How To Create A World Class Candle Company Name
We’ve suggested before that names are overrated.
There’s a bit of wisdom in that advice, but it shouldn’t stop you from designing a name that tells your story and objectively serves your work.
In this guide you’ll learn:
- Why your candle company name matters
- A 7-step process to create a world class candle company name
- Which legal moves to consider for your new name
What difference does your candle company name make?
There’s a lot more to a name than letters and syllables.
Think about brands that everyone knows about:
- Apple
- Starbucks
- NFL
If company names were merely just letters, the list above wouldn’t be special in any way, but there’s a key element that makes them special.
Emotion.
Every brand up there invokes a feeling when you think about them, even if it’s not a good feeling. The way they’ve delivered value to culture resonates a certain way.
If you understand that your name is only as valuable as you make it then it’s far less stressful.
A lot of people think the NAME makes the business, but it’s the BUSINESS that makes the name.
But…. you shouldn’t settle for mediocrity. You want to create memories and emotional connections. An average name has average impact, and you have an opportunity to address that before it’s a hindrance to your empire.
That being said, there’s some rough rules to follow, both legally and otherwise, for forming a name you can build upon.
How to design a world class candle company name
Treat this stage as a process to follow, and don’t fall in love with anything too quickly. Our bias to early ideas often prevents BETTER ideas from coming out.
Name selection is best done in a series of personal workshops where you set aside an hour or more to “ideate” (the new version of “brainstorm”) and repeat the following steps as many times as you need to.
Step 1. Tap into your creativity by generating 100 name ideas of various styles
In his TED talk, Jonathan Bell calls out seven distinct naming conventions for businesses with the following examples:
| Name Style | Example |
| Eponymous – based on someones name | Disney, Tesla, Adidas |
| Descriptive – describes the company | American Airlines, The Home Depot, (Armatage Candle Company) |
| Acronomic – better formatted as an acronym | GE, BP, KFC |
| Suggestive – inherently describes benefits or attributes of the company, and may come right out of a dictionary | Uber, Slack, Ray-Ban, Kleenex |
| Associative – associated with an already common idea | Amazon, SiriusXM, Red Bull |
| Non-English – use, or inspiration from, a foreign language | Samsung, Lego, Hulu, Zappos |
| Abstract – completely made up | Rolex, Kodak |
In this iteration, choose a style and generate as many names in as many categories as possible. It might sound insane at first, but try to build a list of at least 100 different name ideas before moving to the next step.
Don’t omit any ideas that flow out.
Omission and filtering comes later, and you’re often able to build on bad ideas if you allow yourself to HAVE bad ideas.
Step 2. Dismantle your bias by removing your top 5 favorites from the initial list
What? Get rid of the best ideas?
Yes!
If you allow those top favorites to exist right now, it’ll completely disrupt your ability to look past your bias in the following steps.
You’ll thank yourself later, and likely end up happier.
Most people skip this step, unwilling to take intentional leaps to block their ego from the process.
Step 3. Filter down to 20 ideas using questions
With about 95 ideas in the cooker, you probably already know which ones will never make the cut.
And with your top 5 favorite ideas on ice, you’re probably wondering how you’re ever going to be happy with what’s left.
That’s normal, and you shouldn’t expect this to necessarily work on the first iteration!
If you need help, run your ideas through the questions below. If you can say “yes” to them, they’re worthy of making it to the next step.
- Does it have three or less syllables?
- Is it easy to pronounce if you read it?
- Can someone easily spell it if they hear it?
- Is it broad enough to allow you to expand into other avenues of business if you wanted to later?
Step 4. Refine the list until only 10 incredible ideas remain
In order to cut your list in half you’ll need to run each through the following small technical exercise:
- Make sure no matching businesses in your STATE have that name by visiting your state’s Secretary of State website (or equivalent)
- Validate no existing LIVE federal trademarks exist for the name using the United States and Patent Trademark Office’s Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS)
- Check to see if a reasonable domain name is still available. You can type it into a web browser or use GoDaddy’s domain availability tool.
- Do a quick internet search to make sure nothing offensive or culturally insensitive shows up in the search results.
- Validate that reasonable social media handles are available if you were to proceed with the name.
If you don’t have 10 ideas left after this, go back to step 1 and start over. It’s normal for this to take a few tries.
Step 5. Rank the top 10 and brainstorm potential slogans for each
It’s still a little early to ask for feedback from others. Doing so could actually put your creative process at risk because you really only have one chance to make an impression with these ideas on someone you trust.
Most people fall in love with specific ideas or may not jive with your vibe. However, feedback IS an important step, but just wait until you finish this step.
Rank your remaining 10 ideas from favorite to least favorite, then take the top three into the next step.
Step 6. Try on the top 3 for size and get some feedback
If you made it this far, it’s finally time to invest in the opinions of others.
One idea is to actually send a few emails with the name in your signature, or create some prototype graphics or labels with the names on them to really get a feel for what it’s like to live with that name.
Call it rapid prototyping if you want, but seeing the name is just as important as saying it and hearing it.
Bring it to the attention of a few trusted individuals who will give you the unbridled truth about each one. Once you’ve gathered feedback and pondered it, choose your name.
…or go to step 1 again if you’re not satisfied, but don’t start over OR consider the work completed until you’ve slept on the idea for at least a night. It’s amazing what a night’s worth of dreaming and rest can do for your creative brain.
Step 7. Create a catchy slogan to accelerate your success
Create a descriptive slogan that is:
- Seven words or less
- Direct
- Simple
- EXTREMELY memorable (something others would want to, or remember to talk about)
The point of this is to build the foundation of your story – the meaning behind the name.
Consider Google’s, “To organize the world’s information” or Nike’s “Just Do It”. They have a ring and a pop that make them memorable and inviting.
If you can’t sell the big idea of your brand, you should spend more time thinking about what you want to do with your work.
Congratulations! You just found yourself a company name.
What should you legally consider for your company name?
This section should not be considered legal advice – please consult with a legal professional at your discretion.
There’s really only two steps to think about at this stage:
- Filing your business name in your state
- Consideration of a federal trademark
Filing your business name
To do business, there’s often some small fees and a series of paperwork to file with your state.
Every state is different.
You can simply register a DBA (“doing business as”) or go as far as forming an LLC. In any case, research your state department requirements for filing a business name to make sure no one else can lay claim to the name you just tirelessly developed!
Should you trademark your business?
Trademarks are interesting, tricky, and possibly unnecessary.
Technically, you can form a business of the same name in every state and they could all be different from each other. Only registering in your state protects you in that state, which is where a trademark comes in.
According to the USPTO trademarks are, “A word, phrase, design, or a combination that identifies your goods or services, distinguishes them from the goods or services of others, and indicates the source of your goods or services.”
In other words, creating a trademark is useful for ensuring your neighboring state can’t form a business with the same name and impersonate you in any way.
You can also file for a trademarked logo or slogan if you wanted to.
Advice on whether to trademark your candle business name is all over the map. Some insist you should do it as soon as possible while others, almost reflexively, hesitate to say it’s an absolute need.
Most professionals recommend legal guidance for filing the trademark application, so it’s probably better to consult with them about if it’s the right choice for you and your business model.
