How to name your business
Posted: Jan 26, 2010
BusinessWeek’s Smart Answers blog provides some tips on answering that sometimes impossible-to-answer question: “What should we call ourselves?” Business-nomenclature experts say those stuck in the name game should get help from a witty friend (and not focus groups), consult a thesaurus to find powerful words that convey their central identity and make sure a relevant Web URL will be available. We’d add this thought: In an industry full of shops whose names are derived from puns on words like grounds and java, you should tell your “brilliantly clever name” to 10 people. If more than two react by groaning, you’d be wise to move onto something else.
—Dan Leif
