Top 7 Ways for Creating a Catchy Business Name

If you want to start a new business, you'd definitely want to create a business name that is not only catchy but is also unique from the competition. After all, coming up with a unique and catchy business name will help you outshine the others. Making your business easily memorable will also work wonders for you. Be creative and customers will more likely consider your business for getting the products or services they need. The following are some of the best ways to create a unique and catchy business name:

1. Useful Alliteration

It's a good idea to come up with an alliterative name. Companies make use of alliteration all the time to make sure that their catchy business name is a memorable one. Many reputable and popular companies and brands use alliteration in their names, including Bed Bath & Beyond, Dunkin' Donuts, PayPal, Best Buy, and Johnson & Johnson. This is not only useful for making your business name memorable, but also for making a good acronym that people will easily remember to relate to your business.

2. Prominent Acronyms

Creating an influential yet helpful acronym for your business name can give you an edge against the competition. Acronyms make up for a catchy business name that's easily remembered by consumers. But, if you're planning to use an acronym you should first ensure that it's memorable and unique. A good example of a catchy business name that uses an acronym is the golf store Power Athlete Retail. Its acronym, PAR, reads as the goal term "par" which every golfer wants to achieve.

3. Helpful Word Compounds

Word compounds are used to create an attractive and catchy business name that consumers can easily relate to. YouTube is a perfect example of this. The easy and familiar name instantly activates appropriate association in the mind that YouTube is a user-generated video sharing website. Another good example is combining the words Washington and Battery to come up with WaBatt, which easily suggests that your battery selling business is based in the state of Washington.

4. Smart and Deliberate Misspellings

Companies, advertisers, and shops deliberately misspell a word to come up with a catchy business name and make it stand out. This is a good way of giving a unique appeal to your business and perhaps one of the quickest and smartest techniques to create a catchy business name. One example of how this works is by naming your bookstore "Paperbax", which easily suggests that you're selling paperback books. Such small but strategic misspelling can tell people a lot about your business. Like in this case, where the name appeals to the younger audience and asserts the thought that Paperbax is not a regular bookstore that sell hardcover books alone.

5. Proper Crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing is the effort to outsource tasks to a crowd through an open call. This means tapping into the collective intelligence of a large group of people for fulfilling a certain task. By doing so, productivity and creativity are increased while labor and operating costs are kept to a minimum. Naming Force is a good example of a web service that helps to create a catchy business name through the power of crowdsourcing. PickyDomains on the other hand, is a dedicated crowdsourcing service for online business owners who need help with naming their website.

6. Business Name Generator Applications

Business name generator applications also come handy in creating a catchy business name. These software mix and combine words or parts of words to generate a compound word. There are many professionals who make use of such tools to generate website, product, and brand names. One of the most popular business name generator software is Workmaker, which has a massive database containing not just English, but German, French, and several other languages as well. There are also free business name generators online which are widely used by small and large businesses to get a catchy business name. Some of the most notable business name generators for free are BizNameWiz, NetSubstance, and Online Generator.

7. Business Name Development Consultants

Running out of creative juices and still can't find a catchy business name? Then it's time to get some professional help. There are many professional consultants that offer their services to assist people in creating the right business name. Some of them combine audience impact and creativity to develop the perfect business or product name. One of these professional consultants is Fresh Bread Creative, which has developed over 5,000 logos and corporate identities.

Women in Business: Power UP Your Business - 10 Resolutions for the New Year

The New Year offers a clean slate and a time to reflect on the changes you want or need to enhance your business.Take some time to look at the successes and failures of your life over the past year. Have you considered what changes you want to implement for 2012? Here are 10 resolutions to Power UP your Business for the New Year!

Resolution 1: Get a Handle on your Taxes

With the New Year fast approaching, it is important to get a firm handle on your taxes. To claim certain tax benefits, you need to act no later than Dec. 31. According to the IRS, here are "Six Year-End Tips to Reduce 2011 Taxes:"

Install Energy-Efficient Home Improvements

Make Charitable Contributions

Consider a Portfolio Adjustment

Contribute the Maximum to Retirement Accounts

Make a Qualified Charitable Distribution

Don't Overlook the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit

Resolution 2: Understand your Finances

This is extremely important for the health of your business. As a new or growing business, you need to be diligent about your finances. The NUMBER ONE reason that businesses fail is due to lack of control over finances.

