When you finally decide to start a new business, the first question you ask yourself is “What will be the name of my business?” If you have no idea what to name a business this article will tell you how to choose one for yours. My guess is that you come up with about ten to fifteen names at first. But then you can’t be certain which one is the best. Maybe you make a list of top five names that you like. There still remains confusion! Choosing the right name for your business is the first step toward building a successful brand. Some entrepreneurs try to pick a name without thinking much and makes his first big mistake. Later on, when they realize that their business name has some serious issues, they want to change it by all means which costs them a lot of sufferings and in most cases, money. Remember that your company name will be on all of your products, websites, promotional materials etc. So naming a business is not to be taken carelessly. But then there’s no specific how-to guide that will help a startup hero choose the best name for his venture! But it is easy to avoid mistakes and consider the most important facts, Right? This article gives you a list of things to do and remember before you make a mistake in naming your startup.
There are various ways popular companies have been named. Let’s have a look at the different methods.
Related to Product/Service/Industry: It is great to choose a name that is related to your business/offerings. Unfortunately, domains for this type of names are almost impossible to find available nowadays! It is hard to find a one-word domain still available. But if you are lucky enough to find a business-related name, that’s great!
Random Real-life Objects: There are some business names that have nothing to do with the business they are in, yet have been very popular, such as, apple, Amazon etc. But the problem with such names is that you have little chances to find domain names for them!
Misspelled Words: Another idea is to manipulate letters and misspell a popular word to get a business name, such as, fiverr, flickr, reddit etc. These names mean nothing, but if you spell them correctly, they mean something, such as fiver, flicker and read it!
Compound Words: A very effective way to name your business is combining two words into one and use it as the name of your business. For example, Facebook, LinkedIn, GoDaddy, Microsoft, MySpace, HootSuite etc. The best thing about this approach is that the domains are easier to find available for these names than for “one meaning word” names!
New Words: Sometimes, randomly made up words work best! At least, this method worked for a few popular brands, such a, Skype, Hulu, Meebo, Zynga, Zillow, Yipit etc. You can come up with one, but be careful about how it sounds. Don’t choose a made up word that sounds a lot like an existing negative word.
Google It
You surely do not want to take the hurdle of explaining which similar sounding business firms have nothing to do with your business. Before you pick a name, google it! See what comes up. Try image search! Without doing this, you may have to face embarrassment afterwards. Who knows! For example, I’ve once picked a name for one of my very serious themed business, that I found very similar to the name of a pornographic website. Thank God I decided to google it before selecting the name.
Check if Domain Name is Available:
It’s not easy to find a domain available for a business name unless the name is absolutely meaningless! Once you have a list of names that you’d like to consider, try checking for domain availability for all of them. You can use this tool for this purpose. The worst mistake some entrepreneurs make is that they add a hyphen (-) in the domain. Never commit this sin! This way you will only make it harder for your possible clients/customers to find you online. If you don’t find a domain available for a name, forget the name! Go for the others. Always pick .com at first. Aim at .com .net and .org simultaneously.
Social Media Handles:
Nowadays, it is nearly impossible to conduct business without having strong presence in social media. It boosts your company’s growth. List out the names of the social networking websites that your business will be active on. Now check if the names are available on those websites.
Seek Opinion From Others:
When you have a very short list of names, it’s time to go out and seek opinions from others. Don’t just ask your friends and family members for opinions. This is where a lot of entrepreneur go wrong! Most of them will never tell you the harsh truth about your business name. You need to consult the people you’re going to sell to. Seek opinion from them. This way you can get the most genuine opinion you could ever get! But here’s something you should know! Sometimes you need to be a little autocratic! Just because 10 out of 15 people have chosen a name, you don’t need to pick that. You need to consider your intuition too! That’s the best thing about being an entrepreneur. If they don’t like what you liked, ask them why? If they like what you didn’t like so much, ask them why? The idea is to mix a little bit of your own intuition and opinions from others.
At this point, I’m almost certain about the fact that you have one or two names in your list. Now it’s time to confirm whether these names are legal to use.
This way, you can get one or two names. Choose one. It is easier to choose one out of two options than one out of ten or fifteen options. Now that you know what and how to name a business, pick the right name. When you have the name ready, register the domains (.com, .net and, if possible, .org) and social media handles. Also, register the company name as per the local legal system.
How to Name a Business?
