Naming a business is extremely important. It'll determine how people recognize you from the very first day. It's vital to choose a name that gives you the best advantage. These are some of the mistakes to avoid when naming your home based business.

Don't get all your family and friends involved. They'll all have different ideas and your choice may upset someone. Or you could choose a safe option and end up with a boring name. Only seek advice from people you really trust to help you objectively.

Unless you specifically want to target a set region, don't use a location as part of your name. This can limit your potential for growth because people may think you only work one area.

Boring names won't be remembered. Names like "General Motors" or "General Gas Company" are so nondescript that people forget them easily and quickly. A name makes you unique if chosen correctly.

Don't use the "train wreck" approach where you put parts of two badly chosen words together to create a new word. Examples include: QualiServe, BoxHaul and AboriAust. Don't use initials as they are forgettable, although some companies have used them successfully. Generally those successes were due to using the full name and later abbreviating them down to initials. Using endings such as: Tech, Corp and Tron creates a "fake professionalism" and sounds contrived.

Avoid using an excessively long name because it won't be memorable. Don't misspell names because they appear very amateurish. Using 'K' instead of 'Q' or 'PH' instead of 'F' indicates you're really not very professional.

Clichéd names may cause you to blend in too much. Examples are business owners who believe they're at the top of their industry and use names such as peak, summit or apex in their name. If you intend to do this, really think it through and use a smart combination of words. An example is a storage company that conveys security and strength and is called "Iron Mountain."

Don't choose a name that is so obscure nobody understands its relevance. Your name needs to be functional and preferably self explanatory without being too confusing to potential customers. There's nothing worse than contacting a company based on their name and finding out you were misled.

If you've chosen a name and find it's not working, don't ignore the problem and hope it disappears. It's more likely that your potential customers will do the disappearing. Make a necessary change if you have to, before you lose more business.

Knowing the mistakes to avoid when naming your home based business might make the initial selection harder, but in the long run it'll be worth it for the growth and reputation of your business.

Tags: home based business, home based business names, Home Business, naming your home based business, naming your home business

posted by Chris Simpson