Know-How Exchange : Taglines/Names

I would encourage you not to have an overly descriptive and therefore restrictive company name. None of us can predict what the future will be. For example, let's imagine that you begin to make a lot of money specializing in emergency power generators for home use. Who knows, that might happen. You don't want to have to reincorporate your company and change your webpage and business cards and letterhead just as you are starting to grow…

Rather, I would suggest that you come up with somethin which is special and unique and different about you personally, rather than something you might do. Are you creative, or innovative, or intelligent, or diligent, or social? Those characteristics will shine through no matter which direction your business takes.

Consider, what is it about you personally which would cause others to want to do business with you? How are you personally special and unique and different? What is it that you personally bring to the table, whatever the project at hand? What positive things to others say about you? What good they are you trying to bring to the market?

If you can identify such a thing, that could be helpful in picking a company name. It will be accurate and helpful as others try to evaluate whether or not they want to establish a business relationship with you. And it can be focused and refined and targeted by the addition of a tagline to reflect a particular offering (e.g. emergency backup generators.)

Take care, and good luck.

Hello cryroux7,

Here’s some of the issues that I took into account when I started my own business as a sole trader consultant (see https://chironthebusinessdoctor.com/chiron-the-name/). You may find these comments helpful:

Business and trading names are powerful marketing tools. Put succinctly, the principal business and trading names a business uses should at least suggest theme of the business. You must, first of all, decide what you want the business and trading names to imply to your marketplace and commercial activities.

There is no doubt that choosing name is difficult. This is a field where everyone claims expertise and offers advice. But names created by committee generally don't work. When the implications of that are considered in depth, it is not surprising that so many businesses adopt names that are meaningless and do not convey any message.

Names can be generic, descriptive or fanciful. Any lawyer will endorse the reality that a fanciful name is the best sort of trademark. It is the easiest to protect from encroachment by competitors and makes the strongest name. A fanciful name is one where no picture comes to mind. No one knows what a Nike, a Xerox, a Google or a Yahoo looks like.

Unfortunately, while fanciful names are the best, there is a downside to their use. On the one hand, it takes considerable time, energy and money to persuade people that the name stands for something. On the other, the name itself does not position the company (or its’ products and services for that matter) in the market-place.

The second naming alternative, but more difficult to protect, are descriptive names. These names help position a company and its products and services because they send out information about the company and its products and services. There is no doubting what businesses with these names do: Brenda’s Bakery, Joe’s Fences & Gates, Eleanor the Electrician. Descriptive names are preferable from a marketing point of view. They are preferable because they impart enough about your company and its products and services for ready identification, and they are unique and stick in people’s mind in a way that can help block out competitors.

The last alternative is to use a generic name. These are virtually unprotectable although they do telegraph what the business does. Some examples are: Modern Prams, The Office Cleaners, General Foods. Of course, sometimes a generic name works, but mostly, it is an uphill battle. It is an uphill battle because although the name may position the company, the company has no individual identity.

Given that you want to establish a profitable business within an important social context, it is important that you adopt an identifiable, distinctive and descriptive name to provide a launch pad for the Company’s brand, to facilitate the Company’s promotional and marketing activities, and become the public face of the Company.

The name therefore must:

• be memorable, distinguishing and descriptive,
• be able to be connective with appropriate and distinctive logos,
• be reflective of the businesses’ public image, and
• promote confidence in the business’ ability to deliver effective and positive outcomes.

So, here’s some thought provokers:

(Your Name) the Electrician
… when you need a woman’s touch to fix things up
Alternative tag
… it’s the woman’s touch that makes the difference

Or

(Your Name) the Electrician
• for reliability, dependability & empathy
• what else would you expect from a specialist lady electrician?

Or

(Your Name) the Electrician
… the only specialist Lady Electrician in (name of town/suburb) [vary to suit your circumstances]

Good luck,

Chiron34

I'm sorry you were offended by the comment. I certainly wasn't trying to be rude.

I figured that because gender was the only thing you mentioned in the description of your business, it was what you were focused on as the core of the naming.

When we embark on a naming project we try to avoid "catchy" and focus on something relevant and meaningful for the target audience -- like a compelling benefit or a clear description of the product or service being offered. ("Catchy" is something people resort to when they don't offer a clear and unique benefit. They think "catchy" will distract the target audience from considering why they might really want to respond.)

Maybe we should start over: Who is your primary target audience? Where? What unique and compelling benefit can they expect when they hire you? What would you want the name to communicate?

You'd be best off trying to think of a name that will play well for an online search, and the easiest is [Your town] Electrical Services/Electricians because it will be closest to the search term.

Crystal Electrical - Sparkling Services

Excellence Electrical

Shelec

Selectricians

Annie Electrics - For all your electrical needs

I think this one is good...

(Your Name) the Electrician : Complete Electrical Solutions Provider!!