Choosing Name For Company - The Big Why

What Type of Name

So, if you're planning on running a professional operation, don't call it 'ABC Supplies' just because you want to be listed higher in the phone book. You have to pick a name that says something about you and your business, and that potential customers in your target market will be able to say without feeling stupid.

A Professional Name

If you're running a serious business targeted at other businesses, you'll probably want to keep the name sober, but memorable. A good formula is your surname, followed by what you do: 'Taylor Tailoring', or 'Wells Engineering'. You might also want to add the name of the town where you live: 'Wells Engineering Town'. Little things can make a big difference: 'Wells & Associates Engineering' or 'Wells Engineering Co.' both sound quite good, for example. Don't use your first name, though -- it sounds terribly amateurish. Would you rather deal with Tim's Office Supplies or the Johnson Office Supplies Co.?

Another approach is to leave out your name altogether, and simply become 'Town Engineers' or 'The Town Engineering Co.'. This makes you sound like the first choice locally, especially if your main competitor has the name of another town nearby in their name.

A Corporate Name

They sound quite bad, but there's a still a place for them, mainly if you want to deal with the big companies that this kind of name appeals to. Simply think of a word to describe your business and translate it into a different language. Then add the word "Consulting", if you want.

The Trendy Name

If you're going for a more young or technology savvy market, you might want a less formal name. Names of this form should be kept to one word, and preferably written in lowercase. Another common trick is to make dot.com part of the name. Notice the difference between 'Hot House' and 'hothouse.com' -- the Hot House doesn't sound all that much fun, does it?

The Playful Name

You'll be surprised how many people will like your name if you just decide to name it after an animal, and use that animal in your logo. If you don't have much of a marketing budget, this is a good way to get a quick brand identity -- if you choose the bear, for example, then people start associating you with bears, and you can have bear-pattern designs on your stationery and decorate your office with bears. Don't underestimate the power of this, seriously.

A Shortened Name

One naming method that seems to be especially well-used by the big guys is to take two words that describe your business, shorten them both, and make it one word. So you end up with Fedex (Federal Express), or Microsoft (Microcomputer Software). This is good for suggesting what you do without having an overly lengthy name.

Make Your Name Easy

Whatever you do, though, make sure your business' name is easy to pronounce and spell. If your surname is hard to say, don't use it. If people seem to have trouble spelling a made-up word, come up with something easier. You'll lose out on an enormous amount of word-of-mouth business if people have to write your name down just to communicate it to each other.

Check for Others Using That Name

Once you've got some ideas, make sure you check that no-one else is already using them. It will be expensive to get halfway through starting up a company only to find that the name you wanted is already taken. Also, you'll have trouble establishing any kind of Internet prescence with an over-used name, if that was part of your plan -- if your name is too common, you won't stand a chance of getting yourname.com.