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Forum - Best/funniest business name?
Best/funniest business name?
Fri, 14/08/2009 - 16:14 — Mark Williams
Arguably, choosing a name for your new business is one of the most important marketing/branding decisions you'll make. Get it right and you end up with a valuable asset. Get it wrong and you're left with an embarrassing millstone you'll never be able to escape.
Do you go for something literal or does that show a lack of imagination? Can you try to be too clever/abstract and end up with something that tells prospective customers sweet FA about your business? Is it best to pick a business name that suggests a small and friendly firm with authentic regional identity or one that suggests far greater ambitions? Is it about you or your customers?
And what about humour? Is it a good or bad idea when naming a business? There used to be a Thai restaurant on the King's Road in Chelsea called the Phat Phuk and I often wonder whether I was the only one childish enough to get the joke.
What key lessons have you learned from naming your business? What's the best/funniest business name you've heard of? Replies please...
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Hi, I saw a hair dressers the other day called "Curl up and Die"
I know what they was trying to pick up on was 'curl' as in cullers and 'die' as in dye your hair. But come on is'nt that the name of a funeral director??
Not a company name but there is a bakers van in Letchworth with the slogan, 'Nice buns, great baps' which always makes me smile.
I've seen a catering van driving round with D & V proudly emblazoned on the side. I don't think I fancy it much.
im soon to be slappyslack group ltd!!!
Small building company owned by a neighbour where I used to live called "Bodge-it and scarper" hmmm wouldnt trust them!
Our branding, marketing and print business is called Cheese&Pickle (www.cheeseandpickle.co.uk) - based on simple ingredients that when you put them together, they just work!
My OH did a 10k in Leamington Spa that was sponsored by a local firm of lawyers caled Wright Hassell. Surely you'd at least have flipped the names.
I spent some time working in the Middle East, and our local Suzuki distributor was called Mustapha Karam....(no joke - Google the name and you will see!)
Tim
You can give a name to your business according to your workings and your products. By the business name one should understand what exactly this business is doing. If you are not able to give an appropriate name to your business then you should contact to any business service support that will give you many ideas for business names and many more things related to your business.
A small cleaning compnay in Weston-super-Mare called "Beaver Cleaning Co."
fast food van selling kebabs is was called jasons don van
I used to know of a builder called Crumblehome!
There's a burger chain in Ireland called Abrakebabra!
Don't know if it's unusual, but i named my company codepotato...
The reasoning behind it was that a lot of people my age sit in front of the telly in the evenings (couch potato) but i sit up and code to my heart's content, so i'm a codepotato... Well... i thought it was a good idea!
Our company name, thought up by my partner before I was involved in the company is "Top Banana Computers", we often get a laugh when making calls to companies that have not dealt with us before.
I can not think of any off the top of my mind but if I had a reason too and if the market was there I would start a company called "Willett Works", funny and works with my surname......
I have no idea what type of service / product this would involve though?
A friend of mine named my company for me and I love it, although I don't think everyone gets it.
I'm in communications (marketing communications) and my surname is Kerr.
Hence, Kerrmunications!
I saw a portaloo company the other day drive past and company name was M.T Loos.
There's a chip shop up the road from us in Watford called "The Codfather". We also heard of an account with the surname "Cook", who called his business "Cook The Books", and a plumber who used the tagline "a flush is better than a full house"... nice images.
We called our business Clever Little Site. We make clever little sites. Hilarious.
As a business manager at Nat West, I do tend to see some real corkers, but my favourite has to be for the guy who sold juke boxes from his home in Leighton Buzzard. His business name? Jukes of Buzzard...
One of our team members was in New York recently and had a laugh at 'Wachovia Securities'! Very clever, it made us smile! angie
I am ashamed to say I have seen that co name meany times and never twigged it, until you pointed it out.
I've always thought the Fawcett Inn, a pub on Fawcett Road in Southsea was genius. As for what makes a good business name? Something instantly memorable always helps.
It was over thirty five years ago, when I drove up behind a tipper wagon travelling on a road near Birtley in Durham. The wagon was full of bricks and written along the back was the company name 'Pelton Bricks' This the earliest funny business name I'd ever seen and was obviously quite unique then. I laughed then and still do today when thinking of it. I dropped back very quickly from the rear of the wagon half expecting someone to appear over the back with a brick in hand at any time.
My vote goes to a ready mix concrete firm that came to my attention during a recent visit to Battle nr Hastings. The name - "William the Concreter".
We have a company in the South West with a sign on the A38 south of Buckfastleigh, the name always makes me smile when I drive past 'Well Hung Meat Company'. I hope it's a butchers of some sort!
Yeah I saw the Well hung meat company sign the other day and it made me laugh
I'm reminded of the hairdressers with a "We will gladly curl up and dye for you" window sign!
Thanks to everyone who mailed us with funny business names, the best so far include:
Get Stuffed – taxidermy shop in Islington, London.
Fishcotèque – highly regarded chippy near Waterloo Station, London.
Curl Up and Dye – hairdressers in London’s West End (although it was also the name of the hairdressers in the Blues Brothers film).
Tanya Wytebitz – tanning shop in Middleton, Manchester.
For Cod and Ulster – Belfast chippy.
Hairdotcomb – hairdressers in Falkirk.
MT Bellies – Caribbean catering business in East Anglia.
Frank Seymour – opticians in Edinburgh.
Chips Ahoy – Bournemouth chippy.
Doggy Style – Northampton pet-grooming business.
The Codfather – Glasgow chippy.
Big Baps – sandwich shops in York, Liverpool, Worthing, etc.
Philglas & Swiggot – Clapham wine merchant.
Lino Ritchie – Dublin floor-covering business.
Plant and Deck – Leeds garden furniture wholesaler.
Jim'll Mix It – London-based cement mixing company.
Balti Towers – the fictional Indian restaurant in the Royle Family.
Please keep them coming, although it would be interesting to also hear your thoughts on what makes for a good business name...
Even though it's currently only my blog's name - I've name my business Unreal PR as unreal is an anagram of Lauren...
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