Mistake 8: Not Getting Feedback – “Being an Island”

Starting a business can be a very personal journey, and many founders feel a strong sense of ownership

over decisions like naming. But a major mistake is trying to do it all alone and not soliciting any feedback on your prospective names. You might be afraid someone will steal your idea, or you might just be confident that you “know best.” However, no matter how brilliant you are, you have blind spots. A name that seems perfect to you might have an association you didn’t notice, or might be confusing to people who don’t have your insider knowledge. 12 We’ve heard of cases where a business owner chose a name with a subtle negative connotation they were unaware of, which a few test conversations with others could have caught. Even big companies sometimes get this wrong (hence focus groups exist). If you operate in a vacuum, you might miss the mark with your audience . Remember, you’re naming the business for your customers, not for yourself alone.

How to avoid it: Get some outside perspectives. This doesn’t mean you need to broadcast your idea to the world (I get that you might want to stay stealth until launch), but pick a trusted circle of friends, colleagues, or advisors and run your top name choices by them. Ideally include people who represent your target customer demographic. See how they react. Ask questions: What first comes to mind when you hear this name? How does it make you feel? Is it easy to remember and spell? Any suggestions or things you don’t like?

You might be surprised at what you learn. Maybe a friend points out, “You know, this sounds a lot like [some other company],” or “I’m not sure what you do from this name.” Better to hear that now than after you’ve spent money on branding under that name.

If you’re really concerned about revealing too much, you can frame it hypothetically or mix it in with other fake options when asking (“Which of these names do you like best for a new [industry] company?”). Even posting an anonymous poll in a small business forum or social media group can yield helpful feedback.

The key is, don’t trust your own opinion exclusively. When multiple people independently flag an issue, pay attention. Of course, you’ll never get unanimous love for any one name – naming can be subjective – but you’re looking for red flags and common themes. And if feedback is largely positive with no major issues, that should give you confidence moving forward. As a bonus, involving others in the process (even a little) can create early advocates. Someone who helped you vet the name may feel a tiny sense of ownership or connection and be more likely to support or promote your brand when you launch.

Mistake 9: Overlooking the Importance of Domain and Online

Presence

In today’s digital age, your brand name and your online presence are deeply intertwined. A mistake some make is picking a name without considering how it will function online – in URLs, search results, and social media. You might have a name that works in theory, but if the exact name is taken in all the domain forms, you’ll struggle. Or perhaps the name is fine, but doesn’t Google well (for instance, it’s a common word or phrase that brings up unrelated results). If customers can’t easily find you online by your name, that’s a serious obstacle.

Another aspect is social media handles. If your Twitter handle has to be @YourName_CO because @YourName is taken by an inactive account, it’s not the end of the world, but it’s not ideal either.

Consistency helps people locate and tag you across platforms.

How to avoid it: Before you finalize a name, ensure you have a viable digital strategy for it:

• Secure a good domain. As mentioned, .com is king for credibility (though not an absolute must if you have a clever strategy, like using a country TLD or a new TLD – e.g., “joinClubhouse.com” was used by the app Clubhouse initially when clubhouse.com wasn’t available). Check if you can get something intuitive. If your name is unique, you likely can. If it’s not, you may need to tweak the name or come up with a creative 13 domain hack. But be cautious with hacks – people default to .com in many cases.
• Check SEO implications.

If your brand is “Apple”, well, you’ll have an SEO battle with fruit (and the massive company Apple). More realistically, if your brand is a common term like “Coach” or “Sunrise”, think about adding a second word or modifying it for your domain to stand out (Coach the brand obviously did fine, but they have the advantage of history and trademark ). Try searching the name – are the first page results something you wouldn’t want to compete with or be associated with? If so, reconsider.

• Think about hashtag or social trends. Does your name accidentally contain another word that might clash with a popular hashtag or trend? It’s a minor point, but worth a glance. Also, if your name is long, how will it look as a Twitter handle or hashtag? Shorter is better here too.
• Ensure readability. If your brand name will be used in a one-word domain or handle, watch out for odd letter combinations. For example, a brand called Experts Exchange once famously had a URL that could be read very inappropriately (experts-exchange without the hyphen… you can imagine). Little things like that can cause PR hiccups. By taking an online-first mindset, you can avoid names that might be technically fine but practically troublesome when you go to set up your website and socials. In the modern marketplace, a name isn’t just what you put on a sign – it’s what people will type into Google or tell their smart speaker to look up. Make sure that journey is straightforward.