Naming Your Business

[mtd1523]

I am having a terrible time trying to name a business that I am about to start.

Without revealing what I am starting, what are ways you come up with a business name?

-This is going to be totally online and I will be buying a domain name.

[Nigami Enterprise]

Write done all the words that relate to the type of bussiness you want. use the dictionary or thesaurus. Then look for words in latin or greek you might find sumthing try words backwards thats how i came up with mine Nigami is imagin backwards. Also check that its not already done you don't want to waste your time.

[estoreguide]

It would be best to use words in your business name which describe your product line or services that you offer.

For example if you are selling digital cameras you should have the words digital cameras in your business name.

Do not use your own name or some name that means nothing. Make it as professional as you can.

Remember your name is something that you can not change later so make sure you get it right the first time.

Kind regards,
Jorge Fernandez

Start a Computer Business
www.inetstart.com

Start an Online Store
www.estorefrontguide.com

[nado]

It would be best to use words in your business name which describe your product line or services that you offer.

For example if you are selling digital cameras you should have the words digital cameras in your business name.

For a domain name yes, but it's definitely not recommended for a business name. What happens if you want to expand into selling things other than digital cameras?

Remember your name is something that you can not change later so make sure you get it right the first time.

You can change it later, just means that you waste whatever marketing costs you incurred in making that name known.

The most basic or rules in naming a business are to keep it short, easy to remember, easy to say and easy to spell.

e.g. you should be able to say the name in a radio interview and not need to spell it out

cheers
nathan

[etechsupport]

If you have a written business plan you can get an idea, I would suggest to choose a short and brandable domain name.

[chopper]

Its best to have an open name, a name that doesnt limit you to one thing.
A name like "Jimmy's monocolour photocopyers ltd" is a bad name becuase you are limited to the service you can provide and you cannot expand.
Try a made up name, look thorugh a theosaurus or dictionary just find a name that sounds good, is easy to remember, and catchy so people will always remember your business. Just like Google...that doesnt mean anything, well it didnt when Google was started but it is succesfull becuase when people want to search the internet they remember Google, it stays on your mind.

[nado]

Just like Google...that doesnt mean anything, well it didnt when Google was started but it is succesfull becuase when people want to search the internet they remember Google, it stays on your mind.

Wow, either I'm over-analysing things today or everyone else is posting the wrong things.

"Google" was a spelling mistake when the company was registered as it was going to be "Googol" which is a number (1 followed by one hundred 0's)... which in a way relates to the search engine as it indexes many billions of pages.

[JRayers]

Try to keep a name to two word's at most. I started a site a while back for freelance auctions and I ended up with the name LanceJam - Lance to represent 'freelance' and 'jam', according to Thesaurus.com is a slang term for 'auction'. I ran the name past a few of my close friends who I can trust and both they and I thought the combination sounded catchy so I went with it.

Additionally, if your business is solely or mainly web-based, be sure to try and name it around available .com domain names. Unless you are a 100% convinced the name you have is the only and best name for your company, you should consider a different name if the .com and/or your local domain name (eg. .co.uk) of your name is taken.

[mtd1523]

I had one name, but the more I said it in my head, the more it sounded too forced together. It was a combination of two words.

Another name I have is very generic and easy to remember, but if I want to expand into another product that I have in mind, it wouldn't work.

I have been going through a thesaurus and trying to find some words and sticking them together and then I found an article on the internet that said that these certain words are too common. It was like a message from God telling me not to use these words, it was very weird. And so I shall listen and try to come up with something else.

Thanks for helping, and please continue if you have more to add.

[MsNadi]

I am having a terrible time trying to name a business that I am about to start.

Without revealing what I am starting, what are ways you come up with a business name?

-This is going to be totally online and I will be buying a domain name.

While I agree with the other folks - looking at what your business does, the services that you offer, how you will differentiate yourself and use synonyms - there's also that uber creative side that allows people to create a brand. i.e. Google, Yahoo! Yelp, Digg.

I'd say you first need to determine in which direction do you want your business to go - what type of audience are you trying to cater to? First movers hoping that it will later gain mass appeal? Or specific niche markets?

This will help you understand and figure out whether or not to go with more business descriptive words, or branding words that may or may not have anything to do with your actual business. Also consider your marketing strategy.

[Gunnar]

You shouldnt spend much time focusing on your business name since it's not really important. Looks at names like wal-mart or mcdonalds, they don't mean anything and aren't anything catchy but we all know what we think of when we hear their names. A name won't make or break your business (unless it's something really bad) and if you spend too much time focusing on something as insignificant like a name or a logo your going to lose sight of everything thats actually important

[shawnman19]

You shouldnt spend much time focusing on your business name since it's not really important. Looks at names like wal-mart or mcdonalds, they don't mean anything and aren't anything catchy but we all know what we think of when we hear their names. A name won't make or break your business (unless it's something really bad) and if you spend too much time focusing on something as insignificant like a name or a logo your going to lose sight of everything thats actually important

Like making money!!!!

I hate when company names try to be too catchy. Just try something simple, take your last/middle name and add what general business your in.

Example: Dow Chemical
Dell Computers
CVS Phamacy
Deja Vu Strip Club

Its a great tactic and it works.

[Matt.Dean]

...Deja Vu Strip Club...

I've never known or heard of anyone with the name "Deja Vu", nor the name "Strip Club"

[Morpheus]

It should have a nice ring.

ring ring ring ring ring ring ring ring BANANA phone!

Well not that kind of ring

[vidhiparekh84]

You can try and use some naming tools.m sure you will find them online.All the very best for your new venture!