Free and Simple Tips and Tricks to Help Name Your Business

By, Noble Newman

Idea formulated? Check!

Product Made, Tested, and Ready to Go? Check!

Company Setup is researched and all the paperwork is ready to fill out? Check!

Question Number One: Company Name…

Uh oh.

If you are like so many others, what seems to be the simple task of naming your business turns out to be far more difficult than you originally thought.

1

Get trusted friends to help. Have resources available and pitch them your product. Then encourage them to break into small group discussions and bring ideas back to the rest of the table. If you only have a few close friends, just have them give you honest feedback for your ideas and put whatever they offer on your list. They will appreciate it, and it might spark something in you later!

2

Thesaurus.com provides synonyms for your product’s purpose,

function, or description that can help you create a

name that fits your product.

3

Take a walk. Exercise gets the blood moving and the walk will wake

your brain up!

4

Listen to Music (With the Lyrics in

front of you!)

5

Take a Shower. The best ideas

come from them!

6

Go somewhere new! When you are in familiar surroundings, your mind goes on “auto-drive” and half shuts-down. Your working mind shuts out the places you already know and becomes lazy, complacent, and comfortable. This is the opposite of what you want when you are stuck. In a place you have never been before, your brain needs to process new items and possible dangers, and you have the opportunity to look around and see new things. It will help stimulate your brain in creative ways.

7

Examine the minutia. Look at things in ways we have long since taken for granted. Like a child, look at the details up something up close and personal. It’s like a child noticing the veins on a single leaf, not just noticing a tree as part of the landscape (the last time you did this may have been quite a while ago). Then, look at it from afar and how it affects the world. Micro and Macro, your 2 best friends.

8

Shopify is a Business name generator that can give you a

list of sites whose domain (website) is not yet used. In other words, if allows you to find one that you can grab for your business website! It can

also give you ideas about what your name should be in the

first place!

9

Talk to people about your idea. Try to explain what your product is in 45 seconds

or less. This will help get you focus on what you do in a simplistic, concise way and get

to the nitty gritty of what you want your product to do. Then, Listen to their

response. Even if it is a short “that’s good” means you are on to something. Next,

prompt them with a couple of questions (only a couple) like, “How do you think my product will provide a service to the world?

or In your own words, what do you think my product/company will do?” This will

help focus main purpose of your company from which you can elicit a good name.

10

Find other products like yours in the market and notice what names they

chose. Which ones do you like and how can you fit

into the market with yours without sounding

too similar?

Some things to remember:

• Short and Simple is the way to go. However, we are limited by our language and by those names already claimed by others.

• Working your own name into the company’s name helps differentiate your company from others within your field. Unfortunately, it may limit how you can pass your business along to someone else or if you choose to expand. This also holds true when naming your company with your local city or town’s name. For example, Walter’s Widgets is nice, except when you try to sell your company to a girl named Sally. Detroit Main Street Café is a great name to help people find you, but what if you want to open a new store in a neighboring town on First Avenue?

• Think about who or what groups are you trying to serve. They will want to know you are there for them by your trusted name.

Also…

• Remember, “Too many cooks spoil the broth.” Get only a trusted few involved in choosing the final name. It’s your company and arguments may ensue if you get too many involved.

• Inspiration can hit you in multiple ways so keep an eye out for it!• Increase your level of creativity by taking yourself outside your comfort

zone and try new things!• Help engage your abstract thought process by purposefully distracting

yourself from the humdrum around you. If you are an analytical thinker, try doing some artistic or creative project. This will help you by engaging the right side of your brain. Are you naturally a creative thinker? Then, organize your time and life and try a literal approach to some task. This will help focus your mind in a new way that will allow you to get over your creative block.

Further Reading

• For Further reading, Entrepreneur.com has written 2 articles that are excellent reads when exploring this topic.

• How to name a Business (staff written)

• 8 Mistakes to Avoid When Naming Your Business by Phil Davis

• And don’t forget to check out the Trademark office site Here. They have a list of Basic Facts from their site that is a good resource if you have extra time.

Created By,Noble Newman

First Published on noblenewman.net, where you can find other articles to explore as well.