The first pain point is to find a list of names that reflect your identity. Take your pen and a piece of paper. Write down all your ideas. Among the names that came in your mind, you need to select 10 good business names. The only thing to remember while brainstorming is that your business name should be:- Easy to remember
- Timeless/Everlasting
- Easy to pronounce and
- Easy to Spell
There are various ways popular companies have been named. Let’s have a look at the different methods.
Related to Product/Service/Industry: It is great to choose a name that is related to your business/offerings. Unfortunately, domains for this type of names are almost impossible to find available nowadays! It is hard to find a one-word domain still available. But if you are lucky enough to find a business-related name, that’s great!
Random Real-life Objects: There are some business names that have nothing to do with the business they are in, yet have been very popular, such as, apple, Amazon etc. But the problem with such names is that you have little chances to find domain names for them!
Misspelled Words: Another idea is to manipulate letters and misspell a popular word to get a business name, such as, fiverr, flickr, reddit etc. These names mean nothing, but if you spell them correctly, they mean something, such as fiver, flicker and read it!
Compound Words: A very effective way to name your business is combining two words into one and use it as the name of your business. For example, Facebook, LinkedIn, GoDaddy, Microsoft, MySpace, HootSuite etc. The best thing about this approach is that the domains are easier to find available for these names than for “one meaning word” names!
New Words: Sometimes, randomly made up words work best! At least, this method worked for a few popular brands, such a, Skype, Hulu, Meebo, Zynga, Zillow, Yipit etc. You can come up with one, but be careful about how it sounds. Don’t choose a made up word that sounds a lot like an existing negative word.
Google It
You surely do not want to take the hurdle of explaining which similar sounding business firms have nothing to do with your business. Before you pick a name, google it! See what comes up. Try image search! Without doing this, you may have to face embarrassment afterwards. Who knows! For example, I’ve once picked a name for one of my very serious themed business, that I found very similar to the name of a pornographic website. Thank God I decided to google it before selecting the name.
Check if Domain Name is Available:
It’s not easy to find a domain available for a business name unless the name is absolutely meaningless! Once you have a list of names that you’d like to consider, try checking for domain availability for all of them. You can use this tool for this purpose. The worst mistake some entrepreneurs make is that they add a hyphen (-) in the domain. Never commit this sin! This way you will only make it harder for your possible clients/customers to find you online. If you don’t find a domain available for a name, forget the name! Go for the others. Always pick .com at first. Aim at .com .net and .org simultaneously.
Social Media Handles:
Nowadays, it is nearly impossible to conduct business without having strong presence in social media. It boosts your company’s growth. List out the names of the social networking websites that your business will be active on. Now check if the names are available on those websites.
Seek Opinion From Others:
When you have a very short list of names, it’s time to go out and seek opinions from others. Don’t just ask your friends and family members for opinions. This is where a lot of entrepreneur go wrong! Most of them will never tell you the harsh truth about your business name. You need to consult the people you’re going to sell to. Seek opinion from them. This way you can get the most genuine opinion you could ever get! But here’s something you should know! Sometimes you need to be a little autocratic! Just because 10 out of 15 people have chosen a name, you don’t need to pick that. You need to consider your intuition too! That’s the best thing about being an entrepreneur. If they don’t like what you liked, ask them why? If they like what you didn’t like so much, ask them why? The idea is to mix a little bit of your own intuition and opinions from others.
At this point, I’m almost certain about the fact that you have one or two names in your list. Now it’s time to confirm whether these names are legal to use.
Is This Name Registered by Some Other Entity?
Now that you know that your name has no issues with domains and social media handles, the next step is to pick a name that is not in use in the state/country you are going to conduct your business operations in. It is important to know if someone else has already registered the name you’d like to select. Some states have made database searches available. Which means, you can simply search the availability online or consult the authority. If this service is not available in the place where your business will operate, go visit the authority. Go to the US Patent and Trademark Authority Office to make sure that the name is not taken.This way, you can get one or two names. Choose one. It is easier to choose one out of two options than one out of ten or fifteen options. Now that you know what and how to name a business, pick the right name. When you have the name ready, register the domains (.com, .net and, if possible, .org) and social media handles. Also, register the company name as per the local legal system.
Written by , personal technology columnist and founder of sistunes. You can follow him on facebook or subscribe for the daily email newsletter for your daily dose of sistunes and video tutorials.
In Digital Marketing
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