You have a marker in hand and a whiteboard in front of you, yet you’re completely stuck on what to name your new business. Don’t let the blank canvas overwhelm you. Here are some tools and techniques from our partners at .biz domains to help you name your next big business idea. A couple of pointers before we get started:
First, don’t brainstorm alone. It’s tempting to be a lone soldier and keep your ambitious goals close to your chest. But having a select number of trusted people to bounce ideas off of will open the floodgates. Involve your team or close friends with creative prowess.
Second, the web will be your best tool. That doesn’t mean you have to do away with your trusty whiteboard (or napkin) but do leverage the web for endless creativity.
Now, let the brainstorming begin:
Dust Off Your Dictionaries and Thesauruses
Well, thanks to the Internet, just go to both websites and save yourself some page-flipping. Before arriving at your brainstorming session, make sure everyone, including yourself already has a working list of ideas and terms. As each person shares an idea with potential, have the following websites ready: Thesaurus.com and Dictionary.com and Google.com. These easy search sites can help you arrive at a plethora of synonyms and related words for your brainstorming session. If you come up with a business name, Google it and see what comes up. Is the business name already taken or trademarked? Is the domain available?
From Google To Glossary
Every industry has its own set of lingo and jargon. Let’s say you’re opening a new seaside bar and want to appeal to surfers. You make a mean fish and chips and can whip up great happy hour drinks, but you don’t have a clue about surfer-talk. Before settling on calling your beach bar something lame like Cowabunga or Hang Ten, you can Google “Surfing Terms” or “Surf industry glossary” or “Surfer’s lingo” or “surfing slang.” You’ll find an abundance of terms like Grey Belly (an experienced surfer) or Endless Summer (a classic surfer’s movie). Surfer’s Endless Summer already sounds much better than Cowabunga.
Envision Board It
We’ve all heard of vision boards for your life goals. No, you don’t have to start cutting up magazines and quotes to envision your business name. Instead type your business ideas into Google Images or Canva or any stock photo site. What kind of images come up? The photos of scenes and subjects can help spur further creativity.
Get Outside!
As much as a roundtable in an office seems like the traditional setting for creating the biggest of ideas, naming a business is something that will require more time, heart and soul. A catchy, memorable name can determine so much about your company’s path, so it’s something that should not be done hastily. While the web can be your best friend, bring yourself to step away from the conference room and laptop, and immerse yourself in the real world. If you want to start a clothing company, walk the malls or an outdoor bazaar for inspiration. Sometimes even a nature walk or long drive can also help clear your head.
Back To The Drawing Board
Ah, so you’re back to that vast whiteboard. Boil down the best ideas from group brainstorming sessions and check which names are not yet taken. Which results spoke to your gut as the business founder? And because your company’s digital presence is more important than ever, consider which name options might work best for web, social media and search engine optimization purposes. This includes looking into the domain name availability. Nothing is worse than landing on the perfect business name only to find the domain is already taken. A short, memorable domain name will be key to driving traffic (and business) to your store. Consider domain extensions that can grow with your business like .biz.
Factoring these items can determine so much about your business’ future, from branding, to web domains and of course, how easily a customer can find you online. Now, get started!
By our partners at .biz domains