Some experts suggest reviewing your profit and loss statements, balance sheets and cash flow reports on a monthly basis. To manage this, there is accounting software such as QuickBooks specifically for small businesses. Also, hiring a CPA or bookkeeper can be a wise investment.

Resolution 3: Create a Monthly Budget

This is crucial to controlling your monthly expenses. By creating a budget, forces you to examine your income and expenditures to track how much money you make and spend. Of course your living expenses, i.e., mortgage, utilities, vehicles, insurance payments and food are a must, but additional payments should be allocated to pay off bad debt.

A few handy financial tools:

HomeBudget is an expense tracker designed to help you budget, track and control your monthly expenses at home.

Moneytrackin is a free online web application that allows you to track all your expenses and income easily and without effort, thus allowing you to have a clear view of your financial situation. It intends to be a simple yet powerful online budget management tool.

MySpendingPlan is an online tool that provides consumers with the latest tools to help them manage their personal finances track their budgets, save money and keep up on the latest information about managing money and leading a better financial life.

Resolution 4: Get Out of Debt

Easy to say, difficult to do! According to some experts, Americans charge over one trillion dollars per year using Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover. For many, money is a big source of stress; and it doesn't help that we've had to deal with economic issues over the past few years. This coming year, make it a priority to resolve your money woes.

Resolution 5: Set Specific Time Management Goals

Why do you want to set specific goals to manage your time effectively? Well, setting simple goals will force you to plan your time wisely, thus, allowing you to get a sense of achievement and reduce work and life stress. For example, if spending time with your family is important, try working fewer hours on Friday so that you can honor that goal.

By scheduling your time based on your goals, you can assess if your goals truly align with the core values, both professionally and personally. If you find that your goals are out of align, then you are able to identify key areas that need adjusting before they get out of control.

Resolution 6: Learn How to Delegate

As your business grows, so should your 'tight grip' on controlling every aspect of it. The worst thing that you can do is become a slave to your business. This attitude can cripple you! I know this first hand; as a former owner of a building maintenance company; I was president, HR generalist, payroll specialist, trainer, janitor, sales woman and more! It took me a while to realize that not only could I not effectively wear every hat, but in order to grow and regain my sanity, I had to trust others.

It is important that you delegate non-core business tasks to your staff or consider outsourcing. Play on the strengths of others. The lack of delegation will stifle your growth, or worse, cause you to run your business and yourself into a pit fall.

Resolution7: Prioritize your Day

It is essential that you start your day with a 'to do' list. It doesn't matter if your business is small or if you run a large corporation, having a daily plan will keep you on track in effectively running your business. Start your day by scheduling uninterrupted time to plan and create your list of tasks for that day, and rank your list in order of priority. For example, if you have 10 tasks on your list, of those, how many do you need to complete? Can you save the least important tasks for another time?

If you don't accomplish all the tasks from your 'to do' list, it doesn't mean you are having problems managing your time. It simply means that you only have limited time per day to get everything done and you may be trying to accomplish more tasks than you have time in the day.

To manage and prioritize my time, I rely on Microsoft Outlook's calendar and task manager to plan my personal and business schedule. I then sync Microsoft Outlook to my I Phone. This helps me to stay on task and set priorities for my daily activities. Find what works for you and make it a daily habit to have a productive and organized day!

Revolution 8: Network religiously

A successful way to promote your business is through networking. You are in business to grow, so make networking a key part of your marketing strategy so that you position yourself to connect with the right people.

Networking is a lifestyle in which you need to incorporate onto your "To Do" list. By networking, you are developing your social skills by engaging or interacting in an informal gathering to communicate with others for mutual assistance or support. By acquainting yourself with other business owners or executives, you are building meaningful relationships. There are many organizations that you can become involved in such as the Chamber of Commerce, Business Network International (BNI), online communities or a professional organization related to your industry.

Resolution 9: Know your Credit

Do you know how important it is to establish business credit profile? According to some industry experts, "fewer than 10 percent of all entrepreneurs know about or truly understand how business credit is established and tracked-and how it affects their lives and businesses."

Make sure you contact the major business credit bureaus that compile and provide copies of your credit reports. For a list of business credit reporting agencies, here's an informative article by Marco Carbajo, "Top 10 Business Credit Bureaus."

