Hey everyone,

I searched the forum I don't think anyone has posted this before, if I'm wrong, I am sorry, I searched for a while all I find are business plan posts.

We're in the process of changing some things and thinking about changing our company name too. Right now it's one of those generic technical sounding ones (works good for local business, but that's all), so we want something catchy, but not too "twisted" -- something marketable.

So anyway, I was wondering whether you guys picked your company name yourselves, or hire one of those naming/branding companies?

I contacted a few of those companies and was quoted several thousand dollars. Is it worth it? It seems too much for what can be done within a few days of research ourselves.

How did you you guys come up with your names? I've seen some very nice names here, and some not so good.

Care to share your story?

We spent a few hours brainstorming one evening...
At the time we came up with the name we were a group of 4 (now chopped down to 2).

The problem we arrived at was the name we had chosen (and all loved) was already taken. Luckily a few days later the organization with the name taken decided they would stop offering services and disappear off the face of the planet.

We snapped up the name after some chats with the previous owners and here we are. :)

So far so good, although we're fighting quite the battle against their previous reputation!

. . . So anyway, I was wondering whether you guys picked your company name yourselves, or hire one of those naming/branding companies?
I "picked" it myself. :)
I contacted a few of those companies and was quoted several thousand dollars. Is it worth it? It seems too much for what can be done within a few days of research ourselves.
Given the importance of your brand's name, paying a company wouldn't be such a bad idea, if they could really nail it for you.
How did you you guys come up with your names? . . . Care to share your story?
My first hosting brand was httpme. There was a company called httpads.com, and I then started messing with the 'http' part there, for a domain. Couple of minutes later I came up with httpme.com. I liked the way the 'me' flowed with the 'p'. It rhymed and was short, memorable, brandable and a little off center.

My current domain was previously owned by a httpme client. I always thought it was an incredible domain. He didn't develop it at all, and I guess lost interest. He placed an ad in the httpme ad forum, selling the domain. I jumped right onto it, and purchased the domain on the spot. It was providence. :)

The brand name is created from the culture you service to your clients and employees. I really don't think that spending thousand of $ worth the money if you are a small company. However if you are a big company with much revenue in pocket, then i 'd consider getting advice from such consultants.

Getting a good name nowadays is not easy. Good luck!

I came up with it on my own, pulled out some lists of root words from an etymology class I had taken and started going through that.

Cern means distinguished or uniqe, I messed around with endings and decided on ax :)

Came up with the name on my own. Only 1 client has ever caught on to the naming syntax, but the initials of the company are the same as my own (DJT). Basically, I started with my own initials and then wrote down words that were in line with the business and eventually came up with something that worked :)

Interesting how some hosts have came up with their name. I actually purchased my domain from someone else and decided to develop the domain. I really lack creativity so thinking of a good/decent name for myself would have taken some time.

Anky: Nice catch phrase in your signature.. I like. :)

Well, I just sat down one night and for no reason at all the name "Acid-Host" poped into my head, a couple of years later as we started offering more services it changed to Acid Internet

We bounced idea's off each others heads for a while and finally came up with something. A lot of the names we had were taken, or very close variations were taken which could have led to future legal issues...

A week of drafting ideas and eventually my mum came out with the winning name :)

Anky: Nice catch phrase in your signature.. I like. :)
Thank you very much for the compliment, I'm doing my best to put the company in a position in which it can live up to the slogan in the long run :)

I found an interesting blog on how some companies came up with their name:

http://deliberately-different.blogspot.com/2006/02/how-they-named-companies.html

It was on Digg earlier today.

Something simple, unique and easy to remember is always good!

Thanks for all the replies, they've been helpful.

Also thank you for the link to that blog entry. I didn't get a chance to read about all the companies, but it is very interesting so I'll make sure to finish it.

I came across this company simply called Orange. They don't sell fruit, they're a European telecommunications company - I think. Their logo is an orange square with the word "orange" inside. Talk about simple.

These companies must spend a fortune to market such brands. I don't think it'll work out for small companies. But then you wonder how all the other companies like Amazon made it.

I'm leaning towards a name that has hosting and design sounds to it. Like Fused and Dotable, these are good names that are not out of place. Meaning they will be easier to market.

Instead of something like "Red" or a name of a river, and sell hosting and design services.

I just started a new venture and I picked the name myself. I spent several hours on just brainstorming, jotting things down, playing around with words and syllables, and saying potential names out loud. It's tough these days to come up with a name that's original, not already taken (and the domain is available), isn't too long, and not too weird. Luckily I came up with something I liked that absolutely no one else is using.

My opinion is that sure you can hire a good agency for thousands of dollars depending on the size and goals of the business, but as an SMB I prefer to do it myself and I feel it's not worth it to hire an agency (not to mention, as a small startup, I don't have that kind of capital for just the name).

