6 steps to finding the right name for your business or course!
When I decided to turn my freelance business into a full-on digital community and design studio, I knew I needed a name that fit my mission: To inspire and empower the creative entrepreneur to think bigger and to boldly chase their dreams.
This pursuit was a rebellious one. My vision wasn’t simply to help brave entrepreneurs, in particular women, grow their businesses. It was to help them smash through every barrier to make a true, authentic impact.
But how do you communicate all of that in one business name?
Let’s just say, it didn’t come easy. I had to sit down and suss out every option that felt like it defined our brand. A full notebook and 7 cappuccinos later, I landed on the winner: Outlaw Creative.
How exactly did I get there? Let me break down the 6-step brainstorming process I used (and that we still use today to help our clients). By the end, you should have a business name that fits your brand just right.
Step 1: What do you do?
Every great brand name starts somewhere. Yahoo’s original name was “Jerry’s Guide to the World Wide Web”. Doesn’t exactly have that same oomph, does it? But still, it was a start. And ultimately, it did explain what Yahoo’s product was and the service it provided.
To get the ball rolling on business name ideas, the first step is to answer one simple question: what do you do? Grab a pen and write down all the core aspects of what your business offers.
If you’re a wedding photographer, for example, you photograph weddings. But you might also:
Provide branding sessions or product photography
Edit, process, and export photos
Create beautiful presets for other photographers to purchase
Capture unforgettable moments and memories
Take note of anything that comes to mind and get it all out in front of you before moving on to step numero dos.
Step 2: What’s your brand’s personality?
This is one of my FAVORITE exercises to do with my brand strategy clients. When you’re creating a brand from scratch, you need a name, a color combo, a tone of voice, and a design aesthetic. Oh, and all of it has to speak directly to your ideal client.
Cue the overwhelm.
By defining your brand’s personality - how it talks and walks and does business - you can start to gain more clarity and eliminate that overwhelm.
Take Outlaw, for example. While brainstorming our business name, I wrote down every personality trait that felt authentic to our brand.
Here’s what I came up with:
Edgy
Intelligent
Confident
Ambitious
Bold
Creative
Strategic
With these pillars of personality in mind, we knew that our brand was not only highly creative but unafraid to break the mold and be cutting-edge. Enter: Outlaw Creative.
From there, we used our personality traits to craft every other aspect of our brand strategy (and built an entire brand academy program to help other entrepreneurs do the same).
Take Action: Okay, your turn. Refill that latte and write 5 to 10 personality traits that define your brand.
Step 3: What is your product or service all about?
The next step is to consider your product or service.
Take some time to brainstorm words that describe your offering(s). These can be literal descriptive words, like “business strategy” or “digital marketing”, or more abstract words that describe the value you bring to the table, like “transformative” or “community”.
During this exercise, think about the long-term vision of your business. Ask yourself questions like:
How do I plan to expand my product line in the future?
What additional services do I want to offer my clients?
What is the intrinsic value that clients will get from my product/service?
You might find that the words used to describe your products also belong in your business name.
Step 4: Wordplay
You probably have a lot of words staring you down right now. But don’t panic! These are all words that came to mind when thinking about your brand, which means they’re most likely true to you and your vision.
Give yourself another caffeine reboot, place all of your brand words in front of you, and try these 3 brainstorming tools.
Play on words. Identify the words that could have double meanings. For example, if your brand personality is fun and friendly and your product is plant-based food, a play on words could be “upbeet”. (Keep in mind, too punny could easily come off as cheesy. Make sure the play on words ultimately aligns with your brand’s personality and purpose.)
This + that words. Some words make the perfect pair. From bread & butter to whiskey & wine, think about which of your words could be matched up for a brand name that rolls off the tongue.
Grab a thesaurus. When in doubt, choose a few of your favorite brand words and look them up in a thesaurus. This will help you find words that mean the same thing, but say it in a more memorable way. For example, a synonym for “rebel” is “outlaw” (hint, hint).
Step 5: Sit with it
Okay, you just did a lot of brainstorming.
Now, take a step back and let it sink in. You might have a few brand names that stuck out or a handful that don’t feel exactly right. But sometimes, the really great names are the ones that take a minute to grow on you.
Step 6: Check for the trademark
This might be the most important step of all. Once you’ve narrowed it down to a few business name ideas, stop everything and check if they exist already.
For each of your favorite brand names:
Type the URL into Google to see if it’s taken. You need to own your business name’s URL (or at least something close to it).
Check if it’s already a registered trademark. If not, trademark it yourself!
Search it on Instagram or your chosen social media platform. Once again, if the handle doesn’t exist yet, snatch it up before it’s gone.
A quick business name search will tell you which ideas are one-of-a-kind. If you really love a brand name that is clearly taken by another entrepreneur, think about how you can differentiate it to stand out in the crowd.
Don’t forget: Your brand name is just the beginning
With any luck, our 6-step process left you with a collection of names that feel really good. You might have even found “the one”. But not so fast.
Your business name is just one part of building a strong, lasting brand. From brand strategy to your logo and web design, there are so many more steps to solidify before announcing your awesome name to the world.
The good news is, you don’t need to go at it alone.
Here’s a peek at what’s inside our 8-week Brand Academy:
The step-by-step brand building process I use for my highest-paying clients
8 weeks of in-depth support and a safe space to get A’s to your Q’s
Strategy sessions and calls with yours truly!
A supportive network of inspiring entrepreneurs who are building brands alongside you
And SO much more!!
Whether you’re a first-time business owner or a serial entrepreneur, we’ll help you streamline your brand strategy and turn your big idea into the real deal.
Learn more about the Brand Academy here.
Cheers to finding the perfect name for your new business!
