How to Name Your Business New York

How you choose to name your new business can impact its future financial success. If you choose well, potential customers will find you, identify with you, and buy from you. If you choose poorly, you'll confuse potential customers and suppliers, and thus ultimately hurt your business. So don't take naming lightly but rather use a well-thought, disciplined approach to get your business off the ground.

Local Companies

Time Warner Media Sales
(716) 854-9672
726 Exchange St., Ste. 522
Buffalo, NY
Travers Collins & Company
(716) 842-2222 ext. 315
726 Exchange St., Ste. 500
Buffalo, NY
The Buffalo News
(716) 849-3434
One News Plaza
Buffalo, NY
Direct Ad Displays/Driscolls Video
(716) 372-6476
830 N. Union Stre
Olean, NY
Council of Industry
(845) 565-1355
6 Albany Post Road
Newburgh, NY
Times Herald-Record
(845) 341-1100, ex 6031
40 Mulberry Street
Middletown, NY
Q-Search, Inc.
(845) 296-1176
Hollowbrook Office Park 11 Marshall Road, Suite 1M
Wappingers Falls, NY
Finger Lakes Media Strategies
607-280-3840
159 Snyder Hill Rd.
Ithaca, NY
10 Advertising Inc
(212) 206-3944
22 W 21st St
New York, NY
Direct Marketers on Call, Inc.
(212) 691-1942
156 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY

Steps

I. Discovery Process

  1. Write down the overall customer experience you expect your current and future products and services will provide.
  2. Write down the key benefits of your products and services
  3. Write down down the features of your key products and services

II. Brainstorm a List of Well Over 100 Names

  1. Assemble a group of at least 10 persons, i.e. customers, staff, friends, family, etc.
  2. Set a rule for the brainstorming session that everyone suspend judgment on any name ideas suggested. The key to good brainstorming is freedom to create a list of ideas inspired at the moment, not to immediately choose the perfect name.
  3. Start by brainstorming names around the benefit, features, and customer experience.
  4. Go broader and brainstorm names around intuitive and associative feelings around the benefit, features, and customer experience i.e. visual, audio, smell, touch, taste.
  5. Ask participants what imaginary or visceral associations come to mind when they think of your business or product benefits. For example, when you think of your product, does it make you think of a cool calm sea? A tiger? Relief? Bitter taste?
  6. Ask participants why they suggested the ideas above, and continue to build names from their inspiration.

III. Pass an Initial Filter for Your Brainstormed Names

  1. Avoid names that are more than 2 or 3 syllables
  2. Eliminate names that are difficult to pronounce or spell
  3. Delete names that cannot be trademarked or are too generic
  4. Watch out for names that limit the potential scope of your current and future business

IV. Pass a Second Filter for Remaining Brainstormed Names

  1. Take out names where an internet domain name is not available
  2. Eliminate names that are already trademarked in your industry
  3. Choose names that differentiate you from competitors, but connect well with potential customers
  4. Highlight names that allow the potential growth of your company

V. Make the Decision

  1. Discuss the pros and cons of your final list of names with colleagues, staff, friends, family, potential customers.
  2. Proudly say each name aloud and see if it resonates with you
  3. Choose the name.

Related wikiHows

Start a Small Business

Sources and Citations

Practical Business Tips & Ideas (original author and source)

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Name Your Business. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Featured Local Company

