Choosing a Name.

The questions that provided the most clarity for me, Cait.

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Google “how to choose a business name” and you will get about 3,380,000,000 results in a matter of 0.56 seconds. I’ve found that choosing a name for your business is quite a challenge for the majority of entrepreneurs. Instead of listing out the general “do’s” and “dont’s” - I figured I would share my experience with the naming process just in case it resonates with you.

When I first started taking on work, I had originally chosen to use “Cait Backeris Design” which in all honesty - I never liked. As I was thinking about how I could serve a need in my community, differentiate myself, while setting up my back-end systems and processes - my business name just never got my full attention. (I also figured if GoDaddy could be successful, then how much weight does a business name actually have anyway??)

As I continued to work with clients and add to my portfolio, I understood my client’s unique needs, the work that I absolutely loved, and the work that I didn’t. I also kept a whiteboard in my office and would list out new ideas that might work for my business name. Over the course of about 2 years, I actually thought I was going to move forward with 3 different options before landing on Fore Folk and even bought a domain for one. Looking back, I am so happy I took my time and didn’t rush this part of the process.

After filling a lot more whiteboards, hours of researching business names and domain availability, using resources from a few fellow designers (1,2), sifting through advice and experiences from others, and hiring someone to help me with overall messaging - I was finally ready to relaunch. Looking back at this entire process, there are three key questions that really helped me move forward with my final decision.

IN THE END -

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What really provided the clarity I needed were the answers to the following questions:

• Understanding my overall vision. What kind of future did I want to help create? What was I in business for?

• Understanding my mission: How was I specifically going to create that future?

• What were my unique offerings or the value that I could provide in the market?

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There is so much pressure to get everything right from the beginning and to have everything perfect before launching a business these days, but I have found that the more that you can do the actual work - the easier it is to find clarity. Hiring someone to give you an outside perspective is also highly recommended!

Have you gone through the naming process or currently in the middle of it? I would love to hear about your experience!

All the Best,

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