Looking for a business name any help?

[JohnnyB]

Hi all my name is JohnnyB I just signed up on this site moments ago. I am asking help from you all with a name for my business. My product is building wooden boats paddles etc. Mostly I have been building boats for friends and family but I will be taking this to the next level. I focus mainly on building wooden strip made cedar canoes and dinghys. In the past I have made furniture. I would like this name to be really catchy somehow and only in good taste. Thank you in advance

[SteveM]

Welcome to the Forum, Johnny - your craft sounds like an interesting gig requiring a ton of patience!

Naming your company, in my opinion, is like naming your child. It's going to be your baby for a long time to come, and you'll be living with that name through all the good and bad times that come with owning and operating a business, so you'd better like it. A lot.

I guess the first thing you should do is figure out how to market your business. If you plan on primarily word-of-mouth and walk in traffic, I would try to combine the elements of the business (artisan-ship, wood and water) into a phrase, like Aquatic Artisans Inc, or something.

If you were looking to market on-line, I would choose a name that is search-engine friendly, has reasonable search traffic, and low competition, such as woodenboatdesigns.com. By using "designs" as opposed to "builders", that may even open up other profit centers such as selling custom boat designs, consulting, etc.

That's my two-cents. Good luck, and let us know what happens!

[KristineS]

I like the word Artisan for some reason. It implies exclusivity and craftsmanship, which I think could be a big selling point of what you do.

SteveM is exactly right that the name has to be something you like and can stand saying a million times. You also have to keep in mind domain names, which means it is a good idea to pick something that has a domain name that is still available with a .com ending. For instance, aquaticartisan.com is already taken. Even if you think you'll sell locally and not want to have a website, still keep the domain name in mind. Chances are you will want a website someday and since domain names are relatively cheap if you can buy one that's not already in use, it's worth reserving it just to keep others from buying it up.

[vangogh]

I agree with Steve about naming the business. It's going to be like another child and the name is something you're going to live with so you should pick something you like. Think about the people you're business will appeal to. What kind of words might they use to describe your business or search for you. Ideally you want a shorter name that's easy to remember and spell. If it can include a word that also suggests what the business does so much the better.

Also don't forget to see if the domain name for the business is available. You'll be better off if you can use your-business-name.com than anything else.

Another thought for words to use is how do you think people will use the canoes? Will it be families taking them out on the lake? Words that help them picture a positive experience could be useful. Keep in mind that different words for boats will mean different things to different types of people.

I've never been good naming things, but I'll give it a shot and offer something a little different. "Row Your Boat" The domain rowyourboat.com is currently for sale, probably for more than you'll want to pay, but maybe not too much.

[RegAddking]

It's simple.

[Superlative] [Niche] or
[Placename] [Niche] or
[Placename] [Superlative] [Niche] etc.

e.g.

Best Boats
Galveston Boats
Best Boats Galveston
Premier Paddles 'N' Boats

[lucas.bowser]

Do you primarily want to stay local? You're in a great area for canoeing.

Have you considered something like IC Classic Watercraft? The IC is for Island County. It sounds like a good boat name to me and ties in pretty well with your geography, and your method of building is a more classical style.

[huggytree]

your name can do 3 things...help/hurt/be neutral....most names are neutral....a stupid name can hurt you.....a smart name can help you....

if your going after the quality customer your name should reflect that....using a last name in your company name shows you stand behind your product

if your going after the cheap/frugal buyer then throw the name 'affordable' in your name...

decide who your customer is....then gear your name towards that customer....tying a logo or a mascot into your name helps too...i think they should be developed at the same time....you may choose a name just because the logo for it will be cool.

i chose my name because it sounds established and i was able to get the matching website for it....i get calls all the time from people claiming to have used me before (even though i didnt)...


i think you need to come up with the names and let us choose...no one here can give you a name............its like naming your kids....would you ask strangers on a website to name your kid....exact same thing

[tvaldez]

THINK SEO!!!!! If your going to have a site, your name should be inline with a high ranking keyword!!!!

Think of youself as a customer and type in google and see what people are searching for that relates to your product.
Then go to "google keywords" and see what ranks high for those keywords.

A little forward thinking goes a long way.

[vangogh]

I wouldn't think seo first. If the name you choose includes words like boat or paddle, that's great, but having a brandable name, one easy to remember and easy to spell and tell others about will be far more valuable than getting in keywords that may or may not help (they don't help as much today as they once did). Also know that search engines change and your business may change. For example you could decide now that it's important to get the word paddle in your name only to decide a couple of years down the road that paddles are your worst selling item and you want to drop them as a standalone product. That becomes difficult if it's in your name. Not that I'd expect you'd stop selling paddles specifically.

[yllainehudges]

I agree with some people here. Honestly, you should be the one to think of the possible name for your business since you will carry it for a long time. Better choose a business name that is easy to remember but very unique as much as possible. Make sure also that the name you'll choose is highly in line with your business so whenever people would read it anywhere they know exactly what your business is all about. Make your own brand based on your product.