Time Warner Media Sales

(716) 854-9672
726 Exchange St., Ste. 522
Buffalo, NY

Related Articles
- How to Build Business Credit New York
Venturing in a business is a significant step in securing one?s future. However, starting a business or running a business is not as easy as it may seem. There are many challenges that an aspiring entrepreneur must face if he wants to succeed. But many of these challenges or trials can be avoided or overcome with proper planning and preparation.
- How to Easily Build Business Credit New York
- How to Obtain a Business License New York
- Professional Logo New York
- How to Start a Business New York
- Benefits of a Home Business New York
- Business Cards for Promotion New York
- How to Properly Use a Business Card New York
- Business Card Etiquette New York
- Applying for a Small Business Loan New York
Regional Articles
- How to Name Your Business Albany NY
- How to Name Your Business Amityville NY
- How to Name Your Business Amsterdam NY
- How to Name Your Business Arverne NY
- How to Name Your Business Astoria NY
- How to Name Your Business Auburn NY
- How to Name Your Business Babylon NY
- How to Name Your Business Baldwin NY
- How to Name Your Business Baldwinsville NY
- How to Name Your Business Ballston Spa NY
- How to Name Your Business Bay Shore NY
- How to Name Your Business Bayside NY
- How to Name Your Business Beacon NY
- How to Name Your Business Bellerose NY
- How to Name Your Business Bellmore NY
- How to Name Your Business Bethpage NY
- How to Name Your Business Binghamton NY
- How to Name Your Business Brentwood NY
- How to Name Your Business Brewster NY
- How to Name Your Business Brockport NY
- How to Name Your Business Bronx NY
- How to Name Your Business Bronxville NY
- How to Name Your Business Brooklyn NY
- How to Name Your Business Buffalo NY
- How to Name Your Business Cambria Heights NY
- How to Name Your Business Camillus NY
- How to Name Your Business Canandaigua NY
- How to Name Your Business Centereach NY
- How to Name Your Business Central Islip NY
- How to Name Your Business Clifton Park NY
- How to Name Your Business Cohoes NY
- How to Name Your Business College Point NY
- How to Name Your Business Commack NY
- How to Name Your Business Copiague NY
- How to Name Your Business Coram NY
- How to Name Your Business Corning NY
- How to Name Your Business Corona NY
- How to Name Your Business Cortland NY
- How to Name Your Business Cortlandt Manor NY
- How to Name Your Business Deer Park NY
- How to Name Your Business Delmar NY
- How to Name Your Business Depew NY
- How to Name Your Business Dunkirk NY
- How to Name Your Business East Amherst NY
- How to Name Your Business East Aurora NY
- How to Name Your Business East Elmhurst NY
- How to Name Your Business East Islip NY
- How to Name Your Business East Meadow NY
- How to Name Your Business East Northport NY
- How to Name Your Business East Setauket NY
- How to Name Your Business East Syracuse NY
- How to Name Your Business Elmhurst NY
- How to Name Your Business Elmira NY
- How to Name Your Business Elmont NY
- How to Name Your Business Endicott NY
- How to Name Your Business Fairport NY
- How to Name Your Business Far Rockaway NY
- How to Name Your Business Farmingdale NY
- How to Name Your Business Farmingville NY
- How to Name Your Business Floral Park NY
- How to Name Your Business Flushing NY
- How to Name Your Business Forest Hills NY
- How to Name Your Business Franklin Square NY
- How to Name Your Business Fredonia NY
- How to Name Your Business Freeport NY
- How to Name Your Business Fresh Meadows NY
- How to Name Your Business Fulton NY
- How to Name Your Business Garden City NY
- How to Name Your Business Glen Cove NY
- How to Name Your Business Glen Oaks NY
- How to Name Your Business Glens Falls NY
- How to Name Your Business Gloversville NY
- How to Name Your Business Great Neck NY
- How to Name Your Business Hamburg NY
- How to Name Your Business Hauppauge NY
- How to Name Your Business Hempstead NY
- How to Name Your Business Hicksville NY
- How to Name Your Business Hilton NY
- How to Name Your Business Holbrook NY
- How to Name Your Business Hollis NY
- How to Name Your Business Hopewell Junction NY
- How to Name Your Business Horseheads NY
- How to Name Your Business Howard Beach NY
- How to Name Your Business Huntington NY
- How to Name Your Business Huntington Station NY
- How to Name Your Business Islip NY
- How to Name Your Business Ithaca NY
- How to Name Your Business Jackson Heights NY
- How to Name Your Business Jamaica NY
- How to Name Your Business Jamestown NY
- How to Name Your Business Kew Gardens NY
- How to Name Your Business Kings Park NY
- How to Name Your Business Kingston NY
- How to Name Your Business Lancaster NY
- How to Name Your Business Larchmont NY
- How to Name Your Business Latham NY
- How to Name Your Business Levittown NY
- How to Name Your Business Lindenhurst NY
- How to Name Your Business Little Neck NY
- How to Name Your Business Liverpool NY
- How to Name Your Business Lockport NY
- How to Name Your Business Long Beach NY
- How to Name Your Business Long Island City NY
- How to Name Your Business Lynbrook NY
- How to Name Your Business Mahopac NY
- How to Name Your Business Malone NY
- How to Name Your Business Mamaroneck NY
- How to Name Your Business Manhasset NY
- How to Name Your Business Manlius NY
