How to Choose a Name for Your Business

One of the things I love helping my clients with is choosing a name for their business.

So many of the clients I work with have been in business for a while, but they now want to ramp up their online presence. Or they are switching gears. For instance, they might be transitioning from therapy to coaching, or from traditional consulting to online training.

In either case, they need to sharpen their message and in many cases, create a new website. Which leads to the question of the day…. How do you choose a name for your business?

It’s one of my favorite things to do with clients because we can really get creative. And when you nail it, it just feels so darn good!

If you’re struggling with coming up with a name for your business, here are some tips to help you get started.

1. Start with your message

Your business name has to communicate a lot in just a few words. So start by knowing what your message is, then you can work on a name that communicates the heart of that message.

When I talk about message, I’m not just talking about what you do, but also why you do it. What you stand for in your business. That’s what I call your Core Message. When choosing a business name, it’s wonderful if you can reflect your Core Message, because that’s the “heart” of what you do. It’s what makes your business unique and creates an emotional connection with people.

My first business was called “Attract Your Niche”. It’s clear and results focused. But there’s none of my heart or positioning in it. “Marketing From Within” communicates not just the what (marketing) but what I’m all about.

If you’re not yet clear about your message, start there. And be sure and watch my free online training to help you create your own Magnetic Message.

2. Give Yourself Room to Grow

While it’s really important to have a clearly defined niche, you don’t want to box yourself in to the point that your business name doesn’t allow you to grow.

When I ran Attract Your Niche, I did so much more than help people with their niche. I helped them with their message, list building, packaging of programs, etc. My business name was so narrow that it didn’t communicate the breadth of the solutions I provided.

In that example I outgrew the solutions implied by my business name. You can also outgrow your name in terms of who you help. If your business name focuses on a specific group of people, it will it’s harder to bring your solution to other groups of people without having to rebrand or create a whole new website.

The same goes if you serve a specific geographic area. If you want to grow your business outside that area, you don’t want a name that confines you.

Specific names make sense if you plan on staying in a narrow niche. If you want to expand beyond that niche, then be sure a choose a name that gives you the space to grow.

3. Balance clarity and creativity

Some business names are descriptive, and others are made up. Descriptive names can be great because they tell people what you do, and clarity is so important in marketing.

On the other hand, made up names can be unique and memorable — also very good things in marketing. Think “Google” for instance.

There’s really no one answer as to what is best. If you want a guide, I would suggest a balance between clarity and creativity. You want to be clear without being boring. And you want to be creative without leaving people confused.

4. Buy your name

Many coaches and consultants wonder if they should just use their name for their business name. It’s a great question and again, there’s no right or wrong answer.

Here’s how I look at it. Unless you’re well known, it’s better to have a business name that communicates more of your message.

Having said that, you always want to buy your name as a domain name. Then forward that name to your website. Do it now, even if you’re not famous yet or someone else will snap it up when you become well known and want to sell it to you for a fortune.

5. Brainstorm Possibilities

Whenever you’re looking for creative solutions, you want to allow yourself to brainstorm without any self editing.

Write down all the names you can think of, and don’t eliminate any at this point. I remember when I was choosing my business name. I knew the idea I wanted to communicate but couldn’t quite nail the words. It was only by letting my mind wander in creativity that the right name came to me.

You can use various resources to help the creative juices flow. A thesaurus is a great place to start. My son is another – kids have such great creativity! Look through magazines, websites, nature, or whatever inspires you.

You can also use tools like a domain name generator to inspire you.  Just plug your company’s core concept in, and sites like Shopify will identify all related domains that are currently available.

Once you have a list of brainstorming options, you want to narrow it down to your top 3 to 5 favorites.

6. Research Your Choices

Now that you have a short list of possibilities, it’s time to edit them down to the chosen few. Make sure the name doesn’t mean something else in another language. Avoid hyphens and words that are hard to spell or pronounce.

And of course, you need to make sure the name isn’t already in use.

At the end of the day, you’ll have a few names that meet all your criteria. So how do you choose the final one?

Go back to your message and make sure it comes through. Review the criteria you set forth and make sure your name makes the grade.

It’s also a good idea to ask people in your target market for their feedback. What do they think of when they hear the name? You want to choose a name that is attractive to your ideal clients.

I remember when I was naming my children. I wanted to make sure the name wouldn’t have any nasty nicknames associated with it, and that it felt good coming out of my mouth.

Test drive your name the same way. Is it going to misinterpreted in an unfavorable way? How does it feel when you say it? Does it light you up?

How did you choose the name for your business? Or if you’re looking for a name, how have these tips helped you? Please share in the comments below!