What’s in a Name?

Does your company name cause eyes to glaze over – or does it garner a double take?

Kristin Hoffner’s business falls under the latter. That’s because she’s a franchise owner of moving company College Hunks Hauling Junk.

Why the humorous moniker? “I think that the name is well known, catchy and a good angle for female business owners,” says Hoffner. “It causes people to stop and pay attention. It’s not something you would expect.”

Hoffner says the name has affected her business positively by making it memorable while accurately explaining what they do. Though it’s caused some to doubt the worker’s professionalism, “once we explain our

extensive experience with commercial clients, it ends up being an added benefit to have a fun name.”

Entrepreneur reports that effective company names reinforce key elements of your business, are free of geographic or generic words, aren’t too long and conjure up pleasant memories for customers to respond to on an emotional level.

The U.S. Small Business Administration suggests imagining how the name will look on a business card and distinguish you from competitors. They advise against misspellings, abbreviations and anything potentially misleading or offensive.

Still stumped? Sites like BizNameWiz let you enter keywords and generate “buzzworthy” name options. After settling on one, you can check the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to make sure someone hasn’t snatched it up.

Bonus PINK Link: Now that you’ve got a memorable name, here’s how to plan a memorable marketing campaign.

What’s your favorite company name and why? Tell us in .

By Caroline Cox

“Words have meaning – names have power.” Unknown