- How to Name Your Business Maspeth NY
- How to Name Your Business Massapequa NY
- How to Name Your Business Massapequa Park NY
- How to Name Your Business Massena NY
- How to Name Your Business Mastic NY
- How to Name Your Business Melville NY
- How to Name Your Business Merrick NY
- How to Name Your Business Middle Village NY
- How to Name Your Business Middletown NY
- How to Name Your Business Mineola NY
- How to Name Your Business Monroe NY
- How to Name Your Business Monsey NY
- How to Name Your Business Mount Kisco NY
- How to Name Your Business Mount Vernon NY
- How to Name Your Business Nanuet NY
- How to Name Your Business New City NY
- How to Name Your Business New Hartford NY
- How to Name Your Business New Hyde Park NY
- How to Name Your Business New Paltz NY
- How to Name Your Business New Rochelle NY
- How to Name Your Business New Windsor NY
- How to Name Your Business New York NY
- How to Name Your Business Newburgh NY
- How to Name Your Business Niagara Falls NY
- How to Name Your Business North Babylon NY
- How to Name Your Business North Tonawanda NY
- How to Name Your Business Nyack NY
- How to Name Your Business Oakland Gardens NY
- How to Name Your Business Oceanside NY
- How to Name Your Business Ogdensburg NY
- How to Name Your Business Olean NY
- How to Name Your Business Oneonta NY
- How to Name Your Business Orchard Park NY
- How to Name Your Business Ossining NY
- How to Name Your Business Oswego NY
- How to Name Your Business Ozone Park NY
- How to Name Your Business Patchogue NY
- How to Name Your Business Pearl River NY
- How to Name Your Business Peekskill NY
- How to Name Your Business Penfield NY
- How to Name Your Business Pittsford NY
- How to Name Your Business Plainview NY
- How to Name Your Business Plattsburgh NY
- How to Name Your Business Port Chester NY
- How to Name Your Business Port Jefferson Station NY
- How to Name Your Business Port Washington NY
- How to Name Your Business Potsdam NY
- How to Name Your Business Poughkeepsie NY
- How to Name Your Business Queens Village NY
- How to Name Your Business Queensbury NY
- How to Name Your Business Rego Park NY
- How to Name Your Business Rensselaer NY
- How to Name Your Business Richmond Hill NY
- How to Name Your Business Ridgewood NY
- How to Name Your Business Riverhead NY
- How to Name Your Business Rochester NY
- How to Name Your Business Rockaway Park NY
- How to Name Your Business Rockville Centre NY
- How to Name Your Business Rome NY
- How to Name Your Business Ronkonkoma NY
- How to Name Your Business Roosevelt NY
- How to Name Your Business Rosedale NY
- How to Name Your Business Rye NY
- How to Name Your Business Saint Albans NY
- How to Name Your Business Saint James NY
- How to Name Your Business Saratoga Springs NY
- How to Name Your Business Saugerties NY
- How to Name Your Business Sayville NY
- How to Name Your Business Scarsdale NY
- How to Name Your Business Schenectady NY
- How to Name Your Business Selden NY
- How to Name Your Business Shirley NY
- How to Name Your Business Smithtown NY
- How to Name Your Business South Ozone Park NY
- How to Name Your Business South Richmond Hill NY
- How to Name Your Business Spencerport NY
- How to Name Your Business Spring Valley NY
- How to Name Your Business Springfield Gardens NY
- How to Name Your Business Staten Island NY
- How to Name Your Business Stony Brook NY
- How to Name Your Business Suffern NY
- How to Name Your Business Sunnyside NY
- How to Name Your Business Syosset NY
- How to Name Your Business Syracuse NY
- How to Name Your Business Tarrytown NY
- How to Name Your Business Tonawanda NY
- How to Name Your Business Troy NY
- How to Name Your Business Uniondale NY
- How to Name Your Business Utica NY
- How to Name Your Business Valley Stream NY
- How to Name Your Business Vestal NY
- How to Name Your Business Wantagh NY
- How to Name Your Business Wappingers Falls NY
- How to Name Your Business Watertown NY
- How to Name Your Business Watervliet NY
- How to Name Your Business Webster NY
- How to Name Your Business West Babylon NY
- How to Name Your Business West Hempstead NY
- How to Name Your Business West Islip NY
- How to Name Your Business Westbury NY
- How to Name Your Business White Plains NY
- How to Name Your Business Whitestone NY
- How to Name Your Business Woodhaven NY
- How to Name Your Business Woodside NY
- How to Name Your Business Wyandanch NY
- How to Name Your Business Yonkers NY
- How to Name Your Business Yorktown Heights NY
Related Local Events
Cooperstown Farmers' Market
Dates: 11/21/2009 - 11/21/2009
Location:
Cooperstown, NY
View Details

Indoor Yard Sale
Dates: 11/21/2009 - 11/21/2009
Location: Sands-Willets House
Port Washington, NY
View Details

Weekly Chamber Meeting
Dates: 11/25/2009 - 11/25/2009
Location: Hulbert House
Boonville, NY
View Details

Weekly Chamber Meeting
Dates: 11/27/2009 - 11/27/2009
Location: Hulbert House
Boonville, NY
View Details

Cooperstown Farmers' Market
Dates: 11/28/2009 - 11/28/2009
Location:
Cooperstown, NY
View Details

Rss   Delicious   Digg   Add To My Yahoo   Add To My Google   Bookmark   Search Plugin

Topics:
Advertising Construction Health Legal
Business Services Education Home Services Real Estate
Careers & Work Family Insurance Software
Cars Financial Services Internet Telecommunications
Computing & Technology