Are you ready to start a new business? Kudos to you for coming thus far! Yes, we acknowledge the amount of passion, courage, and energy required to start a new business. You must have had a great idea, drafted a well-thought-out plan, and identified your targeted customer base. Have you decided on the name of your business yet?

No, do not quote Shakespeare by saying ‘What’s in a name?’. The name of a business is just as important as anything else. A good business name should encapsulate the essence of your brand. It should come to mind easily. It should serve as a reminder to your employees as to why and what you are doing. Ideally, you want a business name that would catch the attention of everyone who hears it. However, choosing a suitable name is a common barrier for budding entrepreneurs.

In this article, we will explain how you can come up with some creative business name ideas for your new endeavor so that it can be user-friendly, unique, lovable, and future-proof.

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  1. Make it original

Being original can be intimidating and difficult, but, it is vital when naming your company. Be bold and try to stand out from the madding crowd! Remember, it's all about having a free flow of ideas and tickling your imagination. The following can help you out-

  • Look through books- For inspiration, use a dictionary or perhaps one of your favourite novels. Browse through the pages and jot down words that appeal to you, even if they are unrelated to your business.
  • Explore keywords- You may take help from free keyword tools for ideas related to new names. When you enter a keyword connected to your business into its search window, it will display a list of all the other words that are related to it. Choose the one that strikes a chord with you.
  • Create mash-ups- A mash-up is one of the most inventive ways to produce original and outstanding business name ideas. Consider two or three terms that are important to you and your company. Then see if they can be integrated in some way, either partially or completely. For example, have a look at TripAdvisor and Netflix (from "internet" and "flicks")

2. Make it user-friendly

Even if it's a 'manufactured' word, it's crucial to choose a name that is simple to pronounce, spell and type into Google. Picking a business name that allows customers to find you easily can place you ahead of the competition. Remember, if customers can't find you, they will go somewhere else! The following suggestions can assist you in creating a user-friendly business name:

  • Test in different mediums- Put your prospective business name ideas into a logo design, utter them out loud in a conversation, and put them in an email signature. These will let you see how they look and sound. Thus, you can make your thoughts feel authentic and can check whether or not they connect!
  • Set creative limitations- Limit yourself to names with one or two syllables. This will help you focus on creating catchier name ideas. Other limitations to experiment with may include creating solely rhyming names or names that start with verbs (for example, Dropbox, and Shopify).
  • Check out the meaning in other languages- You would never want to name your company with something that translates poorly into some other language. Perform a quick Google search to ensure that you have not named your company after a part of the body or something vulgar.
  • Get feedback- Make a list of 5 or 10 names and run them through friends, family, and trustworthy colleagues. If you speak a name and they look bewildered or bombard you with questions, you may want to reconsider its usability. Obtain feedback from your intended audience as well. Also, be certain that the name has no negative connotations.

3. Make it future proof

You would surely not want to choose a business name that will ruin your future growth objectives or limit your exposure. Don't choose a name that will be restrictive as your company grows. You would not like to confine your business to a single product or city. Let us assume your company manufactures women's shoes but plans to expand into the male market in the future. A name such as 'Venus' would be inappropriate. Also, consider what might have happened if Jeff Bezos had chosen the name "Online Books" instead of "Amazon."

Think about your company's story, values, and significant differentiators as you explore to future-proof your business name. The following may help -

  • Give a reflection of your business- What words would you use to describe your company to others? Who is your intended audience? What emotions do you want your customers to experience? Do certain words come to your mind when you think about your business? What makes you different? Take out a piece of paper and begin writing everything down. Some catchy names may spring out from these.
  • Consider your offering- If you run a service-based business, including your service offering as a suffix in your business name, can be beneficial. ( for example- XYZ Design).
  • Keep it simple- A business name should not be a combination of terms that tries to do too much. It should feel pleasant and trigger favourable feelings and connections between you and your potential clients. Simple names are easier to remember and spell. This is a significant benefit when you rely heavily on online clients to search for you or refer you!

4. Ensure its availability

Before deciding on a catchy company name, verify that it is available as a website domain- preferably a.com rather than options such as .org, .net, .biz, or other domain extensions. Customers typically connect a .com domain with a more established company. As a result, a.com URL can lend legitimacy to your company and increase traffic. You would want the name in your website URL for SEO and validity reasons. Therefore, see whether it's available in .com form. The good news is that being creative will help you in this. Because, the more unique your business name is, the more likely it will be available as a web address. The following may help-

  • Check properly- Sites like GoDaddy are a great resource for confirming domain availability and checking.com alternatives. Enter your suggestions, wait, and see if your shortlisted names are already taken. If they are, note the businesses or pages hosted at those addresses. You may also conduct a trademark search.
  • Explore innovative options- You still have choices even if the domain is unavailable. You can append a word to the beginning or end of your name, such as "get" or "hello." If you operate in a service-based industry, try including your offering in the name.
  • Use of acronyms- A popular method for naming your company is to use a set of initials. Many major organizations use acronyms instead of their full names because they are easier to recall. ICICI (Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India) and BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) are two examples. So, if your company is called 'Prudent Marketing Initiative,' consider abbreviating it to PMI.
  • Inspired by mythology and literature- Nike is one of the most recognizable brands and is named after the goddess of victory in Greek mythology. Other well-known companies with mythical names include Oracle, Mars, and Hermés. If you are pondering over naming your business after a mythological figure, we suggest doing some study to determine if there is a mythological figure who is relevant to your business. for example, if you are launching a makeup line, you may use the name of Venus, the Roman goddess of beauty.
  • Using real people’s names- It's your company, so why not use your own name? Many well-known brands, such as Boeing, use the creator's name (named after founder William Boeing). Using your name or a family name as your business name is a traditional and powerful choice. Consider McDonald's as well. Sometimes a better approach can be naming your company after the person who does all the work behind the scenes!
  • Playing with words- you should be careful while playing with words. While it can be appealing and unusual, misspelling or eliminating vowels from words to form a company name might have drawbacks. it may make your company name more difficult to read and pronounce. But, you can take proper caution and make your business name more memorable. You can change the spelling of a well-known word by removing or adding a letter. Take, for example, Flickr and Tumblr, which deleted the "e" at the end to generate short, catchy names. Choose a phrase that is important to your business and come up with a new way to spell it, as Reebok did. This sports brand was inspired by the word "rhebok," an African antelope.

The footnote:

As a business owner, you would certainly want to have the greatest possible name ideas. At the same time, you would want those name ideas to be appropriate for your brand identity and target audience. We hope the discussion above will help you come up with a catchy and creative business name.

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