An Unconventional Guide to Naming Your New Business

Business Tips
Written By Erica Hartwick

When I finally decided that I wanted to start my own design business, I had no idea what to name it. I’m not someone who has always dreamed of having my own business. I hadn’t ever planned on entrepreneurship, or dreamed about opening a quaint corner shop bakery that smelled of freshly baked breads 24/7... These are things other people dream about, right? The idea of kickin’ it on my own literally came to me overnight and, being the impulsive person I am, I wanted to get started on it, like, yesterday.

But, I didn’t have a business name, and I needed a business name. I knew exactly what I wanted to do, what services I wanted to offer, I knew what I wanted it to look like, but without a name, I was at a standstill. I couldn’t move forward without a business name. 

So, I did what any reasonable millennial would do and started Googling away, looking at name generators and reading blogs with titles like, β€œName Your Business in 5 Easy Steps” and, β€œTop Tips for a Top Name.” And if you’re wondering why I’m writing a blog talking about other blogs like this blog, here’s the reason:

For the first time in my life, Google failed me! All of my Googling and Pinning was fruitless, and I was at a loss. (I can’t remember the last time I typed a question into Google and didn’t get the exact answer I was looking for! Probably never.) So I said to myself, "When I start writing a blog, I have to make one about creating a business name to help a younger, more excited, less wrinkly me!" And, here we are. 

So, let’s do this thing, shall we? Here’s my take on how to name your new business.

πŸ’‘Once you’ve nailed your name, you’ll probably want to grab your domain and build a beautiful website to match. We’ve helped thousands of new entrepreneurs do just that with our Squarespace website templates–easy to use, professionally designed, and made for brands just like yours. Check them out!

Should you use your own name, or not?

I started off by taking in everyone else's business names and considering how they may have decided on them. I realized that a lot of solopreneurs, bloggers, and small businesses owners in my industry had named their businesses after themselves. All of the other brand names that I liked were a bit more abstract. I figured I should go one of those directions, too, but which one?

Using your own name

For others in my industry, using a name was completely reasonable. For me though, that wasn’t the case. Why? Well, my name just sorta sucks. It doesn’t really roll off the tongue, it’s not memorable (#basic), and written out, it’s aesthetically displeasingβ€”I know because I’ve had to write my own name out probably a million times in my life and it’s never looked good, even when I try really hard. So, I actually never really considered using it.

But, that’s just me. Your name could be absolutely perfect for your brand, and if it is, go ahead and use it. 

The plus side of using your name:

  • It’s probably pretty likely that no one else is using your exact name for their business (not impossible, just likely) and if they are, you could still use your middle name or initial to end up with something distinctive. 

  • It can scale with your business. If you call yourself β€œWildflower Web Design” and you then decide you want to do branding, then even further down the line personal coaching, you will need to change your biz name potentially multiple times. By using your own name you can avoid this all together.

  • It’s something that you probably won’t get sick of, since you’ve been hearing your own name all your life anyway. And it’s definitely something that will never go out of fashion!

  • If you plan on creating more of a personal brand with your business, your name is the way to go.

The down side:

  • If you have a generic name (eg John Smith), you could get confused for other businesses and people might mix you up when searching around the internet.

  • It can be tricky adding people to your team later on. Emails end up being things like steve@johnsmith.comβ€”that kind of thing. Not a deal-breaker by any means, just something to consider.

Using an abstract name

Abstract names are fun, but they can be tough to come up with and they’re really easy to overthink! But here’s the thing: I really don’t think you need to take the process too seriously. 

Remember that it’s not about your brand name, it’s about your brand. For example, take Apple. 

If I had stumbled onto a blog or website called β€œApple”, I probably would have grunted and said something like, β€œThat’s a stupid name”. But of course, Apple is a household name, so I’m proven wrongβ€”Apple isn’t lame at all. 

This made me decide that, as long as it wasn’t offensive to anyone, I’d call my brand whatever the hell I wanted, because it probably didn’t matter all too much anyway. What matters most is what my brand stands for and the quality of the services and products I offer.

If you’re in the same pickle that I was in, here’s the low-down on what I did:

How to name your new business:

There are a lot of ways you could go about the creative side of things when naming a business. For me, this is what worked:

  1. I went old school. I got out my notebook and a pen (stay with me here…).

  2. I started listing off a broad range of things that I liked. It went something like:
    Forest, Mountains, Animals, Birds, Yoga, etc…
    Yup, I’m talking BROAD categories. (And yes, I’m a modern day hippy.)

  3. From there, I got specific with each word. Absolutely any word that came to my mind that had to do with Forest, I wrote it down. Things like:
    Trees, Pine, Oak, Cedar, Leaves, Grove, Jungle, Woods
    I did this for all of my main words, and soon my page was filled with a smattering of strange words. If your page looks like a dictionary exploded onto it, that’s perfect. Don’t hold back. Seriously, write them alllll down.

