Why a great name is key to building a brand customers love.

A rose by any other name may smell as sweet – but only if there’s someone around to sniff it. Shakespeare’s oft-quoted line underscores why choosing a name for your business should be done with utmost care. It must resonate with your target customers, tell people what you do, and stand out in a crowded market, especially online. Call your rose a daffodil and you might not be doing much business at all.

What’s in a name is actually an incredibly important question with lasting implications for your business and your brand. Getting it right will save you time, effort, and quite often, a lot of money. That’s advice from JumpStarter, the comprehensive, accessible online resource helping Kiwis launch their first business.

Ninya Dawson helped build a successful niche in the highly competitive apparel market with Twisted Thread, one of the businesses JumpStarter interviewed during its research phase. “The name works very well for multiple reasons,” she explains of the popular clothing brand. “It’s versatile, and it appeals to our rock ‘n’ roll target market without limiting what we can offer.”

“Whether it’s appearing alongside AC/DC, Metallica and Pearl Jam, or on motocross and death metal t-shirts, the name Twisted Thread works exceptionally well,” Dawson adds. “It’s unique, memorable, and speaks directly to its customers.”

Dawson’s advice for aspiring business owners is to choose a name that’s memorable. “Alliteration can help with that, and don’t use too many syllables,” she says.

Had Twisted Thread gone with something more specific – ‘Band T Shirts’, perhaps – expanding the business would be more difficult. “It would also limit the company to doing band t-shirts, rather than leaving room to experiment and explore what the target audience wants,” notes Dawson. “You don’t always know where your business might go and having that ability to retain and build on the name even if the direction changes, means retaining brand-building value.

“This goes to the very heart of choosing the right name at the start. Building your brand is hard work. You want to create lasting value, from day one – but in my experience, most founders start with a lack of knowledge and expertise, especially around branding.”

As there is a tendency to underestimate the complexity and commitment associated with starting a new business, she says specialist help is essential in avoiding common and costly pitfalls. “My advice is to do your research, understand your market and your value proposition, understand your customers and their needs – and then invest time and effort into crafting your brand, starting with the company name and website address.”

Dawson can’t stress enough how important this step is: you need a website with a name and domain that really work. You must find something that resonates with customers and effectively conveys what you do.

Trouble is, continues Dawson, that in the heady excitement of getting your first business off the ground, many treat the name as trivial. “I’ve been there, with the thrilling starting idea and the rush to register names and domains, then discovering that the name is already taken. You realise the domain belongs to someone else, that it will be impossible to achieve cut-through on Google and social media, and the trademark is already well known either locally or internationally.”

“In some cases, I’ve seen businesses with a ‘real world’ brand operating under a completely different web address because their preferred web address was already taken. This causes a split in your brand, and is obviously not ideal,” she says.

There is, Dawson agrees, a lot to navigate. “Avoiding common mistakes and pitfalls doesn’t just save time and money but can directly affect the success or failure of your business. I think this is why JumpStarter is so helpful for anyone starting their first business. Having the right pointers at every step can be an absolute game changer for your business for years to come.”

Shakespeare wrote that some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. Set your business on the path to greatness with help from JumpStarter and make sound decisions from day one.