The best business names to really impress. They are there for a lifetime so pickling the right one will make a difference to your results
Be random in your choice of names
In the middle of the night good ideas can creep through the mind as you lay awake with an active mind that reuses to stop.
It happened last night when the name “Two minute Noodles' invaded my thoughts. There was no reason for this random choice however it set my mind going to business names.
Two minute Noodles says it all. What it is, what it does, it brands the product and opens up to easy marketing to a world wide audience.
However you need to take into consideration modern acceptance of a name. In Queensland Australia there was a great fish shop called the “Battered Wife” . This was a very popular outlet with a great play on words however it all came to a screaming halt. Someone claimed the name was offensive to some people and that it could not be used any more.
She closed the business because of the complaints by a small band of antagonists.
Is your choice an available business name
This is an important part of the decision making. It is most favourable to combine a Business name with a internet name so that they play along side each other.
Example is Nike or Nike.com.
Therefore when you have chosen a name check it out with your local Government service and Internet provider.
Also search the Internet for like names because some names will be Trade Marked thus you can not use them or even be close.
Many a business has been asked to change their name because it it too similar to a registered name.
The same goes with your internet address, you can of course change a dot com to a dot net or even dot org but it still creates confusion,
Choosing a carrier.
Will a local business name help
A local business name is an ideal way to get local business. When your sales area is very confined and you don't intend expanding a local name can help.
This would really apply to a restaurant where a Google search will look for businesses in a location. London Bakery or best steaks in New York as examples.
However you should also look to the future and changes to your growth.
If you had a local branded restaurant and then wanted to replicate in other suburbs the name would not fit.
Near by is a Indian group that is called “Two Fat Indians” They now use that with a suburb addition.
A further issue can be going on line and vastly expanding your reach. My daughter bought a local dress shop that had catered for a small town business. The only real expansion was in going online for sales across the country. Online is now half the business. Therefore if you have a vey local flavour in your name it does not transport as well.
Branding your name and adding colours
Another issue to consider when making that all important decision is your future branding including a logo and colours.
When the oil company Esso wanted to re-brand themselves they searched for a word that meant nothing in any language yet retained the flavour of the image they had spent years living with. Their first choice of names was a swear word in the middle east so was not appropriate before they decided on EXXON.
A similar approach was the well known company Google. A simple word to describe the company, how ever it has seen much transformation over the years.
Originally called backrub they made the wise decision to change to something akin the new one.
“Google” — a misspelling of “googol” — a Latin term that literally means 10 to the 100th power (written out, that's one followed by 100 zeros). The idea behind the name was that Google's search engine could quickly provide users with large quantities, or googols, of results.
Hubspot.
The colours have remained consistent however the logo has constantly been changed to represent modern acceptance. An exclamation mark deleted and Doodles added. They have even used a Black logo to represent mourning.
Number of words in a logo or business name
Always less is better because of the memory factor.
The more words you use in your business name, the harder it is going to be for your audience to understand, retain, and tell other people about.. Plus, you are going to use this name on all of your marketing materials, and having a name with too many words won’t look great. That’s why most great business names are comprised of one or two words maximum.
brand bucket
There are exception of course like Harley Davison Motor Company, The Long Island Iced Tea Company to name two of them.
Using a classy logo or something different
My new favourite is a Elon Musk's play on words with the Boring Company.
No it is not boring they just build tunnels by boring underground. He has gone all out to break a few rules with words and colours and relating to a dull word.
Therefore the rules don't always relate to the result.
When Boring is not Boring
Another I really like is Amazon. Here they use an arrow showing they sell everything from A to Z
However this is lost on most people but success anyway as it is a well respected name.
Finding a business name and discovering an association
In another world I needed a name for a company that represented what we did. I was on a plane flying across country and listening to music while writing down lists of name ideas.
I listen to classical mostly and this day the presenter, tongue in cheek introduced a composer call Joe Green. An angelized version of Giuseppe Verdi. The company was a very green based business using few of the earths resources so it became Verdi.net.au
So writing down ideas and sharing them with family and friends just might find that great name.
A business image
Adding a USP (unique selling proposition)
What the heck is a USP, a small matter that is probably as important as your logo.
It is a few chosen words that explain what your business is about.
- Avis. “We're number two. …
- FedEx Corporation. “When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.” …
- M&Ms. “The milk chocolate melts in your mouth, not in your hand.” …
- DeBeers. “A diamond is forever.” …
- Domino's Pizza.
That is just a few examples pulled from the past. These few words explain what your business does to amplify the company name.
Think of names you know.
In summary
| Select a short name for the business | Avoid clashing with anyone else |
| Match it with your URL | Use .com where possible |
| Design a logo | Something Catchy |
| Pick your colours | Less is better for printing |
| Write your USP | It must be compelling |
And now you are up and going the real work starts.
Make a list
Looking for a new name finds some very unusual opportunities. I wanted a new name that was different. Driving home in the evening I was admiring a beautiful sunset falling over the ocean and thinking to myself RedSky at night a fine day tomorrow, Wow how about Redsky as a name and it became RedSky, a telephone company. Different, rememberable, unusual and it worked.
I was less creative with online business marketing.
Names last forever
My conclusion on business names
There is no right or wrong answer however the idea is to be noticed and that can be achieved in many ways. It does take some thought and planning and I have at times written down hundreds of names and slowly deleted down to a short list. Then doing the extra work of finding a USP etc until I was happy. Even then it is good to ask a few friends and associates their opinion to get a balance of perspective.
Remember it may last a lifetime so get it right first time around.
The best business names to really impress by Peter Hanley
