It can be difficult to know where to begin when it comes to choosing a name for your new service-based business. You have your idea, you know what service you are providing, but how to go about finding a name that incorporates both your brand identity and what you do, while remaining snappy, concise and memorable?
The process can be stressful, and the pressure of finding a name that is going to stand the test of time can start to feel like an impossible task. This article is going to give you some tips to help you find the perfect name for your service-based business. Read on!
Tip 1: Choose a name that stands out
This may seem like it goes without saying, but it is certainly one of the most important things to focus on when you are choosing a name for your business.
A good business name is one that catches people’s attention and stands out from the crowd – remember that you are competing with a lot of other businesses in the same or similar markets to you, and you want your name to be the one that really sticks in people’s minds and becomes memorable.
Tip 2: Don’t be afraid to be bold
As a small business owner you are able to do something that many large companies cannot – you can go bold with your naming choices.
Large scale companies tend to have to go with less bold names as they need to cater to a wider number of people. Small businesses, on the other hand, can afford to go for something a little more off the wall, and this lends itself to better memorability as well. When thinking up names, try playing around with wordplay and fun phrases that you feel really capture the nature of your company.
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Tip 3: Be original
If there is one thing that is not going to fly in the world of small service businesses, it’s copying others.
It might seem like a good idea to look at a brand similar to yours that is achieving success in their field and try to name your company something similar because you feel they have perfectly encapsulated what it is that they do with their company name. However, originality is always going to get you further than copying someone else’s ideas.
Tip 4: Make sure the name is easy to remember
Having said all of the above, you want to choose a name that is easy to remember. If you try to be too original, you may end up with a name that it is too hard to remember which will confuse your customers.
At the same time, you want your name to be easy to spell.
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Tip 5: Check that the name isn’t already in use
Along the same lines, it is also important to make sure that you are not accidentally copying the company name of another brand; perhaps even more so than ensuring you aren’t taking too much inspiration from other names.
When you come up with a brand name that you like and could see yourself using for your business, the first thing that you need to do is look up the name and make sure that it isn’t being used by anyone else.
Failing to do this can bring you trouble later down the line and is never going to bring anything good for your business as you will end up having to change it later on.
Tip 6: Including your name: yes or no?
A popular way of naming a business, especially a small one with one person at the head of it, is to include your personal name in the name of the business.
In general, this is a good idea when naming your small business. It keeps the brand super personal and makes people feel like they are getting in touch with a person rather than a company, which is a huge draw factor in the age of technology.
Furthermore, you do not have to worry as much about taking a name that already exists when you are using your own name, and you know that the name is going to remain personal to you for the entirety of the time it is in use.
Many successful companies across the world use personal names in their company names, and it can be seen that it results in improving their personal reputation, giving the brand a face and building trust with customers.
Of course, with any naming process it never hurts to be cautious. Therefore, when using your own name in your service-based name ensure it is easy for people to pronounce and spell.
You can also add some words next to your name explaining what your business does. This will add clarity to the name, as a name standing alone can leave people confused as to what it is the company actually does.
If you take these into consideration, there is no reason why naming your company after yourself isn’t a great idea!
In conclusion: How to choose an ideal name for your service-based business
So there you go! In this article I covered 6 tips to help you choose an ideal name for your service-based business.
Finding the right balance between originality and simplicity can be hard, but try no to stress too much about this. Yes, in an ideal world, you would want to find your forever name on day one, but remember that nothing in your business is final – you can always make changes in the future if you have to!
