Change of Business name.

[WB]

So Long story short I'm joining in with another shop owner in town and to make things easier on paper we need to come up with a new Business name.
At 1st we weren't but for Legal reason we have to. SO! I need some help.
Some background.
Small shop 3 people for now including me, they do alot of B to C and my goal is to start moving towards B to B. Best know for vehicle graphics and wraps.

I'm leaning towards a more generic name that doesn't pigeon hole us but my Partner is thinking pick a gimmick and go with it, but I'm looking long tern down the road and I want something that can adapt over time.

Rebranding sucks.

Thanks

 

[Johnny Best]

Alphabetical Grapix

 

[James Burke]

Nothing that ends in X or Z, and no excessive vowels.

JB

 

[Pauly]

These days a name is just a name.
Amazon is a forest, but it use to sell books, now it's an eCommerce giant that also has cloud computing.

 

[Billct2]

Keep it simple and with nothing gimmicky, current pop culture or personal names.

 

[Solventinkjet]

All naming your company something like, Xtreeem Grafix, does is make giving your email out over the phone harder.

 

[White Haus]

No offense, but are you really willing to stake your reputation on the opinion of random people on the internet?

I get it, self-promotion and marketing is tough, but I feel like this is something that you and your new partner need to come up with on your own.

 

[Pauly]

Also doesn't hurt to speak to a graphic designer who specialises in branding.

 

[StarSign]

I am no expert but couldn't you come up with a new mother name "Jakes Holding" and keep the other 2 names as DBA's? That way you can keep your identities.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

All naming your company something like, Xtreeem Grafix, does is make giving your email out over the phone harder.

Our domain name is hyphenated. I never considered what a pain it would be when giving someone my email address over the phone. I also never would have guessed how many people don't know what a hyphen is either.

 

[Solventinkjet]

Our domain name is hyphenated. I never considered what a pain it would be when giving someone my email address over the phone. I also never would have guessed how many people don't know what a hyphen is either.

My other email is @signagespecialist.com. The amount of times I've had to spell Signage to people in the Signage industry is worrying.

 

[Reveal1]

From someone who recently sold his business. I remember agonizing over the name 10 years ago; gad I did. My criteria were first to have a generic enough name to not lock into a specialty. Secondly, I deliberately stayed away from including 'Signs' in the name but include instead 'Graphics' as I felt 'signs' would divert attention away from our desire to market higher end interior, wrap, and exhibit graphics and lessen emphasis on creative design. Third, I kept my name out of it thinking it would be more marketable when I eventually sold the business. Finally, I wanted something I could acquire a domain name that easily incorporated the name with a .com extension (thats getting harder to do).

Agree w/JB re: use of Z&X or other butchered spellings. In my opinion gimmicky, overused and cheesey.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

 

[Joseph44708]

My company is named after my great grandfather who started it... I just figured everybody else had Xtreme in their family lineage, and it was a popular signmaker's name.

Things I've heard working well, using/adding Print or Graphics to the name of an existing sign company, ABC signs and printing, generated x% more requests for print.
If you are going to put "Sign" in your name, please make it singular. I don't know why it bothers me, and I've known plenty of fine companies who are City Signs, it just appears to be improper grammar.
Simple spelling on either your business as a whole, or at the least your domain name.
Don't forget to point both of your existing domains to your new one! (Assuming both companies have websites)
Make it start with an A, or even better, AAA, so you're first in the phone book that everybody whips out when they need to make a call!

After rereading City Signs enough, all I can hear is the south park character answering the phone, "sh*tty wok!". Maybe Chitty Sign and Print Co.

When was the last time you picked up a phone book.
Oh yea, from your driveway when it was delivered and you picked it up to put it in the recycling bin.

 

[James Burke]

When was the last time you picked up a phone book.
Oh yea, from your driveway when it was delivered and you picked it up to put it in the recycling bin.

The average telephone directory in my neck of the woods has shrunken to the point of near obsolescence....sadly, much like my favorite candy bar.

As much as I despise them taking up real estate on my desk, they are handy for local personal numbers that may not be listed online.

JB

 

[Notarealsignguy]

Burton, what the hell are you blabbering about? City Sign? Like the guy makes only one sign? It's City Signs. Unless you're gonna do the whole no soup for you thing to everyone that calls.
Nobody is coming to do business with you because of the name anyways. Call it donkey dong and start putting your time and effort into figuring out how you're gonna sell your products.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

Third, I kept my name out of it thinking it would be more marketable when I eventually sold the business. Finally, I wanted something I could acquire a domain name that easily incorporated the name with a .com extension (thats getting harder to do).

Spot on.
Yes don't use your personal name if you ever plan to sell your business.
I have a .net. it's almost as bad as the hyphen.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Hey, my company is (name of local city) Signs! Singular sounds odd to me. When I'm shopping for a sign company the name doesn't mean much, unless it sounds ghetto like Dez Printz or something.

 

[Gino]

You people are really weird. Must be in the paint.

 

[James Burke]

Spot on.
Yes don't use your personal name if you ever plan to sell your business.
I have a .net. it's almost as bad as the hyphen.

I also have ".net". I chose it intentionally because it was right in the middle of the ".com" bubble collapse. At the time, .com was a ubiquitous pariah that seemed to draw contempt from those that were relatively new to the web (circa 2000).


JB