If you have finally decided to open a shaved ice business or snow cone stand it can be difficult to come up with an authentic and catchy business name. There’s a lot of pressure to pick the right name for shaved ice business since it’s crucial for the business itself, and changing the name of a business later can be a real pain.
But sometimes it’s extremely difficult to be creative under pressure.
To help you in this mission, we offer 8 simple rules to follow! So, to avoid missteps, your company’s name should consider the following characteristics:
Business Naming Guidelines To Follow
Some businesses spend a lot of time and money on branding consultants to try come up with the idea for the perfect name. If you’ve got the budget for something like that, it’s a great option. If not, just a little brainstorming can help you to come up with some excellent shaved ice or snow cone business names!
1. Make it match your product or service
If you’re serving crunchy snow cones at carnivals, don’t call your company “Bob’s Hawaiian shave ice”. People who are familiar with what Hawaiian shave ice is will feel misled.
Ideally, anyone reading or listening to your business name should be able to determine what you can offer them. This is the most difficult, and few companies can claim to have a name that immediately evokes their field of activity. If you cannot find THE name, then go for names that are close to what you are doing. The goal is to be easily and quickly identifiable. A person should not have to research to find out what you are doing. For example, a shaved ice business in the south might be called, “ Southern Shaved Ice” or “Southern Ice Storm.”
2. Be distinctive to stand out from your competitors
Having found the perfect name for your business is nice. If it is already used by another company (especially a competitor), it’s not so nice. Forget it quickly and go try another one. It’s better to have a little less good name than your first choice rather than having a name too similar to that of a competitor. The only way this could work is if the company that uses this name is not at all in competition with you (maybe a completely different product category in geographic location). In this case though, you could still find yourself in legal trouble down the road if the name is be found to be “confusingly similar” to the other trademarked name.
3. Be easily remembered by your target audience
The golden rule: avoid endless and/or unpronounceable names. In two words: make it simple! Just like jokes, the shortest company names are often the best. It’s important that your customers can easily remember you. There is a very simple way to make sure: test a few friends. At a dinner or other event, mention your business name once. At the end of the evening ask them individually if they remember it. You will then have the answer.
4. The name needs to sound good when it’s said aloud.
Use words that start with the same consonant, like Coca-Cola or Jimmy John’s. Say it aloud a lot because people need to say the name on the radio, a video or in conversation.
If you’re on the phone with a bank trying to get a loan, it doesn’t leave a good impression if they can’t understand the word or how to spell it.
5. Beware Of Initials or Acronyms.
IBM may have gotten away with initials, but it’s a multibillion-dollar corporation that has been around for a decades. Your shave ice business isn’t at that level.
How do you come up with your business name?
Here are some tips and tricks to consider when coming up with a name for your Shaved Ice Business.
Make a Spelling Mistake on Purpose
Some great company names have come from intentionally misspelling words. You could try something like “Sno Business” or “Kathy’s Snow Kones.”
Use a name that conveys a benefit and has meaning to it
It’s a good idea to have a name that tells you right away what it is all about and what’s good about it. For example I picked the name Happy Shave Ice for our website because, well, shave ice makes people happy. So that’s the benefit right there.
Don’t try to be everything to everybody with your name
Ultimately, this is your business and you need live with it (potentially for a long time). If you’re not happy with the name, it really doesn’t matter what everybody else thinks.
Final Steps
Think you’ve come up with the best shave ice business name ever? Not so fast. First, check these items below to make sure it’s ready to use.
1. Do A Trademark Search
Of course, there’s often one big problem with names that tick all the boxes; they are often taken. We recommend you do an ASIC search so you can cross names that are already taken. That way you avoid getting attached to one particular name only to find out at the last minute that it’s not available.
2. Test it Out in Google AdWords.
It will list similar search keyword phrases, along with how many monthly searches each are getting. Some AdWords searches with the name you are considering can ensure there isn’t a slightly different name out there that might get more attention on the Internet.
3. Have an associated Domain
A super important part of validating the name you have chosen: Is the related domain name free? It is a step often forgotten but essential for your communication. Imagine for a moment that this is not the case … Almost all your efforts would be annihilated in a second. It is essential to make sure to gain visibility, SEO, traffic and therefore customer conversion.
Having a .com is the best you can get.
6. Avoid Pejorative Connotations in Another Language
It is often forgotten but it is quite possible that the name chosen has a negative connotation in another language, or in another context. Many companies have been trapped by forgetting to check it. Above all, do not think that this step does not concern you because you are targeting a local market. At first, there will be no problem. But what will you do next if you grow internationally? Our advice: get ahead and think of everything!
7. Ask Friends and Family for Their opinions
Sometimes when you’re stuck in your head coming up with ideas, it can be hard to get an objective idea of what you’ve come up with. Friends and family will (hopefully) be comfortable enough with you to tell you if you’ve come up with an awful idea. Maybe they’ll even have a great idea for you to use.
Recommended Further Reading
The book Hello, My Name Is Awesome: How to Create Brand Names That Stick is an awesome resource for creating a name for any type of business.
It’s fantastically well written and totally worth the small purchase price when you consider what the cost of a bad business name could be. It will help break down the whole overwhelming business naming process into easy, digestible pieces.
You can pick the book up on Amazon here, and your purchase will earn us earn a small commission to keep Happy Shave Ice humming
Wrapping Up
Choosing a company name can be a daunting process. However, if you stick to several rules from this post, you are much more likely to come up with a name that is not only unique but also resonates strongly with your customers.
May your shave ice business be very successful and happy ice shaving!
Related: The Best Commercial Hawaiian Shave Ice Machines
Related: The Best Commercial Snow Cone Machines
References:
- https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/223401
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2017/04/06/how-to-find-the-perfect-name-for-your-business-in-nine-steps/#3cc6a427215d
