A business name tells customers a lot about you. It’s the first thing that they see, it describes what you do and it reflects your values or missions. The words you use in your business name are incredibly important. You don’t want to pick just any name, but you want to set yourself apart from others with something unique and meaningful. When coming up with name ideas, you’ll want to consider the following:
- Pick a business name that has meaning to you and makes sense.
- Keep it simple and avoid hard to spell and pronounce words.
- Say the business name out loud to make sure it sounds good.
Brainstorm Your Business Name
You should have a good start on coming up with a business name because you now have a target audience, products or services you’re going to sell, a niche, and an idea of what your business stands for or at least a business model of some sort. Now it’s time to brainstorm.
Coming up with a business name can be tricky. I suggest that you come up with at least 5 different business names to get started. There is a chance that someone may already be using your number one choice so it’s great to have options. Sit down in a quiet place and have a brainstorming session to help you come up with business names. I would spend around 15 to 30 minutes with this exercise.
Great ways to think of ideas during your brainstorm session include:
- Coming up with word associations
- Use antonyms, acronyms, rhymes and synonyms
- Free writing whatever comes to mind
- Getting personal by using experiences and memories
- Drawing mind maps
- Visualizing with your eyes closed
Once you have your business name, run it by your friends and family and get their opinions. Sometimes they can give you input that can help you in the long run.
Trademark Your Business Name
When you are ready to move forward, you will need to check to check to see if the name is legally available to use. Do a federal trademark search through uspto.gov to see if someone has trademarked your name. If the name of your business isn’t trademarked, you are going to want to trademark it.
If the cost of trademarking is too much for you, then I suggest you do this later on when you can afford it. For now, just check and see if it is already trademarked because you can’t legally use the name if someone else has trademarked it.
Grab a Domain Name
After you check the U.S. Trademark Electronic Search System, it’s time to check to see if the domain name is available to purchase. I suggest typing “domain name search” into a search engine, and then choosing a website host that interests you like Go Daddy, BlueHost, Shopify, etc. It’s free to do a domain name search, and you don’t have to commit to buying the domain name, but this will let you know if yours is available. If it isn’t, you should consider changing your name to one of the suggested domain names that are available or move onto another name choice.
Owning a domain name will make you look legit. You don’t need to create a website with your domain name yet if you don’t want to. It’s possible to forward it to your Facebook page, Etsy shop or wherever else you’d like to send your customers. I suggest that you buy your domain name now if you can adored it, and any other related domains to keep competitors from using anything too similar.
A domain name is different from web hosting. You don’t need to buy web hosting right away. Domain names generally run less than 20 dollars, but you’ll find that sometimes people will buy popular domain names and resell them for hundreds or even thousands of dollars. If you are dead set on your name, you may have to shell out a lot of money for it. However, if you don’t mind changing or altering it a little bit, then you can own a domain name for cheap.
Don’t Forget Social Media
The last step to choosing a name is to check social media to see if anyone else is using your name on places like Facebook and Instagram. If your name is available, then go ahead and sign up for these accounts even if you don’t plan on using social media right away. You can fill in the bare minimum details for now, but this will ensure that no one else uses your name while you continue to set up your small business. If someone else is already using your name, you’ll want to think of other variations you can use.
When it’s all said and done, you’ll want your business name to be the same across all platforms or at least have very little variation between them. I have added the word “the” or pluralized a word in order to be able to use the business name I wanted on social media. Make sure that your domain name and social media accounts all look the same or very similiar because you don’t want to confuse your customers.
If You’re Still Stuck
If you’re having trouble naming your business, consider naming it after yourself. For instance, I could name my business Designs by Angie or T-Shirts by Angie. Using your name has many benefits, but I suggest that you don’t do this if you do not want to be the face of your business. Using your name will make your business more unique and there is less of a chance of it being trademarked or already used as a domain. You can also use a business name generator when you are stuck on finding just the right name.
Coming up with a name may be tricky and frustrating, but you will eventually find that one name that works. Once you have your official name, it’s time to create a logo.
Here’s a FREE PDF Printable of a Mind Map to help you get started on brainstorming your business name!
Business Name Mind Map Worksheet
This is a PDF and JPEG that goes with the blog post How to Name Your Business. You can use this mind map any way you desire.
✧ This is a DIGITAL PRODUCT only, nothing physical will be mailed to you.
This is a PDF digital download for printing on an at home printer or for use on your tablet, with a stylus or digital pen, with an app such as Goodnotes and Noteshelf.
✧ PERSONAL USE ONLY.
These files are for your personal use only. They may not be sold, copied, distributed, shared or altered in any way. This includes sharing with friends and family.
Due to the nature of this transaction, I cannot offer refunds or exchanges. If you have any problems, please contact me and I will try to resolve it as soon as possible.
You CANNOT print these worksheets and then resell them as a physical product or bundle them.
+ I cannot guarantee a certain outcome from any of my resources. They are purely to help you run and organize your business, not a solution that guarantees an increase in sales, social media following etc.
+ Please note, every printer is different so quality may vary. Colours are used in this product, so they may not look the same in black and white.
+ For 1 Business Use Only: You may use these files for 1 business only; they may not be shared, resold, recreated, copied, redistributed, or reproduced for any purpose without the expressed permission from Crafty Mother Hustler.
