What's in a name, really? Just because you know my name is Alex doesn't mean you know anything about me. If you're Gertrude, you're not automatically an 80-year-old woman knitting in a rocking chair. Your name, after all, is just your name.
The same isn't true for your company name, though. Unlike a newborn baby -- a tiny wailing infant you know nothing about except that you love it -- your company is your baby of a whole different variety. You've created this thing in the exact image you want it to take; you've nurtured it from nothing out of passion, creativity, and a perceived gap in the market that would benefit from its existence. What you name your company says everything about what it represents, about what it will deliver -- and about you, as its founder, CEO, and doting parent.
The naming stakes are raised for startups. Call it unfair if you'd like, but by definition a startup is leaner, more transparent and innovative than larger faceless corporations or booming businesses with myriad global locations. A startup is an idea that has something to prove -- often with very little capital at the beginning -- and therefore must impress people and catch their attention as quickly as possible. A startup needs publicity to thrive, and nothing gains media traction like a catchy name. (Ahem, Winter Storm Nemo.)
I've long surmised that a successful startup name here in Boston requires conjuring two slick-sounding words, one of which must be a verb, and sticking them together to form a new, flashy hybrid phrase. Jumptap comes to mind, as does CoachUp, Dailybreak, HubSpot and LevelUp, to name but a sampling. Making up words is encouraged, as well (Crashlytics, Acquia). And of course, there's changing the spelling of a common word to make a new, much cooler word, like docTrackr.
These are great companies, spurred on, in part, by the cheeky monikers they've chosen to represent them.
But if you're just starting out, how do you ensure your startup name will be a hit, instead of something nobody can pronounce or make any sense of?
You could fill in Mad Libs until something sticks, but Inc.com recently published an article with 6 tips for making a great startup name, so let's start there instead.
1. Watch out for sound-alikes.
They use the example of Phaser, which of course could be spelled as Fazer or Faser and thus lead to confusing Google searches and loss of business.
For the sake of argument, let's consider an idea that just popped into my head for DreamWeaver, a smartphone app that makes custom background images for your phone based on details from whatever you had a dream about the night before.
I think the spelling here is pretty straightforward, so let's move on.
2. Wait for the lightbulb moment.
"Start-ups should take some time saying the words out loud because they're going to be saying it a lot: on the phone, in face-to-face meetings, in presentations. You want your words to easily translate to the keyboard for accuracy and ease," said BloomThink CEO Billy Cripe.
I think DreamWeaver is pretty solid here. It's already an awesome song that people know and love. Now it's an awesome app, too.
3. Let your name tell a story.
The story behind DreamWeaver might not be as cool as that of Warby Parker, the eyewear company named after two characters from a long-lost Jack Kerouac journal. (I did just make it up.) But it's pretty intuitive. People love talking about dreams; now they can show off their bespoke dream art to help prove how mind blowing their mind is when they're not even trying.
4. Make it personal.
Dryven, the company that makes the app Bus Rage, is a combination of owner Caroline Fielding's three grandson's names: Dean, Bryan and Steven. "The name is easier to remember [for customers] when there is a personal story behind it," she said.
I am not a big fan of people I don't know that well blathering about last night's dream. (Hence the creative outlet to get it out of your system before you happen to sit next to me on the T.) And my last name is Weaver. If that's not making it personal, I don't know what is. DreamWeaver is 4-for-4.
5. Don't be too practical.
"No one wants just a tool that says what it does; they want a name that represents something bigger than it does," said Aaron Frazin, CEO of Charlie, an app that culls info about your contacts before you meet them in person.
If I were being overly literal about it, my app would be called DreamArt, or DreamyBackground, or DontTellMeAboutYourDreamTellYourPhone.
6. Make sure you love it.
I love my app's name. But I have no desire to make a living of deciphering people's dreams (that's actually my nightmare), and I know very little about what makes compelling art. So my startup is doomed to fail before it begins, however apt its name.
What do you think of these rules? Any to add? Sound off in the comments section below.
Related:
