming process for a new business about three times now, and I've hated it every time. We did a lot of brainstorming and research and then came up with the company name.

When you named your business, how did you decide on a name? Did you research trademarks and such before you settled on a name, or did you pick a name and then do the research?

What was your naming process like?

[orion_joel]

It took me a few weeks to finally get to the point of even applying for a name, primarily because. In QLD Australia they want you to provide 4 alternatives in case one is not available. I had thought i did a good bit of research, checked existing registrations, and even trademarks to try and ensure i was not overlapping anything that may come back on me.

Well even with all of this i had to go through the process of filling in the form about 3 times, (the first 10 names i had chosen which i thought would be all clear, all to close to other already registered names). So in the end i had to settle on Orion Networks, While i do not mind the name obviously it wasn't my first choice, and i don't think portrays what my business is as well as what some of the other choices i had do.

I think that it is important to at least consider the trademarks and such when brainstorming, because even though you may start out thinking this is just going to be a small business don't need to worry about it being a little similar to another business, then you happen across something big and the business grows and then it does become a problem.

[vangogh]

Coming up with a name for a business is the hardest thing for me. I don't know why, but I find it so difficult to pick a name. My current business name wasn't all that hard though.

I changed names specifically to refocus and refine the services I offer and to form a better USP that reflected what I can do. I'm basically a web designer who also can do SEO and my main strengths are developing websites that are search engine friendly and prepped for all the optimization and marketing that comes after.

I wanted to get both SEO and Design into the name and I wanted a domain that matched the company name. My ideal choice would have been seodesign.com for a domain, but naturally it was taken so were the .net and .org versions along with all variations of seo-design. Frustrating.

So I added the Van out in front which was short for my username vangogh. I've probably branded myself better as vangogh over the years than as Steven Bradley and many people would refer to me as van to save on the typing. It seemed like a reasonable thing to add it out front and become Van SEO Design. It's short and describes what I do.

I also thought if I ever decided to drop the SEO services and go back to being design only I could call myself Vanseo Design and probably just sound like an Italian designer.

I had thought of going with vangogh instead of just van and being vangogh seo design, but I've discovered over the years that most people can't spell vangogh. I've seen so many variations in the spelling that I figured it was best to drop the gogh.

[Blessed]

until my "Eureka" moment when I named my business "Crazy Dog Creative" I hated the naming process - everything either sounded cheesy or when I googled it there were already 100 other people with the same name.

Picking a good name can be hard - but I like a name that is memorable and easy to spell.

[KristineS]

It is hard to name a company, and it is especially annoying when you settle on a name you really like and then discover someone is using it or a variation of it. After that, nothing else sounds quite as good.

[KarenB]

Having "911" as a part of my business name was a tough decision. It met with a lot of resistance, especially from my teenage son, who thought it sounded too much like "9/11". He thought that there was too much of a negative connotation to it, even though I emphasized that "911" and "9/11" meant entirely different things.

Then when I went to register my business name, I was requested to confirm that I was not going to promote myself as an emergency service. They said, "Chances are, your business name won't get approved because it sounds too much like an emergency service. You aren't going to use '911' as a phone number, are you?"

I chose my business name to convey the sense that my services could be relied upon during an 'office' emergency. So far, my clients have agreed and I'm glad I followed my initial instincts.

[KristineS]

I like your business name Karen. I think it's unique and pinpoints exactly what you do.

[vangogh]

I like the name too Karen. I think it says exactly what you want it to say. I never realy thought 9/11 with it. I always got the concept of being for office emergencies. Weird that it almost didn't get approved due to sounding like an emergency service.

[orion_joel]

Kristine, i had the similar experience when i was trying to come up with a name for another business idea i had a few year's ago, which never actually went anywhere because i could not come up with a suitable name.

I had this moment where i thought of this really good name (which i can no longer remember) and searched it and it was taken, i think i spent almost 2 weeks writing and brainstorming and searching business names without liking any as much as the first one. I probably went though a few hundred names but none had the same ring to them as the first one and i just could not link in my name any other business name to the ideas.

[Leatherneck]

Before I started Makela Fence I was David E. Makela carpentry. so it was easy for me too just call myself Makela Fence. I didn't use any imagination at all. I have known several fence companies over the years that have done well just using there last name as part of there business name.

Some times I do wonder if it is a name that would either help or hinder people from calling me.