Oh I love these questions.
Naming and branding your business is one of the most important elements in building a business and there are many online resources to do that.
(
Forbes being one of them) But of course everyone makes mis-steps in this process.
Some principles that will help you are:
1.
Personal Names: Don't use your name. It makes you sound small and although you may be small now, you may get larger and don't want to still sound like a one man business.
2.
Initials: With very few exceptions, initials are forgettable. "BRK Industries" - bleh, what is the difference between that and "BZK consultants" or "BTR Solutions"? When you do this you are resigning yourself to obscurity. No one will even call your business by your name, they will just say "Call Brandon over at the computer place".
3.
Words: Know the connotation of the words you use.
Cavalier -
adjective:
1.haughty, disdainful, or supercilious:
an arrogant and cavalier attitude toward others..
2.offhand or unceremonious:
The very dignified officials were confused by his cavalier manner.
Thousands of articles have been written about the effect of words in company names. Understand that words have different connotations for different people or groups of people. And words carry memories and emotions, both positive and negative. I feel bad for all those people who unfortunately named their business "ISIS" after the Egyptian goddess.
4.
Place Names: Unless you will NEVER move your business or expand beyond your locale, don't use a place name.
5.
Web: You must have a web-presence and the URL must be CLEAR AND EASY FOR THE CUSTOMER. This may be the most difficult. My business used to be "Family Computer Repair" many years ago before I knew better. I used this name for a while but was unable to get any URL except for FCRLI.COM and never generated any traffic. FamilyComputerRepair.com was owned but dormant for 5 years. When the ownership was about to expire, I made the mistake of asking about it. The owner wanted $5000 for it. Way out of my price range, especially for a bad name. As soon as you think that you MIGHT have a workable name, check the availability of the URL and be quick to discard the name if it is not available.
6.
Acronyms: If you choose ********tech (or "tek" or "teks" or "teq") I will crawl through my high speed fiber line and personally smack you in the head. Acronyms are very tricky. They are not easy to remember and can easily sound cheesey.
As for my business name, it is now "Bay Computer Clinic" and although I am on hiatus from it and working in another field out of necessity, it is registered and workable.
Bay: I live and work on an Island and although I am located on the Great South Bay, there are plenty of other bays around that I am not limiting myself to only a small area. When I get MUCH larger, "bay" connotes calm, refuge from the storm, protection, scenic area, recreation. All positive images.
Computer: NOT "technology" or "Electronics" or "Solutions" but "Computer" BECAUSE THAT IS MY BUSINESS! IT IS DESCRIPTIVE!
Clinic: I was not thrilled about adding this but ... It was the only word I could add and get a workable URL. (BayComputer.com is available for $7000 and I will purchase it when the time comes)
Clinic connotes fast care, availability, economical, able to handle any problem efficiently and professionally,
Besides .. my other work has been in healthcare, so it is reminiscent of that.
These are just a few principles, but this is an important thread and I look forward to the comments and conversation here.
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