The name game

Happy New Year everyone!

Actually, it wasn't until I typed that greeting that I realized how appropriate this post is for the time of year. I've been reading articles about sales, business, and Etsy shops and I've decided to start fresh. My current shop houses kind of a mess of products and isn't very unified. There's some photography, some embroidery, and a random piece of something now and then. So I'm going to start up a new shop with a clear business plan, a cohesive creative feel, and (today's task) a new name.

I'm bad at naming. I love it, but I'm very bad at it. I went through about 10 possible names for my new cat before landing on the one I've had in mind for years (Daphne). As of this post (or at least this paragraph) I haven't chosen a name for my new shop. I'll share my research and thought process with you and hopefully come to a decision. I know I had a post about names awhile ago, but I'm going in a new direction this time. Let's get going...

So, what do I need to consider:

1. What do I want in my shop name?

• I know I want my shop name to be personal. I'd love for it to reference something I loved in childhood.
• I want it to reflect the kinds of products I'll be making. Something about stitches or embroidery should be in there.
• I don't want it to be super girly/cutesy.

Keeping those things in mind, here is my list so far:

-Two Hippopotamus Embroidery (a Frasier reference)

-Mouse Tail Embroidery (I envision a mouse whose tail spells the shop name. And a mouse tail is kind of like string, right?)

-Papple Pooce Embroidery (This is a shout out to my favorite book as a kid. I read all the words with "p"s because I thought it was funny. This one is apple juice...)

-Felt Forest Embroidery (I use a lot of felt)

-Felt Maze Embroidery (Going with the felt thing. I envision a maze a la Highlights made of felt spelling the name.)

2. What do buyers want in a shop name?

According to an Etsy article from a few years back these are some things to consider:

• It should be easy to remember and spell. I think that rules out Two Hippopotamus...
• Less is more. Use fewer words that flow well together. Etsy gives this example: “JessicasDesigns” works a thousand times better than something like “beaddesignsbyjessica.”
• Avoid trademarks. I'm good on that one.
• Make sure your name reflects the kinds of items you sell. Since I make fun things out of felt a fancy name written in a fancy script wouldn't be ideal.
• It doesn't hurt to include what you make in the title. Yay! I thought of this one on my own!

Here are a few more tips from Entrepreneur.com. Some are more geared toward more traditional businesses. The Etsy clientele is a bit different.

• If your business name tells your customer what you do you'll have less explaining to do.
• The name should appeal to the kinds of people you are targeting. This seems really obvious, but it's almost so obvious you forget about it.
• The name should conjure happy thoughts or memories.
• I'm including this one just because it's kind of funny. Don't use "Inc." after your name unless you are actually incorporated. No kidding...

At this point I've only narrowed down my options a little. I do have a favorite, but I'd like to hear what everyone else thinks. We have Mouse Tail Embroidery, Papple Poose Embroidery, Felt Forest Embroidery, or Felt Maze Embroidery.

I'd love to hear your opinions or new ideas!

Thanks for reading,

Alie

Ps- Sorry there aren't any pictures this time! And to give credit where credit is due, here are the links to the articles: Etsy's article and Entrepreneur.com's article