Coming up with a business name can be pretty straightforward, even when there is a lot of advice. During the process, a free business name generator can be a helpful tool in order to make finding a name easier.
Create Guidelines
It can be easy to lose track of the process without some guidelines. Ask yourself some questions so you can stay true to your company. Questions such as “What are the priorities?” and “What emotion do you want your business name to have?” will be helpful.
Brainstorming
This is where you get to be creative. Think about the brand and company you want to portray, services, and products you will offer, competitors, personality of team members, and idols. Keep the guidelines you have created in place.
During the brainstorming phase, you want to come up with a few different lists. The first list should be words that resonate with your product, service, and brand. The second list should be a list of your competitors and idols, in order to take the names apart and figure out why the names work or don’t work. The third list is a list of names you have created or thought of while making the other two lists.
Take a Break
This can seem counterintuitive when you are going through a process but it is important to take a break at this point in the process in order to avoid getting stuck on one thing in particular. If you aren’t able to keep an open mind then you may not be able to see any issues with a name. Tunnel vision can mean you lose out on other great names.
Come Back to Your List
When you come back to the list, think about names that have stuck with you when you walked away. Refine and organize the list and cross out names that aren’t working for you, highlight ones that are sticking, and sort out similar ones. When you have narrowed down the choices, take a step back and then review the list with a fresh perspective. In many cases, you should be able to point out the right option but you may need another brainstorming session. This can be a good time to get a trusted colleague or friend involved.
Check Availability
You can do this once you have finalized a business name but if there is a name you think is perfect, you may want to look at the availability early on in the process so you know if you need to start over sooner rather than later and before you get too invested. There are different ways that you can check for availability with different checkers or by doing a Google search. Once you know a name is available, also be sure to check for the domain. There is a strong preference for .com domains so you want to make sure that you can have a domain that matches your business name, if possible. A free business name generator tool can also help you check for availability.
Get Feedback for the Name
Pick a sample group of people that can hopefully resemble your target audience. Split the group in two and have one-half attempt to spell your business name after you tell it to them and the other pronounce it after you show them in writing. This will be important to know how customers will engage with your business name.
Commit to Your Name
This will be the last step in the process. Once you have done the testing for your name and locked it down then you need to make sure you have a domain name for it.
