Tips for Naming Your Business
You’re considering renaming your business? We’ll explore where to start and how to navigate finding the right name.
I’m sharing my thoughts, tips and prompts to give some structure your naming process. Take this points with nuance, these are my opinions. Ultimately, you will decide what’s best for you!
Current Trends:
Your Name → Business Name
I’ve been noticing a shift from people who have used their legal name or nickname as their business name and desiring to find a name that is goes beyond their individual identity. Think “Katy Smith Wellness” to “Sunflower Wellness”.
Business Name → Your Name
In previous years, there was a big shift in the opposite direction, people claiming their names as an expression of being a multi-faceted individual, not wanting to appear as something bigger or outside themselves.
Why you may want a business name over your name:
Practical Keywords — using a common industry term or grouping of words that someone might type into a search engine could help people find your business.
Evokes more insight into your brand — even if the word(s) aren’t practical keywords, they may provide a sensory experience into your brand. Some people will simply be magnetized to a good, intriguing or compelling name.
You have or plan to have a team — If you have a outward facing team, using your name may make you feel uncomfortable. You may want a unifying name that everyone claims ownership of.
You want a division between your personal identity and your business — I know these days many people say that having a division is inauthentic, but who cares. Compartmentalizing your life and business may be a healthy boundary for you. If you feel the tension around oversharing or transforming into an influencer when everything is represented under your name, than a separate business name may provide necessary structure. It takes the pressure off of you as a individual personality and places it on an outside entity, which is an aspect of you.
You are creating a community space — If you want to gather folks but you want a decentralized power, using a name that the members can claim may be strategic. Do you want your members to have a nickname? Sunflower Wellness Community members are the “sunflowers” or “sunnies” or would you feel comfortable with a more influencer/celebrity approach? Think Beyonce’s beehive or some other diminutive of your name.
Optics of entity — If you are a larger business or have plans to become a large entity, setting the optics early on can be helpful. I know this may feel like you’re being dishonest at your scope/history/size/experience, but if your business strategy is to scale, it makes sense to have a name that isn’t attached to an individual.
Where to Begin?
Your Core Values
First, identity your core values and why these values matter to you. How do these values show up in your business organically? How do you define these words? What is the story behind the value and why is it an essential pillar of your business?
Tip: These should be very specific. Avoid general sweeping values like “authenticity” when you really mean “honesty”. Ask yourself WHY several times, then paint a detailed picture
Set Your Guide Posts
Create your own guides that make sense for your business. This will help you yay and nay ideas. Here are a few rules that may help:
Should be simple and memorable
Clear to understand and easy to say — I didn’t realize that saying “State of Sage” would be hard for people, in my head it’s effortless, but when I hear other people say it aloud, they say is clearly and slowly, like their saying a tongue twister. Oops! I also didn’t consider that “Sage” rhymes with my name “Paige”, so a lot of people call me “Sage”. All things in hindsight.
In your language — Adopting foreign words may sound cool, but your audience may not understand or worst yet, it may exclude people. Do you want to explain the meaning of your name to every person? Will they be able to say/share this name with a friend? Conversely, is your goal to attract a niche who “gets it”? Be realistic about what this means.
Rooted in your core values — what is the connection point from your name to your values
Rooted in your cultural attributes — what culture is your brand creating? You can learn more about this is The Brand Foundation Course
Name length — a short, direct name or a longer poetic/descriptive name? What feels right to you?
Layers of meaning are great but, an outside person should get it, at least at the most obvious layer
Avoid words which are so common that you’ll be swallowed up in search engine or be unmemorable
Core Values Defined
3–6 specific keywords that define the culture of your brand. They are inextricably woven into everything you do and are felt by your community.
Prompts
Grab a journal or open Notion and let your ideas and words run wild. I recommend putting a playlist, lighting a candle, finding still place — whatever helps you find a creative flow.
These questions can be answered in individual words or phrases that evoke the meaning you want to distill down to. Don’t overthink this. Get out all the bad ideas, write them down to set them free from your head.
What are the words you use the most?
(When leading a class, guiding a client, speaking about your ideas with others?)Think about a time you had to explain a challenging concept and you used metaphor to get your point across. Who are the characters? What are those keywords? What is the moral?
Do you/team reference a specific symbol, number or object regularly?
What are the most important words that describe the process, journey or impact of your work?
What is the emotional feeling or transformation you provide through your work?
Play with the senses — How/What does your brand smell, taste, touch, sound, look and intuit?
Take note of any play on words or unique language already flowing within your community members. Take time to listen in!
Be sure to save this keyword bank. You created a super helpful resource for yourself, which can help you find your brand voice, generate SEO keywords or help name your services.
Most importantly, take a walk, take time away — creative ideas often appear when we least expect them. The brain is an incredible problem solver. If you go through the creative exercises and nothing comes up, it doesn’t mean your brain isn’t mulling it over and playing with combinations while you are dreaming, showering or cooking a meal.
Testing Your Name
Use It in a Sentence
Once you highlight a few options, try to use them in a sentence:
If you are a physical place:
“I’m heading over to _________.”
“I’ll meet you at ___________.”
“The class is at ___________.”
A service provider:
“Have you seen _________ ‘s work?”
“I am working with __________.”
“I bought this from __________.”
“I found this resource from _________.”
You get the point, make sure it sounds natural in a sentence.
Availability
Is your URL available?
How expensive is the domain purchase?
Is the social handle available?
Are there other businesses with this name or a similar name? Are they trademarked? If so, are they in the same location or different country?
Will you pursue getting the name trademarked?
Share your name
Once you have narrowed down your list to a few options, now comes the scary part, sharing with close friends or a close business circle for their input.
You can do this with a survey or in conversation. If your name change is a result of a big shift in business values, service or operations, you may need to provide context before asking for their input.
Tip: This may be challenging advice — but try your best to not get too attached to one name. If you trust your close circle, their opinions are valuable and they may bring valid points that you didn’t consider.
You’re name needs to be tested before you launch! We’ve all seen brand names be quickly changed after a failed launch because they completely overlooked a double meaning, offensive term or their audience just didn’t get it. Oof, this is so painful — so share before you do a big reveal.
Congratulations! Now, you are ready to tackle a tagline, name your service(s), and perhaps, invest in brand.
Last tip: Naming your business is a personal and intimate process. You will be influenced by certain words, some will have deep meaning and connection that only you understand. I think a good name is one that comes from you. Avoid looking outward to trendy naming conventions. Start with you and your story.
DIY Your Brand Journey
If you are at the beginning of your business journey, start with your brand foundation. Your name may organically come from this self-discovery work.
Get support with your Brand Strategy
If you are ready to invest in deep strategy, find your voice, define your archetypes and outline a holistic client experience, let’s connect.
Although I don’t explicitly offer naming services, I have named several businesses during the brand strategy process. After our strategy sessions, I can provide the structure, feedback and generate ideas alongside you.