8 Tips for Naming Your Craft Business

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Ready to start your craft business? Congrats! I think there is no bigger decision you’ll have to make than choosing the *perfect* name.

Now, I’m sharing my tips for naming your craft business.

How to Brainstorm for Craft Business Names

First, it’s time to do a little brainstorming. I recommend getting out a piece of paper and writing down as many potential names or naming ideas that you can think of.

Not sure where to start? Jot down your kid’s names, your nickname, street name, favorite colors, favorite products to make, favorite supplies to use, favorite animals and so on. Just start writing and keep writing the entire time. Try to keep your pen or pencil moving for two or three minutes.

When you complete your list, look over the list and start pairing elements together to form names. Cross off names or words you don’t like. For example, I’d pretty quickly cross ‘turquoise’ off my list below because it is hard to spell.

As an example, let’s pretend I came up with this list after brainstorming:

Farm
Wife
Technology
Water
Manatees
Tshirts
Digital designs
Blue
Aqua
Jewel tones
Bold
Commonwealth
Kids
Florida
Tumblers
Friends
Old fashioned
Traditional
Dolphins
Outdoors
Nature
Muted colors
Hard work
Underwater
Industrial
Swimming
Boats
Personalized gifts
Turquoise
Wood
Wooden
Blue
Green
Solid colors
Hiking
Natural
Earthy
Light blue

These are all things I like, things that are important to me, and products I make. I can now start crossing off elements I don’t like and pairing words together that I do like to form names.

Some names that I might consider:

Aqua Digital Designs
Old Fashioned Gift Store
Bold Water Designs

I’d aim for 5 to 10 potential business names from any brainstorming session.

Tips for Naming Your Business

1) Research your business name before you decide on it. Chances are that some of the names you come up with are already taken.

2) Try to stand out from the rest. Look up your competitors online, and steer clear of using a name too similar to existing shops. For example, there are a lot of shops with the word “Sew” in them, Sew Cute, Sew Unique, Sew Fun, while you may love a variation of these – you don’t want your shop confused with another!

3) Don’t be unique with your spelling. While “Karol’s Kreations” looks beautiful written out, it’s harder for customers to remember and even harder for customers to find using a search engine, like Google. You should go for clear and straightforward – not creative or clever.

4) Choose a name that you’ll be happy with for years to come. It is time consuming to change business names, and confusing for customers.

5) Make sure your name can grow with your business. For example, if you only make personalized wooden signs right now, the name “Jennifer’s Wooden Signs” makes it difficult to market other products in the future.

6) Envision your name before finalizing it. What kind of logo could you put with it? What about a tag line or slogan?

7) Check for accidental meanings. Write out the possible domain name (your website address) on a piece of paper and look at it. Does it accidentally spell something you didn’t intend? Is it too long for customers to remember or too hard to spell?

8) Make sure your name doesn’t include any trademarked words. Did you know that Gerber owns the trademark on the word “onesie”? To check for trademark conflicts, visit the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Still stumped for a name? Get your family and friends involved! If you are active on social media, ask your friends for their suggestions. If you choose a name that a friend or family member suggests, thank them with a small gift.

*All business names listed in this article are fictitious. In the event that any name is the same of a business in use, it was purely coincidental.

How Did Other Business Owners Name Their Businesses?

I asked Cutting for Business readers how they came up with names for their businesses. Some will make you laugh, some will make you cry.