When starting a new home baking business it is easy to get stuck on the business name. You want to create something that will help you be taken seriously as a business, something that shows exactly what your business stands for and makes you stand out. Here are some tips to help guide you through naming your home baking business!
Remember the brand identity of your home baking business
When creating a name for our home baking business we want to think about our brand as a whole. If you have not read my Blog post “Create a strong brand image for your home baking business” go ahead and pause and read that first. It will give you such great background and help guide you to create a great name for your business that is on brand.
We want to create a name for our business with our brand character in mind. We need to think about a name that that person would be drawn to.
Your Home Baking Business Name Should be:
On brand ✔️
We want to make sure that our name is something that our brand character can connect to. Something that is related to who they are and their values. The name needs to easily speak to them so that when they hear it or they see it they know that it is a company that they can trust and that is aligned with them perfectly.
Easy to pronounce ✔️
You also want to have a name that is easy to pronounce I know personally that if there is a business name that I have trouble pronouncing I will avoid saying it. You do not want your business to be a word that people have trouble saying. Because then they won't want to talk about it with others because they can't really pronounce it and want to avoid embarrassing themselves.
You want it to be easy to pronounce so that people can easily talk about how amazing it is with their friends and family.
Easy to spell ✔️
You want your business name to be easy to spell. You want people to be able to search it up easily. If someone is talking about your business to a friend and then they want to go search it up. You want it to be easy for them to find you and not get stuck because of the spelling.
Is a generic name ✔️
Now this one is not always true. Having a generic name can make your business look smaller now I know it is very very common for home-baking business owners to use their own name and then treats or your name and cakes but it makes your business look smaller.
It also puts you in the crowd, it doesn’t help you stand out at all. It doesn't sound like a business that is going to grow into multiple locations so it really depends on the type of feeling that you're trying to portray in your business.
If you want your business to feel very homey and comfy. Then of course you can use your name which is fine as long as it fits into the other rules like, easy to pronounce and easy to spell. Then I would say yes go for it there's nothing wrong with wanting to be a small business or wanting to have your business feel more personal. That is perfectly fine.
And of course, there are businesses that have grown to be large companies that use people's names the first one that comes to my mind is Famous Amos which is from somebody's name, as well as Aunt Anne's pretzels. So it is possible to grow your business while using your name but it does give off a smaller company feel. (which can be a good thing!)
When I first started my home baking business and I was researching on how to create a name for my business one person also recommended not to use your name because it is harder to sell your business that way. It doesn’t make it as marketable to potential buyers.
So this point all depends on your goals for your business if you want to be able to either sell your business in the future or have a large company with multiple locations I would recommend not using your own name. It is something to think about.
Along the same lines, you also do not want to use your city. If you decide to move later on or if you decide to have multiple locations then it might sound weird to have your city name as part of the business name.
Is available ✔️
Make sure that your business name is available. When it comes down to registering your business name you can have the same business name as somebody else as long as you're doing business in a different state or a different industry. But I would first check and make sure that the Instagram handles are available for the name that you are looking for.
Even though you might be able to legally register with that business name in your city it is amazing to be able to have your social media be your exact business name. That way it is easy for people to find and follow you.
So even if there is another “Beautiful Bakes” in a different state and you can legally register for that name they might have already taken the IG handle and domain name. Check both of these things. If they are available great if not then move on to another name option
Choosing a name
I do not recommend you spend too long choosing your name. Give it one, or two days max. You do not need to spend weeks deciding your name. Just go with it. Choose something that falls in line with all of those recommendations up top and stick with it. If you really are having a hard time choosing remember to go back to your character and see if that's something they would like and then ask someone you know who is also aligned with your character which one they prefer.
Name Brainstorm
So here is an example using organic Olivia which we talked about in the “Create a strong brand image for your home baking business” . In the middle, I added her name organic Olivia. Then just like in elementary or middle school, we do a web diagram.
In the connecting lines, I have words that really resonate with her. She likes yoga, all things celestial, organic food, and nature so I added the word herbs there.
Connected to those main terms I added more words that are related. Connected to Yoga are the words: tranquil, oasis, sanctuary, and, zen.
For the word herb, I added: primrose, lavender, blossom, and willow. You can use all of those words that you added here to try and create a name that is connected to your brand image. Having your brand character at the center will ensure that your name is on brand!
What are you?
Then you can add a word that references that you are a bakery so any word that can connect what kind of business you are is great. Now of course you don’t HAVE TO do this. There are plenty of businesses that are one single word that don’t speak to what they are actually providing. Google, Uber, Apple, etc..
Some ideas might be; bakery, baking, sweets, treats, delicacies, or desserts. You get the idea, a word that is going to let people know what kind of business you are.
Your words from your web diagram will explain the type of business, the values, and the style your business has. While the second word might give insight into what you actually provide.
For this example, organic Olivia might be drawn to a business that is named Celestial treats. Or Primrose Pastries! Both of those names let organic Olivia know that they are into the same type of thing as she is. That they create treats that she will enjoy guilt-free.
Now I want you to try. Go back to your brand character and start to create a web diagram from your brand character. Think of unique and interesting words that will create an amazing brand-focused name. A name that will allow you to have a growing and flourishing business. I can’t wait to hear what your brand name is!
Let me know in the comments if there are any “rules” you don’t agree with!