Choosing the Right Brand Name For Your Business
If you’re an entrepreneur, the question of what name to give your brand or business has probably come up at some point or maybe you’re currently in the process of naming your business.
YOU MAY HAVE ASKED YOURSELF QUESTIONS SUCH AS:
Shall I name my company using my own name?
Shall I name it using generic words?
Shall I give it the name of the course I’m launching?
I have gone through the trademark registration process for my previous business’s brand name, and I also went through the same process for my current coaching business; therefore, I’d like to share my biggest takeaway on this experience. I will share some insights on:
Using generic names for your brand name
Using the name of your product or service for your brand name
Using your personal name for your brand name
3 inspiring female entrepreneurs’ experience as they went through their brand name change
Using generic names for your brand name
My previous business is called Kocoon Spa, but we thought of many other names before deciding on this one, such as Lumiere Spa, Cocoon, etc.
The main issue here was that most generic business names are already registered in the business scope we wanted to register in, and therefore, it was very difficult to come up with something new. In the end, since Cocoon was already registered, we thought of Kocoon with a K – but even that was registered!
Ultimately, we could only register the design of the logo rather than the word itself. Still, better than nothing – and in any case, we were actually more attached to the logo which was very special to us as it was a symbol of our concept, designed by our graphic designer friend. Even if we had to change the name, I reasoned, people would still be able to recognize us by our logo.
I would also say that you may want to register in a scope a little larger than the one you have currently. What if you decide to extend your services in the future?
For example, let’s say you have a spa now, but in the future you may want to brand some products. Considering your future growth is crucial when choosing the categories you want to register for.
With this in mind, our brand name was Kocoon Spa, and for our company, we opted for a larger scope and named it Emica International Fitness & Leisure (Beijing) Co., Ltd.
Using the name of your product or service for your brand name
I wanted to cater to people in the health and wellness industry; therefore, I thought I’d call my business Wellnesspreneur.
When I checked for this name’s availability, it was available and not registered. So I went forward with the process… only to find out later that there was a business called “Wellpreneur” already registered, and although its core business was different, the audience was the same. The name was considered too similar, and there was a risk of confusion.
I could either revoke the decision and go deeper in the process, or contact Wellpreneur and ask for their permission.
In the meantime, I had gone through my business journey and realized that I had already outgrown the name Wellnesspreneur. People would come to me asking whether I would work with them if they weren’t wellnesspreneurs, and I thought that having this specification in the name may be too limiting. So I decided not to go forward with the trademark process.
Wellnesspreneur was no longer suitable for what I was aspiring to do. I still wanted to focus on the therapeutic field, but then, I wanted my business name to be inclusive for everyone.
Using your personal name for your brand name
The only reasons I did not want to use my personal name are:
If I wanted to register my domain name for my website, it would be myname.com, and that would not be an SEO-friendly URL!
I also thought that maybe in a couple years I’ll be interested in other things, and if the business carries my name and is owner-centric, it would be difficult to transfer it to a new owner.
After I went through a lot of writing and reflection around my business, I understood that:
✓I will always be an entrepreneur. That is in my DNA. Therefore, I will always need my own website under my personal name.
✓If I wanted to explore a new activity, I could always create an extension under the umbrella of my name.
✓Although my domain name would not be SEO-friendly, I could always make up for it by using all the other SEO strategies, since Google has more than 200 algorithms for assessing a website!
✓The business is me, and all my experience and knowledge, so it felt more natural to use my name for it. It could contain everything I wanted to do now and in the future.
✓I would never get bored with or tired of my name, since I’ve known and used it since I was born.
✓The value of my business is not in my name (I’m not a celebrity or an influencer!), but in my assets; which are my online products and all the content I continuously create.
Success stories of other entrepreneurs who changed their business OR BRAND name
Don't put too much pressure on yourself and spend too much energy on it. Why? Because you can always change your name later on, it’s not a big deal! Website URLs, email addresses, and logos are changeable, small to big companies do it, and so can you! For example, did you know that Instagram’s first name was Burbn? Weight Watchers recently became WW. And Pepsi today started out as Brad’s Drink! 😂
When you look at names such as Google, Starbucks, Yahoo...Would the names mean anything to you if you didn’t know what the company was about? People may not always remember your name, but they’ll remember how you made them feel. A brand name or logo is nothing without the brand experience. Therefore, I believe that our efforts should focus on branding first. Launch with “a” name, and then experiment along the way...
I’ve asked 2 persons in my circle about what pushed them to change their brand name, here’s their feedback:
FROM @MAMAGINATION TO @MRS_ACAR_ISTANBUL ON INSTAGRAM
““I’ve been feeling like my instagram handle and I become a bit disconnected for a while but I couldn’t decide what it should change to. I thought of just keeping it super simple. Who you are and where you are was important for my content. So I went with it, and the feedback has been great, I no longer feel stuck in a mom blog genre and can reach out to many different areas including wellness and lifestyle which I’m passionate about, but and focus on my location too. My website will remain the same as my story is there, but moving forward, I don’t feel chained to just being a mom, I can be Ruth.””
FROM MODERN ACUPUNCTURE MARKETING TO MICHELLE GRASEK
““When I named my website I never thought I’d generate income through it. It was a hobby. I called it Modern Acupuncture Marketing, but eventually when I went to change it from a hobby to a business, I learned that I couldn’t use the word acupuncture in my business name for legal reasons based on the regulations where I live, in NY State. But I simply couldn’t come up with a name that felt as catchy as Modern Acupuncture Marketing! So I decided to follow the footsteps of many other online business owners and name the website and business after myself.””
FROM A HAPPY MIND TO SAMANTHA HEARNE
““I built my business A Happy Mind over 2 years and am so so proud of everything I achieved with this business. Bestselling book, public speaking, collaborations, booked out with clients. I then decided I needed to continue to grow and up level. Push out of the comfort zone and be seen on an even more visible level. So I transitions the business into my name. Purely to create that growth for myself and my business. & allow myself the change to up level in a new way, new capacity, new movement. So 6 months ago I changed my Instagram account & I began 2020 by officially and legally changing my business name. Onwards & upward to new heights and new success levels!” ”
Conclusion on how to choose your brand name
I would encourage you to think about the following factors:
Your long-term goals for your business. If you had all the resources you needed, what would you do with your business? Where would you take it? How long will you work in this business?
Whether the name you chose is already being used by a business in the same industry / category. If not, can you trademark it? Be careful of name similarity!
Whether you would like to become a public figure and use your own name. Are YOU your business?
Will you hire a team when you grow or always outsource?
Will you rent space and have signage outside? If you have a very long name, a shorter version or a nickname may be preferable.
Finally, if you’re starting with a signature product, I would avoid naming your business with the name of your product, and rather make a clear distinction between what you offer and what you want people to call your business. The reason is that as your business grows, you may want to extend to different products or services– and you don’t want to be limited or locked in by your name. Think long-term, and envision what success will look like!
And you? Have you had the experience of changing brand name? Would love to hear your story. Please share in comments below!
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