Resolution 10: Make More time with Family & Friends

An important reason we go into business is the idea of being flexible with our time. So, the idea of having time for family and friends seems like it should be a no-brainer, right? According to recent polls conducted by General Nutrition Centers, Quicken, and others shows that more than 50% of Americans vow to appreciate loved ones and spend more time with family and friends this year.

You have control over your time, so make sure that you balance work and life to be able to spend it with those that are important to you.

Why Even Small Businesses Should Have A Website

In this day and age, computer usage is increasing by leaps and bounds. Every business considers website design at some point or other, even small businesses.

When you consider the computer literacy level of the younger generation, the trend of the future becomes clear. We can imagine that as the future approaches, computers will become a much more dominant influence in all our lives, even more than it already is.

Face it, computers provide entertainment, information, and shopping fun! But you still ask yourself, do I really need a website? As a business, you have to realize that your competitors most likely do, or if they don't, they will! This means that they might have an edge over you right off the bat. (Of course, if their website is unattractive, full of grammatical errors, uninformative, etc., it will drive customers away.....but more on that later.)

Your competitors with a website have that additional exposure, credibility, and opportunity to have their potential clients get to know them and their products in order to lure them into their store before yours!

Being on the internet allows anyone with a computer, smartphone, iPad, or android, etc. to be able to look you up and read about your products or services. When you give out business cards, pass out flyers, or place advertisements with your website name on it, you have another way to put more information about yourself into your potential customer's thought process. Remember, the more they know about you and think about you, the better chances are that they will become your customer. And that's the goal of any business.

Now, a new technology is becoming more and more prevalent. It is called QR codes. In essence, it is a type of barcode that you can print onto your business cards, flyers, etc., that people can scan with their smartphones. When they scan these codes, the mobile page that the QR code is internally linked to pops up on their phone!! This is a great marketing tool that can be implement into your website design.

Not only is an attractive website appealing, but if done well, the proper website designer can help you create your special business identity. Your website can help you identify and focus your business persona that sets you apart from other businesses similar to yours.

There are many websites on the internet that do nothing but give a bad impression of the business or organization that it represents. Face it, people are influenced by attractiveness whether it's people, houses, clothes, or websites! Therefore, it's important that your website has a good look.

Beware web design companies that just throw up a website for you without the thought and creative marketing ideas that are required to develop a website design specifically tailored for you. Some web designers are designers strictly because they have the technical know-how. However, technical know-how does not translate into marketing savvy or creative ability. Be sure that your website looks professional and suited for your needs and type of business while still being attractive and pleasing to the eye.

After all, it's always better to be more attractive than unattractive! Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but in general, a thing of beauty usually appeals to the majority.

A professional, appealing website which provides pertinent and relevant information about its business contributes greatly in establishing credibility. People automatically tend to believe that the business is established and substantial. This website does not look like a do-it-yourself freebie job. It looks as if the business took time and resources to have a professional website created. It portrays the idea that this business is an established business that will stand behind its products and treat you like a valued customer!

In the same way that an attractive, professional website adds credibility and substance to your business, it adds prestige. For example, many people subconsciously feels that a business that has a very professional website is a better business than one that does not.

This is much like the idea that a doctor that has better bedside manner is a better doctor than one who does not. This may or may not be true, but that's what our hearts feel when we speak with the doctor with the great bedside manner. We feel and say to ourselves, This is a great doctor.

The same psychological pattern holds true for a business with a great website versus one that only has its name in the yellow pages directory. It's human nature. Your website design, image, and content play an important part in drawing clients and customers.

A well designed website can help identify and focus the image you want to have in your area of business.

Who are the target customers you are looking for? Are you the exclusive designer of the clothing industry, i.e., an exclusive boutique wanting wealthy patrons? Or are you the discount house wanting customers who wants to save a dollar by purchasing floor items?

Your website should make it easy for your target audience to identify you as a business they are interested in dealing with. It should improve your reputation and image in its respected area. It is an extension of you and your business. One of the most important website functions is to connect with the website visitor, provide the website visitor with the information they want to see and find interesting, and provide this information with a clear and easy navigation of the website. Your website may also be a vehicle to connect those interested in the subject matter of your business or organization as a group. Blogs and/or forums are great for allowing your group of visitors communicate with each other and you. Ultimately, communication with your website visitors will result in turning the visitors into customers. As trust is developed, and they get to know you and your business, they will be more willing to do business with you.