Also sometimes you like a name and worry that maybe it will sound too weird to customers. Get some feedback from friends and colleagues. Effective branding has a lot to do with repetition and the more customers see it, the less weird it'll seem to them. Also be sure to check that your name does not have weird meanings in other languages or negative latin roots (i.e. the Chevy "Nova" or "No Go" in spanish).

..then you wonder how all the other companies like Amazon made it.

Rewind your clock 10 years and take a look at what was on the Internet. Next to nothing. It's much easier to brand something when you're the only one doing it. Would Amazon be where they are today if they started 5 years ago? Unlikely, because they wouldn't have developed an untapped market.

Companies like Amazon and Ebay made it because they were the pioneers of their business. Ie. The first to mass produce their concept.

The name I have I created. It took about 3 days working about 50 hours to get it. Though I feel that it stands out as well very be a good "brand" of a name. Oh and this was back in 2003 when I thought of the name and to this day sounds great ;).

I'm leaning towards a name that has hosting and design sounds to it. Like Fused and Dotable, these are good names that are not out of place. Meaning they will be easier to market.
Yeah, although anything can be branded. Look at Google for a great example. No real underlying tech meaning there, and if you saw that name 10 years ago, you wouldn't think it could be tech related. :)

I think new brands have to invent words. Words that have some zip to it, are easy to spell, short and look good. No more than 7 characters too. In my mind brands have to be short and one word. I don't like 2 word brands, as they feel cheap and tacked on. Look at all the great brands - they're one word, that's easy to spell, and that also look great, as a word.

I always come up with names for my sites, and have never consulted a professional for advice. Same goes for any new venture that I begin. We recently created a parent company that covers our divisions (ie. web hosting/design, marketing services, venture capital). We named the parent company Byte Ventures. I randomly just thought of the name one afternoon, and it was unanimously voted for by everyone I asked.

When you consult a professional, you never have the thrill of coming up with the name yourself. If you built the company, why should you let someone else pick the name for you?

. . . If you built the company, why should you let someone else pick the name for you?
Because most hosts botch their name. If a company could really nail that aspect for a host, then that would be probably the best money they've ever spent. :)

I started out as Avid WebHosting because it just went with my other business name, however after much learning via the hard knoks route I have dcided to offer Windows/ASP.net hosting only as I am not a very good linux tech but when it comes to Windows I have 5 plus years of full time experiance, anyways that said I use the Helm Control Panel and one day by chance I saw that HelmWebHosting.com was dropping, I got it and now I am helmwebhosting. I still have to do my site.

Because most hosts botch their name. If a company could really nail that aspect for a host, then that would be probably the best money they've ever spent. :)
Agreed, while Cernax isn't the best name I put forth quite a bit of effort looking for a unique name that was somewhat short and easy to remember. I've gotta say, httpme and dotable are very good names and compliment you on that :)

I think too many people feel they aren't creative and just give up right there - in my case it was more about taking the time going through lists of root words and adding endings on them trying to come up with a good name; my method didn't really require lots of creativity, I had a few people I asked online what they thought of the name after making sure the domain was available.

. . . I've gotta say, httpme and dotable are very good names and compliment you on that :)
Why thank you kind sir. :D
I think too many people feel they aren't creative and just give up right there - in my case it was more about taking the time going through lists of root words and adding endings on them trying to come up with a good name; my method didn't really require lots of creativity, I had a few people I asked online what they thought of the name after making sure the domain was available.
I was throwing around some ideas with a friend who dropped by the house the other day. We were discussing an online business that could work well in the local community. I said if he came up with a great domain, I'd put some $$$ behind the venture. Haven't got past the domain stage yet, as I want domain/brand perfection first. :)

Lemuria...is in a few words the resume of my passion...the history...
maybe it wasn't too original..
but i like it..

I also spend days on it, I´m not good for the names..and when I had one...it wasn't available...

Yeah, although anything can be branded. Look at Google for a great example. No real underlying tech meaning there, and if you saw that name 10 years ago, you wouldn't think it could be tech related. :)

I think new brands have to invent words. Words that have some zip to it, are easy to spell, short and look good. No more than 7 characters too. In my mind brands have to be short and one word. I don't like 2 word brands, as they feel cheap and tacked on. Look at all the great brands - they're one word, that's easy to spell, and that also look great, as a word.

I took this route with iRoxy. Had a few web hosting related names but that one seemed to stand out the most, is short and will be a neat name to try to brand.
Also I really like how the logo turned out by just using the words as I'm not a big fan of graphic logos. http://iroxy.ca/business_card/business_card.gif

Originally my first choice was FlexWired.com but the two words eventually threw me off liking it.

