If you’re looking to spend less time brainstorming and struggling to come up with an idea for a business name, there are plenty of resources online that claim they will do it for you. You can also generate two syllable boy names for your kids and for yourself. But beware: these generators might be more trouble than they’re worth.
Here are seven disadvantages to using one
1) You might not like the name it generates, or find it unprofessional or inappropriate for your business because of its connotations.
You can understand why a big business might not want to call itself something that implies sleaziness, such as “Fast Cash Loans” or “The Money Shop.” Conversely, you might not like a name that has personal connotations for you, such as the name of your old high-school crush or something similar. Worse yet, are names with negative connotations in your language or in the targeted market where you plan to sell your business. Generators are not good at recognizing connotations of words that are specific to a culture or language. So don’t use a generator to name your business if you plan to target people from another country, for example, or in a different language.
2) The random numbers it generates might not be the same as the numbers on your business cards or stationery, which would make it difficult for your customers to find you.
They might not even be your business’s phone number. If people can’t find you, they will not come to you. So make sure that the generator uses random numbers that you can easily enter into all of your marketing materials, such as your web site, business cards and advertisements. Also, it may be necessary to enter the customer’s phone number manually, which could be time-consuming and could lead to an unnecessary loss of sales.
3) It’s likely that you won’t find a name that is impossible to pronounce, which can lead to mispronunciation and awkwardness in conversations.
Generators are not really good at coming up with names for new businesses that have exotic business names or words in foreign languages that might be difficult for people outside of their target audience to pronounce. You can test this by asking various people from your target market what they think about your name. For example, a generator might come up with “Inflatable Business Opportunities” (which is funny but also sounds strange), while a person you ask wouldn’t even know what it means.
4) You might not like the name itself as it relates to your business; although this is unlikely if you are very into naming things after yourself.
Generators don’t like ambiguous names that can be interpreted in various ways, for example, “The Big Blue Boat.” They also don’t like names that are obviously bad or suggestive of something (such as, “Bill Gates’ Software,” which is obviously not a software company). There are generators out there that create business names based on the first words said after typing a phrase or sentence into the generator. For example, if you type “I love business.” the generator might come up with “The Love Business.” This is a terrible name for a business, even though it is based on what you typed. There are no names in the English language that begin with the words “I love business.” Therefore, even though you typed the words into the generator, the phrase is not a name in and of itself.
5) You’ll have difficulty registering the name with your state or country, anyway, because it wasn’t generated by a professional.
You might not be able to register the name with your state or country, anyway, because it wasn’t generated by a professional. Professional companies may also be reluctant to use a nonsensical name. If you want to generate a name, test it out on human beings beforehand. Then, if you are able to get a trademark for that name, it will be easier than trying to trademark a nonsense name. For example, the fastest way to register the business name “The Grapes of Wrath” would be to get an existing trademark for “The Grape Menace.” It’s more likely that your state will accept the latter because there are many registered trademarks for that phrase.
6) Generating a bunch of random words doesn’t even guarantee that you won’t get a name that already exists.
It would be problematic if you plan on ever growing your business past small local status. Generating a bunch of random words doesn’t even guarantee that you won’t get a name that already exists, which would be problematic if you plan on ever growing your business past small local status. You will likely run into situations where the name you want to use is already in use by an existing business, which can lead to trademark infringements or just confusion among your potential customers. If this happens and you don’t have any other options, the best idea you can have is to change the name.
7) There are plenty of other websites that provide business name generators that could do the same thing in less time, or for cheaper.
The best way to find a business name that sticks is to come up with something original, which can be difficult. For ideas about how you can come up with your own name for your business. Consider these tips: People come up with names for their businesses for a lot of different reasons. They do so for creative reasons, like the name of their band, or to honor a loved family member or pet, or to commemorate a significant event in their lives. They might be named after nicknames, or memorable insults aimed at them. They may have chosen names that are unique and distinctive because they are unique and distinctive people.
So if you’re looking to spend less time finding a great name for your business, do some research on those claiming to do it for you. Or better yet, remember that a good name will take time and money to express properly. And no matter what, don’t limit yourself to just one type of generator.
