5 Easy Steps for Choosing a Killer Business Name

You have a great idea. You’re excited to get going. But then it comes down to naming your business. Oh, this can be one of the hardest things that you can do in your business because it feels so scary and you don’t know what your business is going to be. But don’t worry! I put together these 5 easy steps for choosing a killer business name. The goal is to be breathing a sigh of relief by the end of this, & I think we can get there!

This post is going to walk you through how to choose a brand name you love and are confident about. I’m also going to let you know of a few signs to look for when knowing whether or not you have chosen a good brand name.

practical things to try when figuring out a name for your business. www.iammichellegifford.com

I’ve started more than one business and have sold a large variety of products. So I know the feeling of sitting there like, oh my goodness, I have this great idea, but I don’t know what to name it.

In fact, one of my first businesses was doing photography and I named it Jasper and Josephine photography. Now, Jasper and Josephine are the nicknames of a couple of my siblings.

I thought the name of my business was so cute and I was so proud of it! It explained my why and had a story behind it. Well, those names didn’t mean anything to anyone else. Haha, so it left a lot of people confused and wondering why that was the name of my business.

Needless to say, I learned very quickly that I needed to have a name that was easy to understand and for people to talk about. So, that’s my example of when I’ve done it wrong, and because of experiences like that I’ve learned from my mistakes and now know how to really get it right.

Step #1 to Naming Your Business: Represent Your Brand

First things first, you want your name to represent your brand. Think about your brand and the feeling you want to portray. Are you an expert brand? Are you someone who is a personal brand? Who are you going to be serving? What do you want that to feel like? Do you want it to feel warm and inclusive or do you want it to be strong? Those are all things that you need to consider.

Now, the other thing I would really think about is whether you’re going to be a personal brand. Is this about you as the face of your business?

For example, Michelle Gifford, that is the face. I am the face of my business. And so my Instagram handle, my website, and everything in between all reflects that. (Which makes it very easy.)

Since I’ve been in business for 15 years my business has changed a lot and it’s been really helpful that my name (Michelle Gifford) is the name of my business. If my brand name was “Michelle Teaches Piano” because I was a piano teacher and then I decided not to do piano anymore, then I would have to change my brand.

Changing your brand name as you evolve is not necessarily the worst thing, but it is something to think about. So, ask yourself, is your business something that you know you want to do forever? If you’re unsure, leave it with something more general (like your name) so you can try a few different things out without having to change your brand name every time you pivot.

how to choose the best name for your business. www.iammichellegifford.com

Step #2 to Naming Your Business: Give Yourself Room to Grow

Does your business name give you room to grow? I’ve seen a lot of people who started out, maybe they were bloggers in 2010, and they chose names that very niched down to what they were then. And while this is a good strategy for your business, it really is helping you just in the present. You want to pick a name that will serve you in years to come as well.

So pick a business name that you think will still fit in your brand as you pivot to different niches in your business, so you don’t have to worry about it still representing who you are and how you serve your people.

Step #3 to Naming Your Business: Choose Clear Over Cute

I mentioned this one earlier when I shared about my business, Jasper and Josephine Photography. No one knows what that means, right? No one knows who Jasper and Josephine are except me. And it didn’t mean anything to anyone but me. So I actually changed my name to Michelle Gifford photography because it made it very easy and clear for people to know exactly how to talk about me.

So don’t spend all of your time trying to be cute or clever because you always want to be clear over cute. People do not have the time or headspace to figure out what your clever business name means. So let’s do everyone a favor and keep clarity the priority.

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Step #4 to Naming Your Business: Make it Easy to Pronounce and Spell

This one is super important. You want to make sure your business name is easy to pronounce and spell. If it is not, you’re going to spend half of your marketing time and budget trying to make sure people understand how to actually say your name.

That would be a big problem. So we want to try to avoid any weird spellings or pronunciations. Running into this type of issue makes it hard for people to connect to you too. Yes, you will have diehards that will recognize you anywhere, but most of your audience will not recognize you unless it is super easy to recognize and for them to talk about.

Step #5 to Naming Your Business: See if Your Desired Name is Available Now

And the last one is, is your business name available now? You want to make sure that you can get a domain that no one else is using. Right? You want to do your research. Once you choose a name, you need to make sure that no one else is using it.

To see if your business name is available, you’re going to just put it in Google. You’re going to search for it and see what comes up. See if a business already has that name and if they do, it’s not really worth it. That’s when you go and find a different name.

Let’s say that you went to Google, and your business name is available. Then you’ll go make sure that it’s available to buy on the website and across social media. Cover all of your bases and fingers crossed that your business name is available for you to use!

how to choose a killer name for your biz. www.iammichellegifford.com