quick tip: how to name your business.

If there’s one question I get asked by my clients all of the time, it’s what should I name my business? And my answer usually is, it depends.

While there are lots of people out there who keep it simple and use their names, there are also quite a few who have come up with something cute and memorable. Think: “The Balanced Blonde” or “Clean Food, Dirty City” or “Holistically Slim.”

It’s understandable that you might be questioning the direction you should go. In fact, being thoughtful about your business name and how you position your brand is super important, so it’s awesome that you’re doing your due diligence!

Here’s what I recommend so that you make the best choice for you.

Use your name if:

• You want to be the face of your brand and for your name to be what people remember
• You only offer services like coaching, speaking, or workshops
• You see your business evolving into more than it is right now

Why I recommend this: Using your name gives your business space to change and grow, and for you to really build your personal brand.

Use something other than your name if:

• You want to create a lifestyle brand, blog, or online magazine
• You don’t want to be the face of your brand
• You want to create products or bring together experts under one roof

Why I recommend this: Your business is about much more than you personally and should be more representative of the lifestyle, products, or collective services you hope to promote.

Examples of this would be MindBodyGreen, Sakara Life, and Parsley Health.

If you decide to go with the latter and use something other than your own name, my advice is to keep it simple. You want it to be easy to remember, spell, and say. So don’t try to get too fancy! Most importantly, you must be crystal clear about what your business stands for and what it’s purpose is before coming up with a name. That will ensure you align your name with your core mission. And yes, you’ll want to snag the corresponding social media handles too! If they’re taken, just come up with a variation using “.” or “_” or “-“.

I hope this quick tip was insightful! Please let me know if it helped clarify this process for you in the comments below.