nameing my business

sarahp

i am not sure if i am asking in the right place.

i am trying to start a business in the coming months but i am having trouble with the naming process.

every name i come up with has its critics but none of these critics have any ideas themselves. they just know its wrong.

is their any professionals i can use for this? or any ideas for my next step.

thanks in advance for any help given

Sarah

wba88

tell us what the business does and maybe a few ppl round here will have suggestions. In response to your original question im not aware of any company which does this but im sure there has to be someone doing it

this might help you: http://www.entrepreneur.com/startupbasics/namingyourbusiness/archive116244.html

google search: http://www.google.ie/search?hl=en&q=naming+a+business&meta=

sarahp

thanks a million.

it is a small carpentry company, actually being set up by my partner,

will mainly be doing things like wooden floors, hanging doors, fitting kitchens, decking, custom storage solutions etc...


though he wants the name to be flexible enough if he decides to expand the business into larger renovations etc...

i firstly thought he should keep it very simple
all the names had the word carpentry in it.
e.g c.m carpentry or something like that.

but this had a negative reaction from people sayin it didn't sound high end with carpentry in it. and wasn't flexable enough for expansion to a larger company.

the second lot of names had 'renovation' in it but people thought this word would make you think of jobs like knocking walls and extensions etc.. not the smaller jobs.

my head is wrecked at this stage.

dessie1

Hi Sarah,
I recently started my own business as well.
but in the end hit the nail on the head with mine.

You can have your Surname as the company name - this will involve alot of advertising. COSTS

Eg if you went for somthing like "custom designs" this would open alot of doors for future development of your company. People would have an interest in the name and would want to know what you do.
This should be as much cost as the above.

I think the best idea I can pose to you is to have a look through a dictionary
listing your tpo 10 names you think will work and then
the explanations will also give you the right step.

Everyone knows dictionary words - this will make your company name stand out more than Carpets4u for example.

hope this helps

sarahp

thanks dessie i think i need to have a few more brainstorming sessions. this seems to be the worst part of setting up a business.

so if anyone has any ideas they would be much appreciated.

thanks again

Sarah

Andrea B.

sarahp, I think in coming up with a business name you really need to consider your intended market and ask them.
Write down a list of all the names you have in mind. Try to include the service as much as possible in the name. Present them to different people, without them being able to see other persons scorings, and ask them of they were searching for a finishing chippy for example, which company name would grab their interest.

From what you have said, the words that come to mind to me are;
custom, bespoke, fine-carpentry, solutions, finishing.

For the type of service you are also aiming at, I would also strongly recommend a basic brochure type single web page with an easy to remember web address (max €100' ish) so that it adds credibility and to also include a landline number in any advertising.

sarahp

thanks Andrea. that is brilliant help.

i was planning on doin a small focus group with a few of my mothers friends.
and i can use that to do a bit of free market research into the name.


thanks again.

Andrea B.

Why not list all your proposed names here and let posters comment?
To protect identity you could use "Smith" as substitute for name, if it appears. Unless of course you are Smith!

Aodh

Hi Sarah,

I feel your pain, I'm going to be starting my own business soon too and I'm struggling with the same problem.

I'm a designer and have a healthy interested in branding, etc. I'm always how little surprised at thought some people put into naming their business and how little they think about their brand. It doesn't matter how big or small the company, these things matter. So I think you're making a good start by actually putting thought into it.

I think it's best to go with something that is very simple, one or two words maximum. Personally I don't think the word "carpentry" would restrict the business in terms of expansion, it's a very generic term that covers alot.

As for being "high end", this is where your branding(marketing/design) should come in. It's worth spending money on a good designer to do logos, letter heads, business cards, brochures and graphics for a van. It'll seem like a big cost at the start but straight away it will make the business look professional and well established.

tak

Bonsoir,

It took me over a year to get a good name - and I have put names on many things before.

Apart from finding something that was evocative of something that meant so much to me, and projected the sort of assuring image in others that I wanted, there was the problem of someone else having used it for a similar business !

Go to http://www.cro.ie/search/

to see if there is another Irish company or business name similar.

Look through the google to see if there is a foreign company with the same name.
If there is, your company will not be at the head of the google search queue . . .

Finally, when the right name comes, you must buy the domain name (pref .com, I think - it's more usual and also much cheaper than .ie) before you register the business.
If you don't, those dossers watching Companies' House for new business names will grab the .com and .ie variant and then try to sell them on to you at a steep mark-up.

Also, whether you are going to be a company or a tradership, you have to be aware that registering, say, Green Timberworks Ltd will not prevent a carpetbagger coming along and registering a business name called simply Green Timberworks. This would have a confusing effect on your young business' reputation in the eyes of the public.
So it's normal to register both the company and the business name at the same time to prevent this.
Being in this with your husband will satisfy the legal necessity for having a second director and the financial imperative of not paying the usual €5,000 for a sleeping director.
The cost of registering a business name is only around €35.

I found getting a good name surprisingly hard.
Even the main stars in the main constellations had already been grabbed by shipping companies, fashion importers, etc.


Bonne Chance,

Tak.

failsafe

I liked http://thesaurus.reference.com and banged away at some synonoms until something I liked cought my eye. From a marketing point of view, I could only suggest, instead of trying synonoms of 'carpentry' etc., try words that you want the company name to represent, such as 'reliability', 'friendly' etc.

