Ah, the company name. Your company name. Coming up with a distinct, powerful, unique, and memorable names isn’t always a walk in the park. The process of developing a name for your venture shouldn’t be taken lightly. Your name is everything. Your name is the company. Your name represents everything that your company is about.
For some, coming up with a name may be a 1minute process. For me, I usually like to give it a solid month or so when coming up with a name for a new idea. Taking the time to really think, consider, think, and re-consider is vital when you’re seeking to come up with a powerful name.
This is the time to muster all of your creative energy and unleash it. I like to think of developing a name as an artistic process. You, the entrepreneur, are the artist and the minds of the world is your canvass. It’s time to create your masterpiece.
Absorb Everything >> Start by taking in everything from your environment. Read books, look up words in the dictionary, look at colors and shapes, go to the museum, go for a walk in the park (excuse the contradiction, heh), go to the museum, review magazines, newspapers, and journals. The idea here is to flood your mind with a slew of information.
Don’t worry if you feel overwhelmed by the amount of information that you are inserting into your mind, that’s the whole point. You see, the mind has a special gift for working things out, organizing information, and putting the pieces together (assuming that you have a clear objective: coming up with a great company name).
Just keep on absorbing and let the ideas marinate for days, weeks, months; however long it may take. If you keep at it everyday, it’ll just come to you — probably when you least expect it.
Be Weird >> I’m not kidding; you should try to think weirdly when coming up with a name. Embrace weird. Weird is good. Weird sells. Don’t follow your friends, the status quo, or what you see other companies doing — just do your own thing.
And in order to —do your own thing— you have to think outside the box (don’t you just love that cliche?). It’s true, you have to step outside of the “normal” way of thinking. You have to become radical. You have to swim upstream when everyone is swimming downstream with the current.
Don’t be scared to take big risks with your company name. People are much more likely to remember a “weird” name than a boring typical name that doesn’t really look or sound that much different from the next.
Time Factor >> Ok, ok, weird is good. But make sure that your name will last the test of time. Don’t fall into the trap of developing a name around a current market trend, ahem, web 2.0. Com’on guys, how many companies started adding the little “r” at the end of their names after flickr launched? So many.
Don’t base your name of temporary market temperatures. Sure, web2.0 is hot right now but it doesn’t mean that your name should reflect that. Come up with a name that is going to be just as unique 20 years from now as it is today.
Sure, easier said that done and of course we can’t pretend to predict the future, but it’s best to at least try and construct a name that will achieve that goal. Sometimes coming up with a solid simple name will do the trick.
You’re young. You are at the peak of your creative energy. So take the steps “now” to come up with the right name. Remember, it’s us young entrepreneurs that are going to set the tone for the future of business, so keep that in mind while you brainstorm. Make history my fellow entrepreneurs!
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Good article. I agree that your company name is everything. I chose Vitruvian Lending for my company name because it was unique and my new company name, Cleared to Close seemed to have a beautiful ring to it, that echoed after you said it. In my business it’s also the most beautiful term, for that is when you know…well….you that a deal has been Cleared to Close. It’s not only my new company’s name, but also our goal and everything we strive to do for our clients. Great read.
Thanks, Dari. I like Cleared to Close. It’s simple, easy to remember, and right to the point. The name will be effective 10 years from now as well, so you past the time test. Solid name.
I’m thinking of using the name Debby Does Carpet Cleaning for my new carpet cleaning business. I think it’s easy to remember and catchy but am wondering if it might net some negative perceptions here in the mmidwest. What do you think?
Well said David, I think your article was much help and I liked your sense of humor in it, it kept me reading. I’m actually stuck on a name right now for a small business that I would hope to grow, of course, so I was looking for some inspiration or word of advice. I like the weird part and that’s what I was kind of going for in the beginning hee hee. Anyways thanks for posting this!