What’s in a business name?

What’s in a business name?

Anyone who has gone through the process of naming a child, will know how difficult, exhilarating and time stealing it can be. Well then try naming a business. So much harder! Okay maybe slightly exaggerated considering a child’s name does affect them for life. However, naming a business is just as consequential.

It took quite a long time to decide on my business name and I want to share the process that I went through. Hopefully answering these questions will also help those of you who are planning on starting a business (go you!).

1. Will people know what type of business it is or what service I offer just by the name alone?

Originally we were thinking ‘Something Special’ would be the name. However, every time I came back to this question, I knew that ‘Photo Booth’ had to be included. Otherwise, it just sounded like a swanky online homewares store. On the flip-side to this question though, is that your name can be obscure if there is some personal meaning behind it. Just ensure that you share your story with potential clients so that they understand it.

2. How does my name stand out amongst competitors?

I had a good squiz at my competitors when putting together the business and marketing plan. I noticed the business name had a huge impact on how they shaped their brand. It was also interesting to note that many photo booth businesses had gone down the track of playful puns, and in the beginning, this was what I was leaning towards too. However, in answering this question, my name would have just blended in. I had to do more work around defining my business and how it would differentiate from my competitors.

3. Will I be embarrassed to say my business name out loud?

If I was ever asked to speak at a small business conference in front of thousands of people (dream big people) would I be proud to say my business name or cringe and think it sounded corny, outdated or immature? Asking myself this question helped to weed out all of the playful puns.

4. What images or associations do I want my business name to elicit?

Let’s use an example – If I named my business ‘Booth Babes’, what image comes to mind? Oh behave! I would associate this name with big busted women, topless men and tacky, tacky, tacky. When considering each name option, I applied this method and started to notice that the names I was most attracted to, were the ones that had positive and softer associations. ‘Something Special’ conjured up (well for me anyway) that feeling that I was providing a quality product and our client’s events deserved to have the best. It had more of a boutique feel about it. If you are happy to share your potential names with family and friends, you may like to play a little ‘word association' game with them to find out what feelings, thoughts or images they get when they hear it.

5. Is my business name and the domain name available?

Whenever I added a name to the list, I checked if there was already an existing business with that name. There is no point in getting your heart set on a name that is not available. Once you have your Australian Business Number (ABN) sorted, you can search for and register a business name via the Australian Securities & Investments Commission. I also had a look around to see if there was anything similar in other states and countries. This part is important because of social media. I wanted to ensure that if someone was bothering to look for us on Instagram, they would follow us and not some Swedish photo booth business.

The domain name is also important. Even though no one has your business name, doesn’t mean some smarty pants hasn’t bought the domain name so they can sell it you for a hefty price. Evil genius! Look up if your domain name is available via Go Daddy or other similar domain name registration sites.

Now you've heard my side of the story, it's time for you to get started on answering these questions and choosing your epic business name. Hopefully, you'll find something special of your own.

Written by:
Holly Brunnbauer (aka – Boss Lady) xo
Something Special Photo Booth
Website – www.somethingspecialphotobooth.com.au

Instagram – @somethingspecialphotobooth

Facebook –Something Special Photo Booth