Many people won’t ever get past reading the name of a business – and a list of names is often times the very first thing people read and consider when looking for a carpet cleaner. The name you choose for your business can make a huge impact on whether people get past the name and investigate exactly who you are and what you offer. Sifting, sorting, brainstorming and deciding upon a name for your new carpet cleaning business is fun and can require a great deal of thought and inspiration. While it is important to take a number of things into consideration prior to making a decision, it’s more important to actually make a decision. You will eventually have to choose a name and move forward.
Naming seems difficult because your name is a cornerstone piece of your brand, and it needs to communicate a lot of important information about your business to potential clients. An ideal name for a carpet cleaning business can have a variety of elements: description (“Quality Carpet Cleaning”), invention/creativity (“Zig-Zag Cleaning”), geographical info (“Springfield Clean Carpets”), and more. An ideal name should also stand out, be memorable, and be descriptive. It is understandably a challenge for some to make a final decision.
The name you choose should reflect the exact type of carpet cleaning business you wish to create. Many people choose to put their own name in the name of their new business, “Sam’s Carpet Cleaning.” This is neither right or wrong, but has a number of pros and cons. The obvious benefit is allowing people to associate you with what you create in your business. The downsides include the potential expectation that you and only will be the one doing all the work, which may or may not align with your long-term vision for the company. It is important that you are comfortable with your business name, and that you feel good about it.
Some carpet cleaners pick something very inventive or unique. Once more, this is neither right or wrong. As you may or may not be aware there are approximately 50,000 carpet cleaning companies in the US – so no matter how unique you think your name is, you may be surprised to find you’re one of 15-20 sharing the same name. Check Google for other businesses with the same name – but don’t worry too much about being 100% unique. You should just make sure you aren’t using the same name as someone else in your geographic area.
If you approach the naming of your company by considering how the clients you want to attract will perceive you and understand your services, you may decide to use a descriptive name and include words like “quality,” “value,” or “discount.” If you desire to build a business of “high-end” clients, it would be wise to avoid “discount” in your title. Much more appropriate would be the use of words like, “exceptional,” “preferred,” or “pristine.” Start brainstorming words that describe the style and quality of business you will portray in your local marketplace.
Asking the opinions of your family and friends is also a fun way to get better and different ideas and narrow down a name. Listing out 20-30 different ideas without filtering yourself, and then taking that list to one or two close friends who are willing to pitch in, is a great way to stumble upon the one name that fits. The action of writing down different ideas can help unleash some hidden part of your subconscious or super-conscious mind. You should also consider the services you’re offering when naming a carpet cleaning business. If you only wish to offer carpet cleaning solutions then you would be wise to include “carpet” in the title. On the other hand, if you plan to offer a multitude of floor and upholstery cleaning options you may want to be more general. If you’re focused on commercial work, your name might include “commercial cleaning.” Many carpet cleaning companies generate a substantial amount of revenue with janitorial work, emergency water extraction, or other related services – make sure your name won’t be limiting.
Once you have a few names that you really like, you should double check that your name will be unique in your geographic area, and check whether any suitable website domain names are available. You might want to also do a trademark search, and make sure that you won’t be infringing on a registered trademark.
In the end, a name is just a name and what you bring to the name in terms of other branding elements (logo, colors, tagline, etc.), marketing, advertising, and personality is what will give life to your new business (things you’ll expand on in your carpet cleaning business plan). The key is to have some fun, consider the different possibilities, and make a decision. Something as simple and basic as choosing the name for your company is surprisingly what trips up many potential businesses and keeps people from moving forward. While it is possible to change your name later on – there are many reasons it’s better to pick one and stick with it. But, the key is to pick one and get moving on building and operating an actual carpet cleaning business! Good luck.