3 approaches to naming your service based business
Choosing a name for your business when you are just starting out can take up a lot of headspace - coming up with new ideas, choosing the right one and then feeling happy with your decision! And it doesn’t stop there- there will be times that you need to choose a new social media handle or name a new package that you create.
The good news is that in all of these cases the same principle applies, and it’s a super simple one:
FIND WHAT FEELS GOOD
For this, I love drawing an analogy with the clothes that we choose to wear. In the words of Ines de la Fressange:
“The secret of great style is to feel good in what you wear”
We all have the firm favourites of our wardrobe - those items that we keep going back to again and again because they feel good and they feel comfortable. They fit in all the right places - it’s not that the label feels itchy, or the cut isn’t quite right, or we don’t really like the colour. And most likely they say something about us and our life just now.
To relate that back to choosing a name for your business, you want something that feels good and that you feel comfortable talking about, or moreso feel excited to talk about.
Here are three approaches I commonly see working:
1 | Use your name
Pros:
It’s super simple and easy for you to come up with!
It allows you to experiment with your brand and the exact offering of your business, with no need to change the business name each time
It’s easy for people to remember and identify with you
Cons:
You might feel nervous or reluctant to put yourself so blatantly as the name and face of your business in the early days
You need to also find ways to make it clear what your business on first impression
2 | Say what you do
For example: The Yoga Studio, Websites for Coaches, Creative Marketing Solutions
Pros:
It’s super clear what you do
People will instantly make a judgement on whether they are interested in finding out more
It’s relatively simple for you to come up with
Cons:
It might restrict how easily your business can evolve or pivot in the future
It may prevent people from finding out more based on their first impression
3 | Get creative
For example: Swallow and Ivy, Samphire, Little Oaks Studio
Pros:
It’s fun!
It’s a playful way to build your brand
It leaves space for evolving what your business offers
Cons:
You need to also find ways to make it clear what your business on first impression
People may make the wrong assumption about what you offer
It may be harder for people to remember the name