Any "Marketers" here?

If so, a bit of advice on "branding" please:

I run my own retail business(es) and I've been taking a CIM course to keep me up with modern thinking. So, what I can't find in my text-books is real advice on naming a business. Some say that you should use your own name as it demonstrates ownership - like Hein Gericke or Paul Smith - but others say you should make up a name that describes what it is - like The Body Shop, or The Sock Shop.

I just don't know which way to go!

The only thing I know, from an accountany point of view, is that if you use your own name, and someone else has that name you're not liable to be sued because it's your actual name.

Sorry, that's probably no help at all.

Nutty x

Originally Posted by M.Ockx

If so, a bit of advice on "branding" please:

I run my own retail business(es) and I've been taking a CIM course to keep me up with modern thinking. So, what I can't find in my text-books is real advice on naming a business. Some say that you should use your own name as it demonstrates ownership - like Hein Gericke or Paul Smith - but others say you should make up a name that describes what it is - like The Body Shop, or The Sock Shop.

I just don't know which way to go!

Depends what you retail. If you sell a single line like just Chocolates - I would go with what it is. Are you rebranding?

[Spiderman]

Sometimes a catchy name that has little or even nothing to do with your business can be a good idea.

I know of an Indian restaurant called Mahatma Cote (my hat, my coat)
and a builder whos business is called Bodgitt & Legitt.

The builder, in fairness has a great reputation and gets most of his business by referals.

So what sort of business is it your thinking of names for?

My hairdressers is called Funky Chunky - I love it!

Seen a hairdresser called Dead Swanky. The S keeps getting nicked. Don't know why must be me being innocent!!!!!

There's a hairdressers near me called "Curl Up and Dye"

There's village near me called Knockin and it's newsagent is called 'The Knockin Shop'

Originally Posted by M.Ockx

If so, a bit of advice on "branding" please:

I run my own retail business(es) and I've been taking a CIM course to keep me up with modern thinking. So, what I can't find in my text-books is real advice on naming a business. Some say that you should use your own name as it demonstrates ownership - like Hein Gericke or Paul Smith - but others say you should make up a name that describes what it is - like The Body Shop, or The Sock Shop.

I just don't know which way to go!

I'm wondering about setting up a business and am inclined to go for a made up personal name. Quite a few businesses have done this, a couple of the most famous being Ann Summers or Elizabeth Duke.

There's some good information here:

http://www.microsoft.com/smallbusine..._to_avoid.mspx

[northwind]

Sometimes it doesn't work so well. Like Richer Sounds, it just seems like a bit of a rubbish name, nobody knows it's named after the founder Julian Richer. And people pronounce it different ways, which isn't good.

So, if you have an amusing, unmemorable, hard to pronounce or indistinguised name, I'd say no. It does vary a lot from business to business- some areas obviously favour more formal names, depending on the industry.