Considerations when coming up with a business name

This is a big and exciting undertaking to name your business! Having a name you can stand behind that represents you and your products is a great selling tool, a strong marketing tool, and something you can build on as a brand for your whole career. Your company name should be an easy way for potential customers to decide who you are, what you care about, and if they are interested in your products before they have even seen anything else. This is how powerful a great name can be.

On the flipside for someone who has never had to name a whole entire business, this can feel like a huge amount of pressure. This is not a bible or an exhaustive list, just hopefully some tips to help you on your naming journey.

Consider avoiding

make sure it's not too specific/pigeon-holing your projects when you may want to expand to other products later down the track,

For example - Nicole's Bath Bombs when you also make candles and resins in a year's time.

Beware of esoteric Names

(you may exclude people by making it specific to a group. )

For example - lyein soap - for those who know about lye and that it goes in cold process soap is a cute/punny name but for a random customer who may not understand it seems confusing/unsure what lyein (lion?) products are.

Remember your target audience

Luxury or simple or botanical products these can all have a way on how you want your name to feel/attract a customer base.

For example, Divinity Diamond Soaps sounds quite luxurious so people are expecting a high-end product and the price point to match.

Easy to remember

not long length or too wordy.

For example Richard and Junes Bath Bomb Botanical Emporium

Make sure it's logical

You need to channel your inner child and see what problems/misinterpretations might happen

For example, horses run free bath products. sounds like you make soap for horses.

Butt Naked Soaps - Soaps made for butts...

Avoid filler words as your only focus

Bath/bubbles/natural/sud/glitter/company/apothecary

This can make it hard to remember, hard to google, and find.

Avoid Places in your name

Adelaide Bath Salt Maker - this is geographic-specific and automatically takes out a kinship unless you are from that location.

(The exception to this is giftware that is tourist-focused ie koala Eucalyptus soap from Adelaide Soapy Sisters when sold at tourist destinations with a strong theme this would do well.)

With these points in mind, a good place to start is -

1. Last names/acronyms/words that mean something to you are a good start.

2. What values/journey/branding is important to you. If you are silly or if you care about the environmental impacts or maybe if you only like pink things this could all help shape what your name might come down to. Writing these into a list is a good starting point to brainstorm.

3. Make a shortlist and don't decide straight away. play with designs/play with wording/see what others think/ this helps you notice which one you want to defend, talk about, put forward, and exactly why you feel drawn to particular names

4. Sit with a name for a few days, do a mock-up of what your slogan might be, what colours might go with it, what your icon might look like.

5. check the website domain search. Instagram. Facebook. this will give you a good indication from a customer view how hard it would be to find you against similarly named competitors. (example - might come across something not related to your product but have a similar name. )

Good Luck! and remember to enjoy this process, it is a great step for a buisness!