Operations

Naming your company is not a job for a Friday night and a six pack. On this episode, Susan breaks down the naming mistakes she runs into constantly with DIY clients, names nobody can spell, names so long the URL wraps around a football jersey, and taglines that are just template filler nobody bothered to replace. She walks through real examples, including a flower shop called Petallica and a fish and chips stand called Frying Nemo, plus a client who brought in a domain without checking who already owned the .com. Susan covers what to check before you fall in love with a name, trademarks, state business licenses, WhoIs lookups, and why your tagline needs to come from a mission statement, not a mood. If you have not locked in your name yet, listen before you print anything.
6 Key Points
Spell it out loud test If someone can't spell your company name after hearing it once, you've already lost them.
Length kills the URL A name so long it barely fits a domain is a name people will never type correctly.
Check before you fall in love Trademarks, state business licenses, and WhoIs lookups all happen before you commit, not after.
Vague names say nothing A name that could belong to any industry does the opposite of what a name is supposed to do.
Domains carry hidden risk Not checking who owns the .com can land you next to content you never wanted your brand near.
Taglines need a mission first A real tagline gets derived from a mission statement, not pulled from a template.