Choosing the perfect business name
This would have to be one of the most difficult tasks for any business. Perhaps you were filled with ideas and could not decide or perhaps you were like…
- Do I choose my personal name?
- A name that is specific to my business type?
- A name that is not specific to my business type?
- One that starts with ‘A’ thinking I will be listed in directories first?
- What if someone already has the name?
- I just cannot decide?
Then there is all the collateral associated with the business name that may or may not be available for you to register.
- Domain name – .com .com.au or .somethingelseentirely
- Facebook page
- Youtube
Plus the pretty stuff like colours, logos, website design and more. And all this before you are even trying to sell what you have on offer!
Let’s take a BIG step back
What are the goals that you have for your business, both long term and short term? Try to remember your business has to speak to your ideal clients it is not just a gallery about you.
- Multiple locations or just one
- Products and/or services
- How is your business unique from your competitors
- What message are you communicating to your ideal clients
- What do your ideal clients look like
- Which social media do my ideal clients use
- Multiple language needs or just one
- You want something easy to spell and to remember
- You want something with longevity
Mistakes to avoid
The safe option – It is always easy to go with the safe option. To be perhaps descriptive but still very boring. Think outside the square as the safe option is not always the best option.
Location-based – Here you have to think about your goals for your business. If you are only going to be working in the one spot and not growing your business beyond that – the location name is fine. If however, you have goals to be bigger one day then don’t limit yourself to a location name.
Asking others – don’t make the mistake of involving friends, family, employees or anyone else you can think of. Especially don’t ask social media for an opinion. The outcome is most likely to be the one name that all these people agree on and something very plain. I am not saying don’t get help but choose wisely. There should only be a few and they should leave their ego’s out of it and be people who are creative but also have your best interest at heart.
Obscurity – Take care not to make your name so obscure that people don’t know what it means and don’t understand how it aligns with your business. Also if it is impossible to spell or say, how is anyone going to remember you and tell others about you.
Smashed words – Creating a new word by mashing two or three together can be a disaster and a business name that both looks and sounds terrible.
Weird spelling – So many businesses do this as they see it as a way to get the domain they want or they feel clever. Chances are you will just spend time explaining how people have to spell your name just to find you. Unless you have the advertising budget of Xero you may find difficulties.
Forgetting to say it out loud – Say the business names you are thinking of out loud, use it in a sentence and say it to other people to see if they hear it correctly.
Making a mistake and not fixing it – If you pick a name and you end up making a mistake as it doesn’t define your business correctly – CHANGE IT. Don’t just stick with it forever, improve it and your business with a rebranding.
Conclusion
It is very easy to get confused or frozen when trying to choose a business name. It is also easy to choose something very wrong or very right.
Remember that ultimately it is going to be your ability to sell what you have on offer that will create your success or failure. So while the business name is just one part, your goals and ability to get traction with your business is where you need to take your focus.
If you need help with choosing a business name, planning your marketing and speaking to your ideal clients – contact My Sassy Business.
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