Naming My Business 101

Businesses are like poems; the person who creates them often saves the naming process until the end. Like inspiring language, great business ideas come when they will, and most people decide to go with the creative flow before addressing the matter of what a company should be called. Even so, from a marketing perspective, the name of a business is as important as how it operates.

If you have a great business plan that you’re ready to put in action, but the subject of “naming my business” hasn’t been addressed, it’s time to put the icing on the cake and come up with a great business name. To do that, you may need a little inspiration from something besides your own creativity. If so, below is a collection of helpful advice that we call “Naming My Business 101.”

Fly Solo

While it may seem like a good idea to involve family, friends, and future employees in the naming process, doing so almost always backfires. Sure, you’ll get a flood of ideas, but you may also be pressured by what the group gravitates towards. We call it the Ice Cream Principle: send 10 people for ice cream and tell them they have to agree on one flavor. It will be chocolate or vanilla every time. People agree on what’s easy to agree on, not what’s creative or interesting.

Stay Organic

If you Google the keywords “naming my business,” you’ll find plenty of artificial options for developing a name, from scrambling syllables until you find an interesting word, to using web-based name generators that spit out ideas. In most cases, these methods produce names that lack feeling and resonance. Think of an organic name as being healthy for your business and its brands.

Avoid Clichés

We usually think of clichés as worn out observations, but there are plenty of one-word clichés that are found in business names, such as summit, apex, pinnacle, and so on. While it’s fine to see your company in a superlative light, choosing a name that places it on the mountain peak, as it were, may only make it seem like so many other businesses that have done the same thing. Remember, it’s the side of the mountain that sustains life, not the top.

Solicit Help

There are people who do this for a living (like us). When people need help with the naming process, they naturally turn to friends, family, and coworkers first. Instead, they should contact a naming and branding agency that specializes in this sort of thing. There’s a method to the madness.

Need Help With Names?

Whether it comes in the form of an advertisement, a sign, or by word of mouth, the first experience that most people have with a business is hearing or seeing its name. This is why the name of your business needs to instantly stick with people and make them want to learn more. If it doesn’t do these things, your company will inevitably miss out on business opportunities.

Because our suggestions in “Naming My Business 101” only scratch the surface of business naming strategies that are at your disposal, sent A Hundred Monkeys a note if you need more advice. Whether you are starting a new business or rebranding an existing one, we’ll help you select a name that will stick with people.