Selecting just the right name for your new lifes endeavor is definitely not as simple as it may seem. In reality, the name of your startup is the first impression youll make on your new visitors/customers and its the very basis for the brand youll be working to build.
When we are about to start a venture or a business, Name is the first milestone and a good start is equal to a half battle won. Although name is not very important but neglecting it will not be a good move. A good name can help you create good brand value and attract customers easily.
The best way to begin the process of selecting the perfect name for a new startup is to start with a nice big list of possible ideas. Sitting down and brainstorming keywords, phrases, and topics related to your business can be a very productive course of action. Be playful with this process and toss around even those seemingly ‘weird names. Don’t be afraid to ask friends or family their opinion on possible names or what they think about your own list of possibilities.
Aspects to Consider while thinking a Startup Name
Here are four critical aspects to consider when selecting the perfect startup names:
Keep it Fresh
In the starting we were looking for a name like “StartUp Camp”; its clear as to what the business is, and its fair to assume that it has something to do with media. A simplistic name could also be considered traditionally endearing. This is true, but its not likely going to catch anyone’s attention off the street. The name of the business should serve as a clear distinction from others within the same industry and emphasize the particular unique attributes of the business. So We made it a bit playful and transformed it and I can bet that its a catchy one plus easy to remember.
Being creative with the name of your new business means that you may even want to think about creating a brand new word to represent your company. Playing on words or using an acronym can be a fun way to incorporate multiple meanings into a concise name. No matter what the decision on the name of your business, be sure you love it!
Leave Wiggle Room
As with anything in life, you never know where the future may lead. Its important to be sure that the name of your new business will not serve to one day inhibit the growth of the company. Its helpful to have a name that is descriptive about what the business sells or does, but its also important to not allow that name to limit future expansion. Its impossible to tell what the future may hold for any industry, so this bit of advice in selecting a business name is a bit hard to tack down.
If you’re dead-set on a name and afraid it might be a bit too narrow for the growth you foresee in the future, you may want to look into registering as a corporation, LLC, etc. under one name and additionally registering a DBA (doing business as) within that corporation with a more narrow name. This option will always allow you to legally use both in the future.
Make it Rhythmic & Make Sense
The name of a business should roll off the tongue, capture attention and be memorable. This tip is best served with an example: Say you were opening a new breakfast joint and you decided to name the restaurant “Bacon.” That’s a pretty great name, right? Its fair to think that most breakfast-goers enjoy bacon and the concise and somewhat whimsical nature of the name will likely attract passersby on Sunday mornings. Even better, customers would likely remember the name because of the simplicity. Just imagine customers talking about the new restaurant:
Were headed out to breakfast, would you like to join us?
Sure, where to?
Were going to try the new place downtown, Bacon!
I love bacon, so I should love this place! Lets go!
Now that everyone is in love with the name, you’d better deliver on the product! Customers will come in expecting a phenomenal plate of bacon, so don’t disappoint.
4. Time for the research
Once you’ve narrowed a decent sized list of possible names its time to start the research for the final decision. Take your list, sit down at your computer, and let the research begin. A good start is to simply Google the names on your prospective list. If anything comes up or is just too close for comfort, youll probably want to cross that one off the list. If its one that you were really pulling for, it may still stand a chance. It depends a lot on the industry, what the name is currently being used for, and by whom.
Next, check out the government office website in your state to see if there’s already record of a company in your state with the same name. All of this information is digital these days, and its relatively simple to search for existing names. Don’t forget to double check if there is a DBA registered under that same name as well. This may be a separate search for this depending on your state. If you come across one of your prospects as actively registered, you’ll definitely need to cross that one off – its taken.
Things to Keep in Mind while Looking for a Good Name
No Negative Words
When we were starting with our first domain, we initially had many domain suggestions…
All this names had negative words like crash, blast, kick which lead a bad impression to the audience. That is why one should never start with a negative term in their Venture.
Name is Legal
Before finalizing with a name one should always check that their is no other company which has already trademarked the name you are going to use. It will lead to legal troubles which will all take your work in vain.
Does Domain Availability Matters?
No,It does not matters. One can always a domain with some suffix and prefix . Some popular startups with different names:
- DropBox-getdropbox.com
- Facebook-thefacebook.com
- Instagram-instagr.am
- Square-squareup.com
Although there are some benefits of having a exact domain name like :
- Easily Memorable
- Less chances of violation of trademark
- Unique
- Can be branded easily
Short name:
A startup must have a small name which will eventually help you in getting more exposure. A startup name is ideal if it consists of two syllables. Short names are easily memorized and it will create a good brand value in market.
Name and Startup name is linked:
It is suggested that name of your startup should be somewhere linked to the kind of startup . For example if you start a coffee outlet and your startup name is DRINKHOUSE which seems totally irrelevant.
Social Media Availability:
One should always check that social media usernames are available or not. Twitter handle and Facebook user name plays a crucial rule in brand recognitions.
Check Facebook Availability :http://facebook.com/startupname
Check Twitter Availability: http://twitter.com/startupname
Check Instagram Availability : http://instagram.com/startupname
Let your Startup name have a story:
People are always keen to know why you named your startup X. When I started my first startup the story was we owned a previous business which was a success and later on due to shortage of time we were forced to sell it. Having a relative story behind the name will create
Avoid Hyphens and Dashes
Try to avoid hyphens and dashes in your startup name as it will be difficult to pronounce and remember . I rarely remember any successful startup which consists dashes or hyphens in their name. Creating a brand value with hyphens and dashes is nearly impossible.
Pronunciations of the name:
The way the startup name is pronounced plays a important role. It should be easy to pronounce so that we do not have to correct people and tell them the correct pronunciation. For example: Xylem Communications, Xpacmedia.
Now that your list has likely dwindled to a few options, you may want to run the remainders through the Trademark Offices database to see if there is any sort of product or registered name that you may be infringing upon. The last thing you’d want is to be an up and running business and be legally forced to change your name. Ouch.
While your business name is a serious decision, there’s no need to panic. The name of your new baby wont make or break its success. Its just important to remember not to make too light of this process. Once you pick the name it can be extremely expensive and detrimental to go back and change it.
