How to Choose a Name for Your Small Business
If you clicked on this post, you are probably looking for inspiration on a name for your small business - whether you are brainstorming a brand new business to start, or want to take your business in a new direction.
This is SUCH an exciting time, but I also know it can be really stressful to find the PERFECT name that fits your brand vision and mission and attracts your DREAM customers and one that you’ll love forever and ever… *cue the panic sweat.*
No more worries! In this post, I’ll be sharing some tips and tricks for finding the perfect name for your business. Let's jump into it!
Don’t feel like reading? Then watch the Youtube video below, where I walk through the tips in this post in video format!
Keep It Simple and Memorable
So the first thing that I want you to do when you start thinking about your brand and business name is really take a step back and keep in mind that you want to make your business name simple and memorable.
You don’t want people to be stumbling over the pronunciation of your business name or having a hard time remembering what its called when they are just in conversation with other people.
A lot of times, especially when you first start your business, a lot of your initial customers come from word-of-mouth, so you want to ensure that people can actually recall your business name in order to share it with other people!
Think Through Your Business and Brand
Okay, so now that we have that in mind, it’s time to think through the different aspects of your business and brand to help brainstorm some ideas for your business name! Here are a few ways to jumpstart your creative thinking:
Unique qualities - think through what unique parts of your business make you stand out from your competititors. What’s different about your offerings that you can pull words from to form into a business name?
Your offerings - can you include part of what you offer as a piece of your business name? For instance, since I offer web and branding design, I have included “Design” as part of my business name to make it obvious to potential customers what my business is all about!
Your brand personality and tone - do you want to be a really formal brand? Mysterious? Personable and friendly? Think through what vibe you want your business name to set. I decided on Hayley Breanne Design, using my name, because I wanted my entire client experience to focus on being personal and intentional. On the other hand, some other design studios focus more on creative, abstract names to show off their creativity as part of their brand.
Related Keywords - so similar to your offerings, think of similar keywords that relate to your business, but maybe not so obvious as what you explicitly do. For instance, for a photography business, maybe you want to include “memories” as part of your name - it’s not exactly the service you provide, but it indirectly indicates that you are truly capturing memories for your clients.
Personal Interests/Hobbies - if you are still struggling on finding a name, maybe turn to thinking just about your personal interests and hobbies for inspiration. I know plenty of business owners that name their business after a pet or favorite flower or something pretty “random” - but it still works for them!
Overall, I would just say - don’t overthink it! If you take a second and think about popular businesses, like Apple and McDonalds - those really aren’t groundbreaking, creative business names. But they are memorable, easy to look up, and work for their business!
Use AI for Help (ChatGPT)
If you are really have trouble coming up with names on your own, one of my new favorite things to do is use AI (like ChatGPT) to help brainstorm ideas.
You can type in a prompt like below:
“Can you help me create a business name for a California photographer that creates documentary style photos that evoke passion and memories that people can look back on for years and years?”
And keep iterating with more prompt information until you get some ideas that you like!
Check For Availability
So after you’ve landed on a few names you love, it’s time to make sure that they are actually available!
You’ll want to check for website domain availability (you can use Google Domains to do this), as well as availability on social media (I would recommend checking ALL platforms, even if you don’t plan on using them right away - you might want to someday!)
Additionally, you might want to check the trademark registry if that’s something that is important for you and your business.
Bounce Your Top Ideas off Friends and Family
Now that you have some solid ideas that you know are available, it’s time to get some feedback to make sure that you are on track with your business name.
I wouldn’t go too crazy in this step - just ask a few friends and family that you respect what they think about your business names.
You want to make sure that other people can connect with your business name and that it aligns with your brand not just from your perspective, but from others as well.
Don’t Overthink It
Lastly, I just want you to NOT OVERTHINK IT! The most important part of your business is not really the name - its more so the overall brand, experience, community, and connection that you provide through your business.
Go with your gut, try the steps above, and you’ll be able to come up with the perfect name for your small business in NO TIME!
