You’ve come up with an excellent idea for a startup – congratulations! The opportunities for small businesses to succeed these days are manifold, yet so are the potential obstacles. Nowhere is this more pronounced than in the area of marketing, and your number one marketing tool is your business name.
For new customers (and even returning ones) your business name becomes the identity badge that contains a multitude of connotations. You need to make sure they’re the right ones.
Including your geographical area name in your startup’s title, for example, will give your business an incredibly localized feel. Even if this is what you want today, can you be sure you’ll still want to seem like a “local” business in five years when you’re ready to expand?
Likewise, using your own name can be fraught with issues. For one, it doesn’t mean much to someone who doesn’t know you. For another, should your business fail, your name will forever be connected to it.
So how do you go about picking a good one? A great place to start is to work through the infographic below. It provides tips for things to avoid, but just as importantly, shares inspiration for how to come up with something great.
Choose a winner, and your business name will begin the difficult task of marketing on your behalf.
Related: 3 Business Name Disasters and How You Can Avoid Them
The dos and don’ts of choosing a business name