Try a descriptive adjective and then a second word that loosely fits the trade the business will be involved in. For example, I messed around with a few words like "good quality" and "completed"/"well built" and got a name like "Pristine Finish". More like the name of a cleaning company but you get the gist!

Also, maybe it's just me but I love all the names for ancient gods, maybe google the roman/greek/celtic/nordic god of carpentry (or go the beatles route and have a catchy slogan like
"As good as Jesus's dad"

rediguana

Tree Kings.

Joseph of Nazareth Ltd.

The Wood Wizard.

Sun Beam.

The Plank King.

stepbar

You should be naming your business something like "Paddy O'Leary T/A POL Carpentry Designs" or the like. I wouldnt fret too much about the name as it can be changed in the future.

cormie

Choosing poker.ie was easy for me:D VanTasks.ie required a bit more thought but I'm happy with it and like your husband, I have plans to expand and cover all kinds of tasks so maybe a similar carpentry related universal name would suit him?

Fine Cut Carpentry, Fine Finish Carpentry, ATD Carpentry (attention to detail) or something along them lines or if you really don't want to go with "Carpentry" in the name, maybe something like "Flush". Ok, my mind is asleep, them suggestions are 2.30am suggestions. Will have a think tomorrow too:)

okellyc

If everybody says one thing, then I say "better the other way..."

My preference is for company names that try not to mention the full range of applications (custom designs, fitted furniture etc) cos that's boring, but rather focus on the essence of their craft.

For instance, printers who refer not to brochures, letterhead etc, but rather incoprorate "ink" into their name because without it, they cannot function.

So.. as a carpenter, pick a specific carpentry term or better again focus on your essential material, i.e. wood, and pick a beautiful sounding term there that everyone can associate with. Over to you from here, but some suggestions:
Varnish... Grain.. Mortise & Tenon.. Sandalwood.. Willow.. etc etc

Best of luck!

sarahp

thanks everybody for your great advice. havn't decided on anything yet though still. Head was wrecked so put it on the long finger for a while.

one point that comes up allot is that some people prefer ringing
"John Smith carpentry" as john smith is not able to hide behind a business name and you are likely to get john doin the work for you.
just wondering what you think about this.

though i understand the point about cutting costs of advertising having a name like 'fine finish' etc..

thanks again.


Sarah

cormie

Well who is John Smith anyway? Nobody knows really. You could always have "Fine Finish Carpentry" and in much smaller text below it "A John Smith Company".

What exactly would he like to expand to in the future? Just full renovations? Would he like to be employing carpenters, electricians, plumbers, brick layers, labourers and all that to do pretty much everything? Would he like to keep it small and just cover his local area or does he have plans to expand nationwide?

sarahp

at the moment he wants to keep it small, but in the future hopefully he will want to expand into full renovations, extensons etc... however with a small workforce still.

most probably covering a local area rather than nationwide.

EIREHotspur

What about Leinster Joinary or something with placename in the title.
Or what about Homemakeover.ie?
Woodfit.ie

woodywoodfitter.ie?

I dare you pick the last one.....gowon....lol

Cianos

If you want to eventually go after the high-end jobs, you need to set yourself up for that. High end customers like being convinced that they are getting their moneys worth. And the good thing is, it doesn't take much to convince them of this (branding I mean, quality of work is obviously a completely different issue!). It could just be an extra thickness on your flyer paper, or some sophisticated lettering on your website.

Branding is all about peoples perception. And how you construct your brand has a great effect on how people view you. IMO It's not reeeeally about the name...because most names if dressed up the right way can achieve what you want them to achieve.

It's a mistake to think 'ok, I'll pick a great name and then everything will work'. At the end of the day a name means very little to people. A name is just a name. Knowing how to appeal to their perceptions as potential customers is a lot more important.

EIREHotspur

I agree with a lot of what you say......the best branding envokes a good feeling about a product or business but a great name is also important.

Why aim low on anything.

Cianos

EIREHotspur wrote:

I agree with a lot of what you say......the best branding envokes a good feeling about a product or business but a great name is also important.

Why aim low on anything.

Yeah obviously the best name possible is ideal. But I was just saying that it's important not to put everything into thinking of a great name, but then let the branding fall completely short. And not to get too caught up trying to come up with the best name (which could potentially take months, and possibly still leave the OP discontented), because the mediocrity of a name can be negated through intelligent branding.

Sonnenblumen

Cianos wrote:

because the mediocrity of a name can be negated through intelligent branding.

Disagree, surely for a new entity to differentiate trading name from brand name. In broad terms I would have expecetd that propsective clients would be interested to deal with a principal, in such cases a personal name would be a plus, also reinforces the professional but personal attributes. From the activities described, joinery would be a more sophisticated descriptor and probably accurate than carpentry/timber etc. The former demands a higher skill base for manufacturing and installation. carpentry on the otherhand can be generic and associated with first fixings and more basic skills associated with stud partitioning, first fixings, hanging doors etc etc.

Surname + Joinery + Services (the latter to cover manufacturing and or installations).

Trojan

Take your domain name into account if you're going to be using your website as a marketing tool. Here's some advice I wrote up on choosing the right domain name.