Name it!

Once you decide on a product or service to provide to your customers, you will need to create a name for your business. This can be as simple as using your own name or creating some catchy phrase that encapsulates your brand. Some names have a story behind them; businesses can be named after a significant event or a memory, they can be named after someone special, or they can be a made-up word that has a personal meaning. Names are as versatile as the person creating the product behind them! Let's get creative!"

If you are selling art or something made, sculpted, arranged by hand, you can use words like "...creations, ...masterpieces, ...designs, ...produced." These words can be paired with names or used in a phrase like some of these examples: Katy's Creations, Marveled Masterpieces, Designs by Dave, Produced with Passion. Of course, you can add other words, but the idea is to find a phrase that is fun to say by using similar phonetic sounds. Another idea is to use the name of your street, your family farm, or even a favorite destination: Busy Bee Boulevard, Main Street Makers, 9th & Neat, 7AcreFarms, Treats on Main.

The best advice I can give you on naming your business is to keep it general in case you want to change your product to be something else. If you name it specific like Casey's Cakes, then your customers will expect you to have primarily cake to sell. If you name your business, Paintings by Paul, then your customers will expect to find paintings. They would not go to Casey's Cakes to find a painting. Of course, the choice is up to you, and you can always create another name for a new business venture in the future. If you decide to invest a lot of time and money into your business with signs, and advertising it is best to be sure of a name that you will be happy with for a long time because it can become costly to change everything over to something new.

A lot of times, a name can also appear with a picture called a logo. This is a simple design that allows for recognition of your product based on a familiar graphic. You can probably recall many familiar logos and be able to tell what brand it is just based on the picture: think about some of your clothing, shoes, cars, food, and drinks.

My business is actually named after my great-grandmother, since she inspired my love for baking. I make sweet treats, cakes, and breads so I named my business Granny Bird's because it allows for me to be free in what I make depending on what mood or season I am in. My logo is a bird perched on a branch and is memorable and easily recognizable for my customers as I start growing in popularity. I have also decided to brand myself with a specific color to keep everything in theme. This is not necessary, but can be a fun way to expand your brand.

If you still get stuck on choosing a name for your business, try this link