Dos and Don’ts: Naming Your Company
As a serial entrepreneur I LOVE when I get to name my company. It just makes everything start to feel real. I have a couple of processes. Sometimes, I’ll take our a journal and scribble what ever comes to mind until something sticks. Other times, I lie on the ground, literally (bonus points if I can prop my legs up) and I just think about what I’m trying to accomplish and what name would best get that across to my audience. I read once that something about lying on your back gets your creative juices flowing. Could be nonsense, but I’m a big fan. Give it a try!
My second company, a travel platform, was name TrekWisely. After my “lie on the ground” exercise, I was stuck between TrekWisely and TrekWiser. I asked my 7 year old niece who immediately told me TrekWisely. She didn’t even think about it. If you’re not 7, and that pesky developed frontal lobe is making you second guess everything we have some tips to help you get started.
Some things to consider:
Trademarks
Trademarks! Trademarks! Trademarks! Save yourself the heartache now and make sure that you’re not selecting a name that may infringe on another company’s trademark. From Cease and Desists to having to completely (and expensively) rebrand your company it’s best to avoid trademark issues wherever possible. Here are a few steps that can help you avoid trademark infringement when it comes to choosing a name:
Google Search
Social Media Search
USPTO Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS) Search
Consulting a Trademark Attorney
SEO
SEO or Search Engine Optimization is about helping search engines understand your business in order to help users find your site. This gets a bit more complicated when you’re actually building your website, but for now we want you to think about Google results. Local, and especially brick and mortar businesses, get a slight pass here. It’s perfectly okay to name a restaurant “Sophia’s.”. However, “Sophia” might not be the best name for a tech company as it would have horrible SEO as Sophia consistently makes the top 5 most popular names. Horrible SEO means potential customers may have an issue finding your specific site.
Keep It Simple and Memorable
A great company name is easy to pronounce, spell, and remember. Avoid overly complicated words or long phrases. Short, catchy names tend to stick in people's minds and are easier to share by word of mouth. Your name should reflect what your business does or the feeling you want to evoke. Consider words that align with your industry, values, or mission. Personal anecdotes are awesome too. If your mom loves kumquats and you want to name your company Kumquat for her, that’s okay, but that story should be a part of your branding. It’s a feel good story that points to value alignment.
Think About Growth and Flexibility
Pick a name that allows room for expansion. Avoid being too specific to a single product or location unless you plan to stay within that niche forever. A name that’s too narrow could limit your business’s growth in the future.
Keep in mind there are always exceptions and that could be you. These are just general guidelines to help you with the process.
Once you have your business name, make sure the website domain is available. Don't be afraid to play with the ending. For instance, our website is thebrazen.club! If the domain is taken, a company under that name may already exist, so this can save you major headaches down the road. After you find the perfect name, snatch up as many social handles as possible. We’re @thebrazen.club on all platforms. It just makes life easier.
Good luck and let us know if this helps you name your company. We’d love to hear about it :) hello@thebrazen.club
