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I collect cute business names: “All You Knead” (a bakery), “The Barking Lot” (a dog groomer), “Shear Ecstasy” (a hair salon). A clever business name can be an excellent marketing tool—helping make your company memorable—but coming up with a good name can seem frustrating. Big companies spend thousands of dollars researching names, and sometimes even they fail.

In small companies, you are the brand, and usually the best name for your company is your own, perhaps adding a descriptive phrase to clarify what you do. My first business was called “Abrams Business Strategies” since I developed business and marketing plans.

If you plan on growing your business substantially though, you may not want to use your own name, or any person’s name. Having a name closely associated with the owner may later make a company harder to sell and can create expectations among customers that they will be getting personal attention from the owner.

BUSINESS NAME COMPARISON CHART

A good company name achieves several goals:

Communicates the correct information. You want to avoid anything in your business name that could substantially confuse potential customers about what you do. So even if you think your name is crystal clear (e.g., Jim’s Photo Services), ask a few other people if they can easily figure out what business you’re in (e.g., do they think you take photos, process film, provide digital photo touch-ups?). A very clear company name, such as “Main Street Volvo Repair,” immediately lets customers know what to expect, but watch out if your services later change or if you run into trademark problems—see below.

Conveys the right feeling. You generally want to choose a name with positive connotations: A day spa named “Haven” or “Oasis” transmits the sense that customers are going to escape the stresses in their lives. Even words such as “Main Street” or another location tells potential customers that the service is local and convenient.

Won’t get dated quickly. Be careful not to choose names too closely identified with recent trends or that are too limiting. You are likely to change the scope of your products or services over time. Look at all those ecommerce companies that had to drop the words “dot com” from their company names. When Twentieth Century Fox Film Studios was founded in 1935 (merging Fox and Twentieth Century studios), the name “Twentieth Century” seemed associated with the idea of something young and new. Of course, by the end of that century, it no longer seemed fresh, and the company now uses just the name “Fox” for some of its entertainment units.

Is easy to spell. If a name is too hard to spell, it becomes harder for a potential customer to remember. Spelling becomes even more important when you use your company’s name as part of your website domain name or if you’re in a business where clients have to spell your company’s name often.

Is easy to pronounce. People have a harder time remembering names they can’t say easily, and they feel uncomfortable doing business with companies whose names they can’t pronounce.

Is memorable. Obviously, if clients or customers have an easier time remembering your name, they’re more likely to do business with you again. A memorable name isn’t absolutely necessary or always even possible. In fact, a company with a straightforward name, such as “Des Moines Chiropractic Clinic” may develop a better business than a company with a cute name like “Back Attack.”

In the end, however, one of the most important considerations is whether you like the name and feel comfortable with it. After all, you’re the one who will see it and say it the most.

Most important, don’t get stuck trying to decide on your name, slowing down the start of your business. At some point, you just need to make a choice and get on with it.

Use the worksheet on pages 28–29 to compare some of the names you’re thinking of for your business, and their pros and cons.