If you are looking for a name for your business and are about to call it or your brand by the name of a private individual – stop everything and read what we have to say.
“I can’t find a name for my business,” “I’ve been stuck for two months, I have no name!” “Do you maybe have a good idea for a name?” These are the questions that repeat themselves over and over from entrepreneurs looking for their business path, coming to us for business branding – getting stuck in the name search stage is not pleasant, it holds everything back, and there were even those who despaired and ended up not realizing their dream business.
One of the significant chapters in the brand development process is thinking about the brand name. Unlike a business name, the recommendation when it comes to brand development is always to create a new name and not rely on something existing, especially not a personal name. A brand name has many implications, direct responsibility for its success, and a significant part in sales processes – in this article, we will understand some of the fundamentals in branding thinking and how a business name brings them to fruition.
The dangers hidden in using a personal name as a business name
When we get stuck, we usually look for easy, available, and quick solutions. Yoav came to us with a particularly sad story. He sat across from me in a restaurant with tears in his eyes and a broken voice: “Ten years ago, I started a business in renewable energy. We tried to find an interesting name for the business, but we couldn’t agree on anything, and since at the time I didn’t think the name would have any significance other than for registration purposes, I decided to name the business after my son, Yiftah. And the business flourished. Success brought with it a need for quality manpower, so I hired my brother to help, and later he also received shares and was appointed CEO of the company. Apparently, on bad advice, he made a hostile takeover and within a short time, I was left out of the company I had built without any influence.”
“But you got money, I suppose,” I asked.
“Yes. A lot of money indeed, but I would give it all back to prevent my son’s name from being associated with a company I have no control over. Who knows what could happen there? Who knows if they won’t start scamming people? And all in my son’s name. I’m filled with regret that I didn’t think about it, I would give everything to turn back the clock.”
I sympathized with Yoav’s pain, but deep down I knew there wasn’t much to be done. The business world is very cruel, there’s no place for sentiments familiar to our private lives. Unfortunately, too many people enter the business world without proper preparation – choosing a personal name instead of a business name is just one of the common mistakes people make. Yes, there are dozens of examples of people who have built empires with their personal names, but the level of risk is enormous – one mistake and your personal name can become the biggest obstacle in your life.
The right way to come up with a brand name is first of all to create a separation between the personal name, representing an individual with a need for privacy, and the brand name representing a new entity, intriguing from a marketing perspective, encouraging us to solve all our life problems through its products, appearing at every opportunity, and the last thing it’s interested in – privacy.
The most valuable real estate in town
But privacy is not the only reason to delve into the search for a name. Let’s dig a little deeper into the mechanics of things – a brand name is the hottest real estate there is! It appears on every invoice, in every phone answer, in every advertisement the brand releases, at the top of the website, in the logo – the holy of holies. Start paying attention to advertisements – the business name appears more times than any other message we produce. Interesting fact, right? Now that you are aware of the hottest real estate of yours, what will you do with it? Will you use the name Oren? Yitzhak? Ilana? Maybe Carmel? What a waste of energy! Instead of leveraging your best real estate and embedding a powerful marketing message in it, you waste it on a name that doesn’t mean anything to anyone. Isn’t it a shame? Want to reach a quality brand name – start with the important question, what is my promise to the customer? What is the business message my brand conveys?
Keep it short
Another significant principle in choosing a brand name is the length of the name, or more precisely – the shortness of the name. The feature of being short over time and with patience becomes stronger among the audience. It’s no coincidence that companies like Get Taxi shorten the name over time to Gett. Of course, behind the move, there is business-branding thinking. Following the same line of thought, the coupon company Groupon was later called by the shorter name GROO, based on the previous name, providing it with a quicker expression capability. This model, according to which today giant companies operate worldwide, indicates a certain trend that can also be applied to small brands when thinking about a business name for them. Even a short and catchy name that doesn’t necessarily have to have a meaning or sometimes even a misspelling or letter scramble can be an excellent brand name if used correctly by professional hands.
Originality Index
How will you know if the brand name you chose is original? You won’t. The issue of originality is complex, and it is reasonable to assume that by “simple” means, you will not be able to identify whether the name you chose is completely original and whether there will not be objections along the way. My recommendation, to you and to all our clients, is to consult with a lawyer specializing in copyright law. Our studio is accompanied by such a lawyer who provides all our clients with special assistance to those seeking to protect a name, logo, or any other trademark. Finding an available domain or even a Google search that doesn’t yield results is not a substitute for a professional examination. Also here, it is worth remembering that a lawyer cannot prevent a lawsuit but can only protect you in the future from attempts to copy.
Summary
In this article, we did not talk about what should be in a name but rather what not to do and why it is worthwhile for you to invest in the brand development process, including a business name, and not to compromise on your private name. If you still have questions, you are welcome to contact us at any time, and a professional will assist you as much as possible.