A few others that I tired

WiredCompany

Solnet (solnet.ca) Short for Solutions Network

Hostnet (hostnet.ca) Hosting Network

FlexWired (flexwired.com)

RhizoNet (Rhizonet.com) Rhizo mean "root" so Root Network

iRoxie (iroxie.com) Went with iRoxy as it looks better

Envient (envient.com) Made that up but it turned out to mean "envy" in French. I though about Envy Network but wasn't quite sure if it was appropriate. Could also be short for Envision Entertainment.

Verionet (Verionet.com) I though I had a winner here till my heart was broken when I found Verio.com. Yah that sucked.

I picked it myself 7 years a go for my local company.
I must say I'm currently not 100% happy with some issues:
Cons:
- The name has 3 words
- Kind of long.. 13 letters
- Little hard to pronounce at times,
- Hard to use it on Ads because is too long
- Its Logo are just 4 arrows, too common and emotionless

Pros:
- Its meaning has power
- It gives and idea of the service
- I like the colors.. Yellow and White
- People and Customers haven't say anything wrong about it, infact, they seem to like it.
- Worldwide my domain is freaking valuable in Spanish audiance.., is the Spanish for NetBusiness or NetCompanies. I also have the Spanish for NetPages.. (Is just that it sounds way better in english)

So, I've playing with the idea of changing my Company's name and/or image(color, logo), but I haven't because I haven't found anything worthly yet.

Yesterday I bought a book at Barnes&Noble.., I took a pick and it seemed good.
Its name is "The 22 immutable laws of branding"

Jagarco

Mine? Picked entirely at random while I was angry with my old hosting company. I thought it sounded interesting and, at the time, had been toying with upgrading to reseller or managed. I grabbed it to test to make sure that they were giving the .BE domain names away so that I could post it on the blog. They were, I got it, the rest is history. It is, simply, WhatHostingShould.BE... (I was not at all impressed with my hosting company...) I'd been at it for too many years to tolerate the antics and so, well, that's that name.

The blog is at kgiii.info, the name is G³ and it's really KGIII (Roman numerals) and is a long story but KGIII is my nick, the G cubed is the three G's that are in my name. I opted to call it G³ Solutions because, well, we provide solutions to technology problems. More accurately, we define them and the visitor resolves the issue on their own. So, it became G³ Solutions - Technology Defined.

KGIII

I went through various ideas with my business advisor until we decided on Premier Website Solutions which is long, but says exactly what we do.

TADUNKA

It's a word I made up in high school while walking through the halls one day I shouted it out of excitement and it stuck. Throughout the rest of high school I would randomly shout it in the halls for free publicity. I doubt anyone went home and typed the name in, but the real point was it was just fun to say.

Pro:

-Easy to say, you say it just like you read it, there's no way anyone would misspell it when you hear it :-)
-Fun to brand my own word
-Fun to say

Con:
-People say "wtf is a tadunka" and i have to explain that its a word i made up.


It's the parent company of my divisions (like you guys have done from what i hear), subcompany is Turnkey Web Stores, which is long, but is exactly what we offer ;-)

We started with the name easy-serv which included the - becouse the domain for easyserv.co.uk was unavailable, once we could afford to buy out the domain with out the - the company name changed dropping the - which has made a huge diffrence from the fact that a simple - in the domain can put customers off in a sense.

We have now happily been Easyserv Internet Limited for over 2 years.

Mine came to me a few years ago, when I wasn't even trying to think of a name for a hosting business. It was all a rather fortunate accident! :)

My host name actually comes from another site that my friend owns.

The site is IDEsource (Something something entertainment source - :P I cant remember)

So yeah :P

Mine is my last name.

Toasty Host nice :) For some reason I read it as Toasty Hosty :p

My lucky day, lot's of interresting threads. :) I'm in the middle of naming process and I have a name candidate, but I'm not ready to share it yet. It's actually nothing too fancy and not very creative, but feels right. Many of my local "competitors" are really unimaginative when it comes to naming companies. "Hey, let's not make it too bold, we might annoy someone" seems to be the general consensus.

I found this naming guide yesterday from another board:
Building the Perfect Beast: The Igor Naming Guide (http://www.igorinternational.com/process/naming-guide-product-company-names.php). Igor is a brand naming agency that has a method to "objectively" analyze a company name. I guess they want a buttload (like $xxxxx !) of money for their services, but that PDF paper on the subject is free. I liked the method, though it's somewhat hard to use and leaves much room for interpretation. On the other hand, it's nice to see that it's not just "accident" to come up with a good name.

They have categories for different kinds of names. Funny to see how the names on this thread fit to the categories. :)

"Saunalahti" is (or was?) one of the big Finnish telco/webhost/mobile/whatever companies. "Sauna" means, well, "sauna", and "lahti" is "bay". The name is actually based on a place somewhere, or so I was told. I've always hated the name, but that's just a subjective thing. There is non-technical meaning in the word, and a story behing it, which makes it a brilliant name.

Sorry if I'm going offtopic, I'll shut up now. :D