This is part 3 of the Fashion Startup Checklist. A series of 21 steps dedicated to helping you launch your fashion brand as smartly and efficiently as possible.
Here’s where you’re at…
You’ve brainstormed a concept and proven it through good research. Now you’re ready to start building it! A new company, like a new baby, requires a name.
Why Name Your Company
We have SOO many clients who want to start developing products before they even choose a name. That’s like raising your kid to school age without even giving her a name. Among other things, it doesn’t say much about your parenting skills!
A name allows you to bond with your business, which is super important during these early days. It allows you to get to know it better and to introduce it to other people. A business with a great name takes on form and begins to develop a life of its own.
A name is the first step toward building a brand, and, as we’ll learn later, branding is the personality of a company. It allows the customer to fall in love with what it signifies and what it sells.
A name can be changed later, of course, if it’s necessary. And sometimes it is. Sometimes, as you work through the process, you realize that your first instinct wasn’t the best one. That’s totally fine – and healthy even – but you should take the process seriously and try to land on a name that’s as likely to survive as possible.
How to Name Your Company
Naming is a difficult step for some and easy as pie for others. It just depends on who you are.
What you’re looking for in a name is something unique and easily identified. Uniqueness is so important. Try your best to choose a name that won’t be confused with another brand, and that won’t land you in hot water legally.
There are a few pitfalls that you should avoid: Too Wordy, Too Trendy, Too Boring….
A great name will have a “feel”, a “flavor”. A person unfamiliar with your brand should be able to get some kind of vibe from the name alone that will give them some insight into what to expect from the brand.
Names that are too wordy are just annoying to say, to write, and to remember. Keep it as short as possible.
Avoid names that are too trendy. If you’re seeing something that’s really common on social media, it’s probably to late to catch that wave. And you don’t want a name that dates your brand to any particular trend that might expire.
Especially keep in mind that if you’re building a brand in the USA that you intend to sell overseas, you should consider that many of your customers might have limited English skills, so the name should be easy to read and pronounce by anyone you intend to sell to.
Use this opportunity to stand out!
Resources & Links
Personally, when I’m researching a name for a brand, I first brainstorm a few options that I like, then go to Namecheap.com and do a search to see what domain names and extensions are available.
The name is most important, of course, but the extension can be important as well.
Generally, a .com domain extension will inspire more trust, more confidence in your customer. But that’s not a hard rule. Sometimes a name is just SO good that it’s worth putting up with a weird extension. And, some names just flow really well with an alternative domain extension like .co , .market, et cetera.
Don’t choose something cheesy that doesn’t relate to your brand. Just because Coolclothes.ai is the only thing available, doesn’t mean that you should choose it. The extension probably has nothing to do with your brand and it just sounds silly.
Also, keep in mind that if the domain name you want isn’t available, that could mean that you have competition for the name. Do your due diligence and check out all the domains that are taken and make sure you’re not going to be competing from day dot with a similar brand.
If you need some help, call on a pro to help you out. Here at Prototype, we have a great service available to help you brainstorm and choose a brand name.
