S01 E34 From Meh to Memorable: The Business Naming Blueprint

Your business name is your first impression—don’t waste it. In this episode of Brand Chops, Zack Lemear dives into the deceptively simple but often painful process of naming your business. Based on the book Hello, My Name is Awesome by Alexandra Watkins, this episode breaks down the exact steps to brainstorm, filter, and validate brand-worthy names that stick. You’ll learn the SMART process, the SMILE and SCRATCH tests, how to avoid the biggest naming mistakes, and why clarity always beats cleverness. Whether you’re just starting out or rebranding, this is your no-fluff roadmap to a name that actually works.

Takeaways

• Your name is your first handshake.
• The best names evoke curiosity and stick.
• Avoid being too literal or generic in naming.
• Don't let domain availability kill a good name.
• Clarity over cleverness is essential.
• Understand what your business stands for.
• Identify the emotions you want your name to evoke.
• Know your ideal client profile.
• Core values should be strong and unflappable.
• Your name will grow meaning over time.

Chapters

• 00:00 The Importance of Naming Your Business
• 02:40 Common Naming Mistakes to Avoid
• 05:34 Strategic Steps to Naming Your Business
• 11:19 Brainstorming Techniques for Business Names
• 16:48 Narrowing Down Your Name Choices
• 22:29 Testing Your Business Name
• 28:15 Finalizing Your Business Name

Contact Us

Brand Chops is brought to you by the fine people at Pivot Creative. Pivot Creative is a full service branding and marketing agency that partners with businesses to build brands that connect so that every dollar you spend is an investment and not an expense. If you need some branding or marketing guidance, a website, a new brand or want to learn more about one of the topics we cover on the show please reach out to us at pivotcreative.com. If you know someone that would benefit from learning more from one of our shows please share the episode, visit brand-chops.com and as always, like and subscribe if you find this content to be helpful. See you next time on Brand Chops, where we chop up brands to see what they're made of!