Many websites are used as a method to market products. The online shopper is a large pool of potential customers. A company website is often a primary tool used to sell products online to that large pool. They do so with the use of photos, descriptions, sale prices, and shopping carts. Again, a well designed website accomplishes these tasks. Clear navigation and ease of use are important in preventing customers from getting frustrated when they cannot complete a purchase due to confusion caused by your website. So be sure that your website is well designed!

Websites are also used to draw people into the store to see the product for themselves. Again, an attractive professional website accomplishes this task. Whether you decide to have a shopping cart on your website, or focus to draw the customers into your local store, a website helps to sell.

In conclusion, the reasons for having a well designed website developed for your business or organization are persuasive. Ultimately, it improves your business and your business image, spreads knowledge of your business, and increases the involvement of the public with your business with the bottom line being that your organization grows. And that is what we all want, isn't it?

Developing A Business Startup Success Strategies

It can be easy to lose sight of the very reasons why you wanted to open your business startup. You can get wrapped up in the day-to-day operations, leaving little time to focus on what makes your business startup standout in the market. Having a strategy in place that allows you to keep you motivated can ensure your business stays on a path of success.

Fall In Love With Your Business

Any business that you invest your heart in soul in should be the great love of your life. You need to nurture it and watch it grow. Having a real passion for what you are doing and the products and services you sell can make your business startup a real labor of love. You should have a real hunger that drives you to do well. Making your business startup idea one that you can stand behind and love to eternity is the first step in achieving success.

If it seems that you are losing that connection with your company and not really feeling the love, take a step back and allow yourself to remember how it all started. This can spark your emotions for your business and allow you to fall back in love with what you are doing. Your passion for your business is often times enough to get you through the challenging times.

Surround Yourself With Good People

From your employees to your professional network, the people that you surround yourself with can have a strong influence on your business startup. These very people can give you new ideas and help educate you on your business' operations.

Having positive people to lift you up can be a strong motivator and allow you to have someone to bounce thoughts off of when you feel uncertain about a decision. Use your network to gain valuable information and learn from your peers on what mistakes to avoid. They can prove to be a big part of helping you run your business and ensuring it is successful in its endeavors.

Don't forget your employees; they can be a big part of keeping your focused on your business startup on a daily basis. Good employees will drive your customer service and in turn your revenue. When your employees believe in your business and the vision you have set for it, it makes it that much more important that you deliver now and into the future.

Create A Marketing Strategy

Having a marketing strategy in place to promote your business is necessary to help achieve strong revenues. You should have prepped and planned a strategy that you want to adhere to market your business startup to your customers. It doesn't have to be a large portion of your budget, but it should include some effort on your part.

Think about where your customers go for their information. Be visible to them and make sure you use every opportunity that is available to you to market your business with both new and existing customers. Try social media, check into local advertising, hold and an event, and use what is available to you to reach your customers and introduce your business' products and services to the masses.

If you stay aggressive with your marketing plan, you are sure to garner the attention of your current customer base as well as a new group of potential clients. This can bring in more revenue and keep your business startup on a path of success.

Get To Know Your Customers

It is your responsibility as a business startup owner to know everything there is to know about your customers. You should have a strong idea of who they are, what their likes are, and where they are located. When you truly understand your customers, the more effectively you can serve them with your products and services.

While your attention may be turned toward gaining new customers, don't lose sight of your current clients. They are the bread and butter of your business, and you want to make sure you are not replacing existing customers with new customers at a losing pace. Show your loyal customers how much you appreciate their business. Without them, your business will only see marginal success, and you want to make sure to grow your business startup rather than be stagnate in its approach.

Take Time For You

It may be difficult to imagine, but you need time away from your business startup. You may think that you can't take time away or that your momentum will crumple without you, but taking a vacation every now and then is one of the best things you can do for your company. When you step away for a moment, you allow yourself the opportunity to recharge and refresh. You'll be able to see your business in a new light and be surging with motivation when you return.

