How do you know what your business name should be? This is one of the biggest pain points for business owners because there are so many things they can do when it comes to choosing a name. Before we dive in, I want to encourage you that this does not need to be complicated so don’t overthink it.
The BIGGEST thing you absolutely must do before you solidify you name at all is to make sure that it’s not taken first. The way you can find this out is by going into Google Domains or GoDaddy.com and typing in your specific business name. You’d be surprised how many business names that you come up with may already be taken. And if for some off chance that it’s not already taken, buy the domain right then and there.
In this video I’m going to be sharing four ways that you can know what to name your business and make it memorable.
1. Your Name
If you’re the CEO of your business and you offer services, products, etc. you can use your own name as your business name if you like. There is no shame in this game, friend! My first business was Brittany Bruce Photography and then it became Brittany Bruce Education. After that I started the Brittany Bruce Mastermind and then the Brittany Bruce Retreats – see the pattern?
You can see that I don’t overcomplicate it for myself – you can 100% use your name! Additionally, if you see that your name is for some reason already taken, you can add a dot in between (brittany.bruce) or a dash (brittany-bruce) to change it up slightly.
2. What You Sell
This is essentially what I like to call the “3rd Grade Strategy” and it’s simply, what you offer as a business. I at one point opened up a boutique and stepped into the retail space and what we offered was comfortable clothing that was also very chic. So we named the boutique, “Comfy Chic Boutique”.
Additionally, there was no question at all what we sold at our store. This is why I call it the 3rd grade strategy because if you can tell your 3rd grade child what you are selling, they should be able to communicate back what it is.
3. The Story Behind It
A great example of this is Five Guys – yes, the burger joint. The story is that 5 guys started to flip burgers and then they just called it “Five Guys”. If you have a story behind your business for how it got started, you can think of a clever name that way that gives a glimpse into how the business came to be.
4. The Wild Card Strategy
Lastly, if you want to get really creative, you can make up any name you want! There’s no story behind it, it’s not your own name, it’s not about what you are selling, it’s just a name. Similar to Amazon or Apple, and a number of other well-known brands, there’s nothing significant behind it, it’s just a name that has created a brand for itself.
My suggestion would be to do go with one of the first three options because the wild card can tend to be a little extra, and spontaneous. If you choose to go that route, I absolutely applaud and salute you!
These are the 4 things to think through when it comes to choosing a business name for yourself. I would love to hear in the comments below what you business name is and how you came how with you. Is there a story behind it? Did you decide like me that you wanted your name for simplicity and consistency?
If you’re needing some help naming your business, I’d love to know that as well! Leave a comment below so we can provide some input and ideas.
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