Image by: Heisenberg Media
By George Lamb
The first, most basic step to constructing any business is to conjure up a name that is not only unique but alluring. Think about the name of your best friend for a second and consider what comes to mind. Probably their face, their personality or perhaps even their voice. A persons name is often times a reflection of who they are as a person and what there background is.
Yea I know you’re probably thinking–a name is nothing more than a mere sound and mouth gesture! Well, that may be partially true, but when you sit down and think about it, a name provides us with a brief–and probably vague–description of a person before you even set eyes on them. If you a friend of yours sets you up on a blind date with an Isabel, lets say, you will probably assume she has dark hair and eyes and can salsa dance, meanwhile if that name would happen to be Beth, you might consider her to be an avid reader who actively volunteers in animal rights events.
A name not only expresses–to a certain extent–who you are, but also what you’re about, so when deciding on one for your business, you may want to heed these five steps below for safety measures.
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#1) Consider Using Your Name
You may be hesitant to incorporate your own name in the title of your business out of fear of divulging unnecessary personal information to the masses, but with well known, successful businesses like Betty Crocker or Papa Johns, the simplicity of a plain old name just might tip you over the scale of originality.
Are you opening up a barber shop and deciding between Super Fantastic Amazing cuts or just plain old Jerry’s Barber shop? Well, I’d suggest the latter for these few reasons: 1). It’s more memorable; 2) It’s more sophisticated and doesn’t seem as though a child is the owner; 3) It just rolls of the tongue a lot smoother.
#2) Keep it Simple
Super fantastic amazing cuts may sound like a “cool” title initially–to kids, probably–but in the adult world, simple is often times preferred. These days, short but prominent titles tend to be the predominant makeup of most successful businesses from restaurants like–TGI Friday’s, IHOP, Red Robin ect, to retail stores–Walmart, Target, Meijer, ect.
Even if the title of the store is short for something longer, IHOP for instance, the guys in charge were intelligent enough to shorten it for a reason, as “Lets go to IHOP” is much easier to say “Hey, lets go to The International House Of Pancakes.” So if you just can’t get over your need to brand your barbershop as Super Fantastic Amazing Cuts, then perhaps magnify the simplicity by calling it SFAC cuts.
SFAC cuts… Yea, catchy isn’t it? If you use this name upon opening your business, I want royalties.
#3) Make a List of Words Familiar to Your Market
Isn’t it great that you have literally endless options when deciding on a name for your business? As there are countless words in the English dictionary that relate to all different kinds of topics, there’s no excuse any budding entrepreneur can’t produce a useful name. To aid you in this process, if you happen to be struggling, creating a paper and pen list of words–a wide variety of them–that relate to the topic of your product or service will be extremely effective when weeding out the bad sounding from the good sounding.
For instance–if you happen to be opening a used Video Game store, jot down game related key words like Nintendo, controller, wires, cords, retro, fun, virtual, or play. With a list akin to this, you will be able to exercise your brain and determine which styles of words would be the ideal fit for a name.
Personally, if I were to choose from this small selection to open up a Video Game shop, I’d probably go with “Wirez”, “Retro fun” or perhaps even “Virtual Play.” These are just my taste, but keep in mind the more key words you manage to dig out, the greater the chances of you coming up with a name that peaks in creativity.
#4) Address the Customer
Having a general understanding of what your prospective customers are looking for, and what they are like when coming to you will be a key factor in making the decision for the name of your business. If your customers are predominantly teenagers who don a multitude of piercings, body jewelry, and tattoos, then more jovial or lively names–Happy Cats, Jumble Fun, or Smilez, say for instance–might effectively cause them to turn tail in the direction of the darker, more obscure business title–Darkeys, Corpserobber, Blackship–counterparts.
In a nutshell, the title of a business should be relative to the audience that you’re trying to attract. This will not only give them a reason to show up at your front door, but will give them that initial connection to your product that will maximize your chances for a sale.
Have you got the best, most creative name on the market? What are some steps in this post you utilized in order to conjure up your money maker? If you feel up to it, feel free to share in the comments section below!