When it comes to opening a business, after you have stated the domain/field you are going to work in and other aspects, inevitably you get to this question: “What name should I chose for my business?”
You might be thinking you are reading this article a little too late, but I have good news for you: It’s not too late.
It isn’t mandatory to use the company name as a brand
You might have register your company on the companies house, but create a brand using a different name.
Your company has a name, as a legal entity and it may have a commercial name beside (the brand).
Of course , if you had the time to plan this before going on the companies house to register your company, you don’t need to have a second name.
No matter in what situation you are in, naming your business is an important aspect, because depending on that, you could market your business easier or harder.
Here are some questions before naming your business:
1) Where my marketplace is? who are my prospects?
That’s a good question, because you have to speak your customer’s language, both literally and figuratively. If you only want to sell in your country, don’t choose a complicated name to spell for your people. This way you will avoid unfortunate situations when people are asking how should they spell or write that name.
2) What does my company do?
In an ideal world, the business name tells what the business does, but we don’t live in that world yet. It is important not to confuse people by using a certain name. Eg. (company name is “Best Real Estate” and your company is a car retailer).
3) What does the name mean in other languages?
This question doesn’t apply for you if you choose a 100% English, American, Italian name. But if you are a creative person and you have made-up a new word or you choose some words because you like the way they sound, you would better make sure they don’t have any negative meaning in other languages.
4) Is it easy to remember?
If you name your business using 4 or 5 words, the chances that people would remember are minimal. It is essential to chose the shortest possible name but yet original. Do not choose a name that’s similar to another business, because you will confuse people.
It has been shown that shorter names that sound rhythmic while saying it loud are easier to remember: Coca-Cola, Google, Samsung, etc.
5) Is a web domain available online for this company name?
Depending on your business activity, you might need a website sometime. If your company name is common, there are small chances to find a free domain online. The best thing you could do is to check this before choosing the name and registering it.
Pro tip: if you have already chosen a name and created a brand around it but the web domain you want to register is already taken, you could add another word beside your company name. Eg. for the name “Pretty Woman” you could choose the domain “prettywoman-beauty-salon.com”.
6) Would any designer be able to create a logo using that name?
If you’re interested by these details, and you read so far, you might want to have a logo for your business. So, while naming your business, please think about this too:
-how does this name looks written
-are you going to add a logotype
-will it be visible on small sizes (printed on a pen)
We strongly believe that naming your business and your products is important and the name could bring more customers or could drive them away. That’s why you should pay attention to the questions above and find some objective answers.
If this whole process seems overwhelming for you and you want to make sure you wont go wrong while naming your business, we are ready to guide and to offer the best solutions. Contact us using the contact form and we will get back to you as soon as possible.