It’s such an exciting time when you decide to start something new! You have all of these great ideas, and you can’t wait to put them in to action… and then it happens; you get stuck on trying to pick the perfect name for your new business or blog. You’re not alone. Choosing a name is a hard task, and can feel like a ton of pressure. I have clients come to me pretty often ready to build their brand, but their name is still up in the air. That’s why we offer In a Day Naming Sessions, and why we’re sharing this blog post today: to help you choose the perfect name for your new business.

If this post helps you decide on your name, be sure to let us know below so we can celebrate with you in the comments!

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Step 1: Get Inspired

Of course you want a name that’s original (there’s no need to copy!), but you can pull inspiration from other businesses and brands by asking yourself these questions:

• Why does that name stand out to me?
• What do I like about that name?
• What do I dislike about that name?

Answering these questions will help you come up with a better name for yourself when you start brain dumping your ideas!

Consider Types of Business Names

Consider the different types of business names you could use.

• Are you a personal brand? Would using your name work?
• Do you want what you do or sell to be in the name?
• Is there an acronym that would work for your business?
• Are there two words you could combine?
• Is there a made-up or misspelled word that could represent your brand well?

Consider all the options when you start brain dumping ideas.

Get Personal

Think about things that are important to you or this new business you are starting. Answer these questions:

• Why are you starting this business?
• Was there something or someone who inspired you to start that you could name your business after?
• What words, street names, numbers, pets or themes in your life are important to you or inspire you? Do any of them fit into your business or work for your brand?
• What words do you want people to think of when they think of you brand?
• What images come to mind when you think of your future business and brand?
• Describe your brands personality in 3 words– why did you choose those words?

Answering these questions should also help you get name ideas flowing. You can also look through a thesaurus at the different words from the questions above to find even more words.

Step 2: Brain Dump Your Ideas (both good and bad!)

Grab a piece of paper or open a document on your computer and start writing every single name that comes to your head, both good and bad! It’s important to get the bad ones down, so they stop popping up in your head. They may even help lead you to something good.

Do this for at least 20 minutes. Just you, your computer or notebook and every idea that pops into your head.

Narrow it down

Go through your list of names (it should be decently long), and mark out any names you know are not even close to the one. Consider expanding off of name ideas that don’t feel 100% right, but you keep coming back to. Narrow it down to 3-4 of you favorites, and write out what you like about each name.

Remember this: your name should be simple, easy to spell, memorable and easy to understand.

Conduct Some Research

Google your name options. Is the name already being used? Is the name really similar to something that would make SEO a nightmare?

Do a domain search. Is the domain available? Is there a different domain name that would still work for the name you like?

Do a business name registration search. Is the legal business name or LLC name available in your state?

Do a social media search. Is the handle available on the different social media platforms you plan on using? Don’t stress about this too much though, especially if the domain name is available. You can always find something that will work for your social handle.

Test it out

Say the name out loud. Share it with others and get feedback. Visualize your business with that name in mind. How does it feel? How does it sound?

Step 3: Make your decision

Once you’ve narrowed down the options, it’s time to choose the perfect name for your new business! If you’ve already narrowed it down to one, congrats on naming your business!! You did it!

If you’re deciding between two names, start saying the names out loud to people. Think about how the name makes you feel when you say it. Does it make you excited? Or do you feel embarrassed or unsure? How do they respond? Did they understand you? Were they excited too? Saying it out loud to others should help you easily figure out which direction to go in!

If you’ve gotten this far, and still hate everything you’ve come up with, consider booking a naming session with us. Naming your business should feel personal, but that doesn’t mean all the pressure needs to be on you to choose the perfect name!

Our naming consultation includes a pre-questionnaire, ideal client research, a 90 minute zoom brainstorm session, our top name recommendations to move forward with and a big discount on a future branding package with us. Get the details here: Book a naming session with In a Day.

Next steps: Branding

If you’ve chosen the perfect name, the next step is branding! We have two great options: DIY your brand identity in a day or custom brand identity in a week. Get all the details here.

And if you did come up with a name from this post, be sure to share it below, so we can celebrate with you!