small tips for naming your business

[ryand83]

Ok so I've seen quite a few people ask about naming a business. I guess I just have a creative niche in this area.

For those of you who think it has to be serious guess again. I have seen several small businesses with great ideas, but didn't catch my attention simply because the name was bland and run of the mill.

I'll give you guys an example; barber services....where I used to live at people would open up barber shops and shut down...why? Namesake they would name it Hairy or Jim's barber shop or some other bland name....now where I live you got places like "hair to dye for".

Another example would of course be the shop I want to open which is a hobby gaming shop and I went through about 100 or so names that would fit for the shop "Nerdrage hobbies & games" fit in my head. It's creative and gets to the point and isn't bland like the others. It's all about creativity and being straight to the point.

If you guys want to chime in and help feel free :)

[kimoonyx]

I have been opening retail stores for 5 years now, and I gotta tell you, selecting a name that sticks goes a long way. A name should tell you at a glance what type of business you are running... Many times Clients will submit a name that has no indication of the type of business, like say.... Firestorm (I deal with nerds on a daily basis ;) )With what I do it's an easy fix...I have them add games to the end.

My point here is if you see the name on a business card, and your not standing outside the shop to see the type of wares that they offer.. The name should clue you in. Also the name should also offer some clues as to your specific culture... For instant one of my clients has a heavy hardware background... He was the IT director of a major cable company when he came to me... He builds modded controllers and things of that nature, and could handle console repairs himself along with the retail aspect of the store we set him up with... The name? Cybertek Games. It gives that tech feel...his shop is different because of all of the tech/hardware services he provides in addition to the games he sells and the name stuck... The name reenforces what makes his shop different. His store does well. Also consider the length of your name and how it will translate to signage. Readabiltiy is crucial, remember this when you select fonts/colors and such... If the brain can't see the name legibly at a glance, all is lost in regards to passing vehicular traffic.

Names can be fun, I've opened stores with names as unique as Pwnge Games that have worked...

Just my two cents, I hope it helps!

[ryand83]

thanks for the input man. Yeah I agree names can really make or break a shop. Even if you don't physically market a lot, a solid name can infact market it.

[JohnF]

It's mostly about being memorable. Having a good logo that matches the name helps too. I'm working with some people right now who want to just name their company after themselves, and I keep telling them to get a cool name. I like the idea about signaling customers about your culture- doesn't apply in every case, but can be good. A rule I like to follow is that the name should bring some kind of imagery to mind.

[KristineS]

Make sure whatever name you pick is one you can say millions of times without starting to hate it. You should also make sure it's easy to say. Trust me, when you answer the phone in a hurry you don't want to stumble over the name of the business.

[RR151]

Hi all Rick here...

Yes the name is very important and needs to be simple and clean. Something everyone can say and remember.

Maybe take it a bit further and include in the company name with the .com, .net. Build the logo or word mark again with the .com. So many times the website url is in 8 pt font height and looks like a secondary thought. Oh yea BTW my website is mydomain.com. In toady's world the .com is the most important contact me tool out there.

Example:
The guys that do this the best and have used this technique since the beginning in the mid 90's. Anybody know who? It is Amazon.com, the company name is Amazon.com. The Amazon.com screams simple and clean. Then with this catchy name for the logo we have the arrow going from A to Z, which makes the logo say we sell everything from A to Z. It doesn't get any better than this...I think sales last year exceeded 60 billion bucks...

One more point if your struggling for a name I like the idea of using a phone number...555-555-5555.com. Where I see this working is with the local contractor. In my area they don't have a website and just advertise their phone number. An easy fix to the graphics on the truck is to add .com on the back of the phone number. Now where ever you advertise you just need to use the phone number.com Oh yea and the email is john@555-555-5555.com now people without email or if the advertising is in direct mail everybody can simply contact via email or phone...

Just my 2 cents...Rick

[David Hunter]

I like Nerdrage! haha

[ryand83]

I like Nerdrage! haha

Lol thanks, yeah I was just like simple name, describes my shop, and when people see it if they're into gaming they'll know what it is. I was also thinking N3rdr4g3 or something but unless you're 1337 you won't get it lol. Maybe it could work like that as long as I keep hobbies & games normal. I honestly do think naming your shop should be at least 25% of your marketing though, with a clever name folks will at least check it out even if they aren't into whatever you're marketing. Word of mouth spreads quick too. I'm going to try to niche it though if it ever happens since I've been into gaming for ages and I think my idea is legit going into a side café eventually. I'm thinking about buying up some large chemistry vials and doing strawberry & blueberry smoothies and calling them potion of mana & potion of health or something to that extent. I have a buddy in New Orleans who is an awesome cook too so if it kicks off I'll be pulling him in to help out

[ryand83]

I'm doing this as a project for class too. We're making a business plan from a template and I'm pretty much done. I just need to work on the financials and buff it up a bit, so far everyone who has seen it loves it and thinks I should go with it.

[MattSmith]

Definitely important to pick a name that intrigues people. I knew someone who opened up a clothing store called "Vendetta" Talk about an awesome name!

But then sometimes things just work, like who decided "Apple?" was a good name for tech devices? Random.

[junglepreneur]

I really like PickyDomains idea for naming. It is a crowdsourcing service where you pay for a name, slogan or domain only if you like it.

[Sean_DeSilva]

If you want your business name to work for you, as in encourage more attention from your target audience, it should imply some amount of unique benefit. Take a plumber for example: Joe's plumbing isn't that good of a name. 24/7 emergency plumbing service is better, but may have limited effectiveness if most other plumbers advertise emergency plumbing also. 20 minute response plumbing will probably put that plumber in a unique category with a powerfully differentiated benefit.

[Business Attorney]

I wrote an article a while back called 7 Tips to Help You Name Your Business (http://www.illinoisbusinessattorney.com/articles/naming-your-new-business.html). Of course, the importance of any particular issue in naming a business will depend on the characteristics of the individual business. What is important to a local business may not be important to a company launching a national business and vice versa. What is important for a local bank is likely different from what is important to a local restaurant. The key is to understand why something may or may not be important as it applies to your own business.

[ryand83]

I wrote an article a while back called 7 Tips to Help You Name Your Business (http://www.illinoisbusinessattorney.com/articles/naming-your-new-business.html). Of course, the importance of any particular issue in naming a business will depend on the characteristics of the individual business. What is important to a local business may not be important to a company launching a national business and vice versa. What is important for a local bank is likely different from what is important to a local restaurant. The key is to understand why something may or may not be important as it applies to your own business.

I full heartedly agree with you on that, it should grab attention to your target audience, but also be catchy enough to grab a wider audience as well. Like with the shop I want to open I want primarily people who are willing to sink money into hobby gaming but at the same time I want to grab attention from college students and by passers. I'm not saying my shop would be an instant money maker, but with the ideas I keep coming up with and namesake I might be the only legit store to open in the area I'm going to.