How to Come Up with the Right Brand Name for your Small Business

It’s not as easy as it sounds!

brand name

Picking a brand name can be a stressful task for any small business owner. 

It can be a lot of pressure!

You need something simple & easily recognizable. Something that resonates with your audience & reflects your values, all at the same time. 

There’s a lot of work to be done behind the scenes, but once the right name reveals itself, you’ll be glad to have put in the work. 

Do some inner work on the brand

Before you start thinking of a brand name, you have to start with some brand strategy.

I used my branding & business workbook to help with this, but you just need a space to get out all that valuable information.

Take the time to go through your brand story, its purpose, goals, target audience & how you want to be remembered

You really need to know the business & its goals before coming up with the right brand name. 

Create a word bank

A pretty obvious tip, but essential. 

Create a word bank you can sit on for a while, no need to rush. 

Keep it in the back of your mind, then go back & expand on it. 

I stumbled upon Wildcraft Studio’s World Building Workbook which helped me refine my ideas & really envision the brand.  

I would also use Thesaurus.com to get synonyms & play around with different word variations. 

At the end of all this, here’s what my word bank looked like: 

calm (a still morning), professional (a leader), productive (checking off your to-do list), authentic (being yourself), casual (approachable) , clean (simplistic & fresh), confident (bold) , contemporary (modern & on brand), deliberate (intentional) , efficient (setting things up to run smoothly), practical, warm (a cozy cup of coffee) , timeless


As a service-based business, I wanted my name to represent the feeling I want my clients to have after working together. 

I wanted my name to represent the value I bring to their small business. 

Everything was leading towards balance. 

Work-life balance.

Productive-relax balance. 

Professional-casual balance.

Minimal-impactful balance. 

The list goes on. 

I want my clients to feel they can have unique branding & also run a successful business- without having to do it all themselves. 


There’s much more that went into the name but that’s what makes me love it so much. 

If you can find something that reflects the brand & yourself, then it’s meant to be. 

Remember, your brand name should simple, memorable & easy to remember. 

If figuring this all out yourself is still too much, there’s always creative agencies that can help!

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you found this helpful!

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how to come up with a brand name
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