How to Choose a Business Name

September 26, 2013

Written by Tasha

This is the single most difficult decision you will have to make when creating your business. How do you embody everything you want to say about your business (your baby) into one single word–that’s catchy and memorable? We know it’s rough, so we are going to share some tips that will hopefully make it easier for you. Let us know how else we can help in the comments below.

Make Up Your Own Word! Google, Gizmodo, Snapchat, are all companies that made up their company name. Put two words together like snapchat did, spell a word incorrectly and think outside of the box!
Keep it Short! Yelp, eBay, Twitter, Apple are all relatively short names that stick in people’s heads because they are fun to say!
Give it Time! Sometimes what you think is a great title on Monday is not such a great idea on Sunday. Make sure you don’t arbitrarily choose your company name. Make sure it’s memorable and catchy enough that you like it similarly from one week to the next.
Check Your Competition! Not only do you want to check the competitor’s company name in order to make sure you’re not duplicating them, you also want to see what’s out there. Is there a specific gap left in the naming community that you can fill? Get inspired!
Think About Your Target Audience! Don’t be selfish about it, you are not the only person investing in your product. Make a name that your audience will enjoy.
Use a Thesaurus! Do you really like a certain name that is already in use? Find a word that means the same thing.
Think About the Day to Day! Think about people voicing your company’s name while they’re at the bar with friends, at brunch, picking up meat at the deli, and you will see if it’s going to work for the day-to-day.
File a DBA (Doing Business As)! Perform an official conduct name search in order to make sure the name you have chosen is not already in use. Fill out the appropriate paperwork at the county clerk’s office to procure your business name. Pay the filing fee to obtain your DBA form. Now you actually own your business name.