So you’ve gotten this far in the process of launching your new home watch business. For many, naming their business is the easiest thing on the average entrepreneur’s ‘to-do’ list. However, for others, this task can become an enormous hurdle. In reality, for your home watch business to be successful, the brand you create by naming it will have a great deal to do with the amount of success you experience. That is because the business name will be the identity that your service will be recognized by. This means you have to take serious consideration when choosing a business name.
But I can save you a lot of time on this. That’s because I have not only assisted many entrepreneurs over the years with tips on business names, I have devised a simple list that will guide you through this process. It isn’t that hard to come up with a name for any business if you follow my proven tips.
1 – Make It An Easy Name
There are several reasons why your business name has to be anything but complicated. That’s because if you keep it simple, it will be a lot easier to remember. You have to keep in mind that your customer base is going to very likely span all age demographics and because of this, you will help your business by having a name that everyone can remember. That also means that an easy business name can be spelled and pronounced with ease. Plus, with the internet being such a huge source of promotion and potential business, you will want your business name to be easy to find on the internet. For example, Fred’s Home Watch Service is easy to say, spell and remember. As a web domain name, it becomes www.fredshomewatchservice.com which works well.
2 – Don’t Be Trendy/Cute Or Goofy
Following trends is not always a bad thing but if you do this when naming your business you risk having an outdated name sometime in the future. This is why a timeless name works best as does a name that does not have cute or unusual spelling. For example, Fredz Home Watch Service may sound timeless but the spelling may cause it to become harder to find in online directories. You also have to keep your client demographic in mind. Will the unusual spelling be understood by senior customers? What about those who may not speak fluent English? Your business can suffer when the business name has a trendy or cute treatment done to it. Sure, it may seem like a good idea at the time but in five, ten, fifteen and twenty years from now, you will have to still live with that name.
3 – Emphasis What The Business Does
I know. That sounds far too obvious, doesn’t it? But you’d be surprised how many people name their business and don’t even include a hint about what that business does. Yes, if every one of your customers knows you and your business well you might get away with it. However, if you are seeking new clients and your business name is simply ‘Fred’s’ you are not going to get a lot of inquiries about your home watch business because your business name doesn’t even mention it. Imagine what older clients are thinking if they are trying to find you in the phone book and don’t know the name of your business but are pretty sure that you provide home watch service. These are just a couple of examples to help you to understand that as redundant as you may think to call your business Fred’s Home Watch Service may be, it does state what the business is in one short name.
4 – Think About Online Visitors
The internet is a pretty interesting resource tool. You can use it to be entertained, to learn things, to research and to search. If your home watch business is based in one small community but you provide services to the surrounding half dozen small towns within a certain radius, the internet can assist you in generating new business. However, for this to happen, you have to know a few things about websites and search engines. You can call your business Fred’s Home Watch Service because it says basically what you want it to say. But you can add to that to localize the traffic online. For example, if you live in Kelowna, British Columbia, your website is going to include several references to Kelowna. But if you provide service also to Peachland, Summerland, Lake Country and West Kelowna (all local communities around Kelowna) you can have webpages in your website that target just those specific communities. With proper SEO on those pages, someone in Summerland looking for a home watch business may land on your Summerland page which funnels extra business to you.
5 – Skip Abbreviations/Initials
So Fred’s full name happens to be Fred Alexander Taylor. He didn’t want to name his home watch business Fred’s Home Watch Service because he thought it didn’t sound professional enough. So, instead, he chose to just use his initials in the business name. That turned it into FAT Home Watch Service. Maybe that won’t be so bad in the long run and it is still kind of easy to remember. Fred could get away with that one. But if his name was Xavier Frederick Johnson, that would be a whole different story. Sure, XFJ Home Watch Service has a bit of a ring to it. But will you be able to remember it for six months or a year from now when you need Fred’s service? Again, this is why I strongly suggest putting a lot of thought into the naming of your home watch business.
6 – Naming It After Someone/Something
This is another one of those things that could actually go against you in so many ways. Sure, it may be fun to name your business after your hometown but if you live in Pittsburgh and your business is called Boston Home Watch Service, you are just going to confuse your potential clients. The same thing goes if you are Fred and you name your business after your wife. Yes, it may be a nice gesture but Candi’s Home Watch Service may not sound as legitimate as you’d hope especially if you keep getting phone calls with people asking to speak to Candi and she doesn’t even work with you.
7 – Changing The Name Frequently
One word of caution when you are naming your business. The idea behind picking the right name is to prevent you from eventually deciding to change the name once you have become established in the home watch business. It isn’t a very good plan. Once you settle on a name, you are not exactly stuck with it, but you should use it for the length of time you are in business. Customers who deal with businesses that seem to go through several name changes – even if those are the result of the business being bought and operated by a new owner – eventually take their business somewhere else. Even if your home watch business is stable and secure, name changes signal one thing to customers. They see a name change as a sign of further changes such as rates, services provided and more. With the right business name from the start, you will avoid any of this happening to you.
The Reality Of A Good Business Name
If you are still struggling with trying to come up with a good name for your home watch business all you have to do is look around you. Focus on the business names in your community that are home-based, one or two-person operated businesses. What are they calling themselves? Can you identify the type of business they provide? Is the name easy to remember? Does the name have an odd spelling or pronunciation to it? Does the name translate well to an internet domain name? All of these questions can be answered when you look at other start-up business names. Don’t let it bog you down and don’t let the process of naming your business become a huge issue. If you follow the guidelines I have provided, you should be able to come up with an effective business name for your home watch business. If you’d like more help, How To Start A Profitable Home Watch Business has a list of over 40 perfect names for your new home watch business.