  4. Now get creative. Cross off the words you hate, circle the ones you like (or even kind of like) and try matching some of them up.

    This is your business β€” your vibe, your rules, your style.

    Not sure what the heck your visual vibe even is? Take our free quiz and we’ll match you with a Squarespace website template that fits your brand’s unique style–think moody, romantic, minimal, bold, sophisticated (we’ve got you).

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  1. Once you’ve chosen some combinations you like, add a word that describes your industry. For example, I added "creative" onto the end of mine, because it covers all bases of what I offer and I also like the way it all sounded together.

Here’s some examples of industry words you could use:

Company, Media, Creations, Copywriting, & Co, Publishing, Design, Digital, Studio, Solutions, Creative Solutions, Shop, Workshop, Management, Consulting, Tutorials, Boutique, etc.

On the tail end of my Forest saga, I came up with a few names, like Woodland Media, Wildwood Media, Tree House Studio, and Jungle House Media. Obviously none of these made the cut, but it’s a good example of how many names I was able to come up with that I thought reasonably reflected my style and personality.

ο»ΏTip: Don’t pick a favorite just yet. Next, you’ll need to double check that you can use the name you like. Go into this next phase with around 5 names that you’d be happy to use.

Make sure you can (and should!) use the name

Okay, you’ve got a few names that could be winners. Now, before you plaster your new business name all over your website, your Insta, and your business cards, you’ll need to run it through a few checks to make sure you can and should use the name you’ve chosen. Here’s what I mean:

Check if the name is taken

You’ve probably done this already, but if you haven’t, now’s the time to do a little digging.

First, search your name idea in Google. You’re looking to make sure no one is already operating under that name β€” especially in your industry. Ideally, you want to stand out, not compete.

Then, check if the domain is available. You can use sites like Squarespace Domains or GoDaddy to do a quick search.

And don’t forget social media! Super simple, but head to Instagram (and any other platform you plan to use) and take a peek in the search bar to see if there are any active accounts already using your name. You want to keep your online platforms as consistent as possible–same name across your site and socials, if you can!

Look into trademarks and copyrights

Are there any trademarks that prevent you from using the name? Use a federal trademark database to search the names you like and make sure that by using them, you’re not infringing on anyone else’s intellectual property. If you’re in the US, you can search the United States Patent and Trade Office. If you’re not, a quick Google search should turn up a trademark search engine for your country.

Does anyone have a copyright on the name? Companies can copyright all kinds of things, including names and slogans. You can DIY a copyright search, but often it’s a little complicated. This blog post by Strebeck Law has more on how to find out if anything you want to use is copyrighted.

Be sure your name isn’t offensive

This is a moral question as much as a legal one. Of course, as a person, you likely don’t want to offend anyoneβ€”but in some places there are actual laws that prohibit using terms that could be deemed offensive. 

You might be thinking that this one is super obviousβ€”don’t use horribly offensive words. Easy, right? But there are a lot of things about a business name that fall on the subtle end of the offensive spectrum, or things that can just be embarrassing, cringey, or that give people that wrong idea about your business if they aren’t caught and changed.

So, even if you don’t consider yourself someone who’d use an offensive business name (I definitely don’t think you are!), it’s worth double checking things like:

  • The acronym or the abbreviated version of your name. Thinking about calling your business β€œSunshine Coast Art and Branding”? Think again. ;) 

  • How the name looks when it’s designed. Certain fonts can affect legibility, making some words read differently.

The truth is that coming up with a business name is a bit of a challenging creative process, and there’s no one way to do it! This is just the way I did it, so I thought I would share with you my unconventional process.

The one thing I can say for sure is, don’t let choosing your business name hold up your actual business. Fluffing around trying to decide on the perfect business name for weeks is only going to stall your business progress, which at the end of the day is much more important than the name. Give yourself a time limit (24 hours is good!) to decide, then move on. There’s no way of knowing this early on if this business name will stick, but it’s a start, and you can always change it.

Starting a Business? Here’s Your New-Biz Checklist

Once you’ve got your name, here’s a quick checklist to help you get your business off the ground:

  • Choose your business name

  • Check domain + social availability

  • Register your domain (we recommend Squarespace Domains)

  • Register your business legally (LLC, sole prop, etc.)

  • Write a short bio/about blurb

  • Choose brand fonts + colors

  • Create a logo (Canva works!)

  • Set up your social media profiles - check out our social media templates to get your social media game going strong from the start

  • Build your website - we have lots of squarespace website templates just for this very thing. (Plus if you use the code BIGCATCREATIVE10, you can save 10% off the first year of your squarespace subscription)

That last one? That’s where we come in...

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Let’s make sure that incredible new business of yours stands out from day one! πŸ‘‡

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Erica Hartwick http://www.bigcatcreative.com
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