You'll be surprised at how much a vacation from your business startup can do for you. You'll be filled with new ideas and solutions to problems that you previously thought unsolvable. Being able to see your business from a new angle can be just what you need to take it in a new direction, move it forward, or reach to new heights. Your business startup will appreciate the time you took, and you will be ready to take on new challenges with a fury as your drive will be restored and you will feel anew.

Plus, you have good people surrounding you that you can trust to steer the ship when you are away. Rely on your employees and allow them to do what you hired them to do. You'll be pleasantly pleased with how quick they are to pick up the slack when you are away and the positive results you'll see upon your return.

Ideas and Scrapbooks Make for a Great Home Business

Scrapbooking is one of the most popular crafts out there today, and there are more and more people starting to scrapbook every year. If you love to scrapbook, home based business might not be the first thing that springs to mind, but it is entirely possible to turn your love of scrapping into a profitable home business. In fact, there are several ways you could go about it.

Scrapbook, Home Based Business Idea 1: Teaching Scrapbooking

If you're already adept at scrapping, and you've been creating beautiful mementos for a while, you might be able to make money teaching new scrappers how to create their own albums or pages. Consider advertising in your community, include the cost of a set of basic materials in the cost of training, and teach people how to get started.

An alternative would be to create a series of training videos, have them put onto DVD's (or sell them as a downloadable product) and sell them through mail order or on a website.

Scrapbook, Home Based Business Idea 2: Your Own Online Store

Another great idea that can help you to turn your love of scrapbooking into a money spinner is to start an online scrapbook materials store. Look for websites that offer wholesale or dropshipped scrapping materials and tools, and create a site where you sell them to other scrappers online. You don't have to have an expensive retail store, you can sell globally, and thanks to super easy to use site builders, anyone can create a professional looking online store these days!

Scrapbook, Home Based Business Idea 3: Scrap for Profit

If you love creating beautiful, creative memories by scrapping, then you might just be able to create custom commissions for clients. Advertise in your local newspaper, online or anywhere else where people might be looking for this type of service. You can specialize in one type of scrapping (weddings, christenings and other special occasions for instance) or you can offer a general 'scrap to order' service.

Scrapbook, Home Based Business Idea 4: Write a Book!

These days, it's easier than ever to create an e-book, or even a book that you publish on demand. You can sell your book through online stores like Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and if you can't write very well, then there are plenty of freelancers out there who will take your ideas and put them in words. Self publishing costs very little to set up, and there are people who make a good living off of their self published books.

Whether you choose to start one of these types of scrapping businesses, or whether you have another idea up your sleeve, there are a few things you should do before you leap right in.

Scrapbook, Home Based Business Idea 5: Scrapping Kits

Another great idea is to make up scrapping kits for a variety of occasions, and for different skill levels. Sell them in your community, or by mail order. Include a variety of different scrapping safe papers, embellishments and other items, and include basic instructions for designing and making your own scrapping pages or albums.

Create a Business Plan

The first step in creating any business, including a home based scrapbooking business, such as the ones we've mentioned above, is to create a business plan. If you're not applying for financing, it doesn't have to be complicated. Just write down what you plan to do, and how you plan to do it. Work out how much you need to make to make your business idea worthwhile, and then work out how you plan to make that. Keep referring to and updating your business plan as you go along too.

Find Suppliers

Whether you're offering scrap book training or selling products, you're going to need suppliers for the materials required. The internet is full of sites for companies and wholesalers who offer a wide variety of scrapbooking products. Spend some time finding the best quality, best value products out there, so that you can maximise your profit.

Market Your Products or Services

Scrapbooking businesses are just like any other business, and you need to market them if you want them to work. Think about places that you can advertise your services. Community notice boards, local newspapers and public libraries are good for offline, local businesses. Social networks are good for any type of business, and free online classified sites also work well for all kinds of scrapbooking businesses. Look for cost effective marketing ideas for your home scrapbooking business, especially while you're getting started!

Partner With Related Businesses

Another good idea, when launching a home based scrapbooking business is to partner up with businesses in your area that offer related products and services.

For instance, if you are going to be offering commissioned scrap book services for special occasions, talk to local photographers about referrals from their clients, and offer them a commission in return. If you plan to offer scrapping lessons, find out if their are any other local craft trainers who would consider a reciprocal marketing service, where you each market each other's programs.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

When it comes to building a successful home business, including a scrapbook business, you want to make sure that you start small, and grow at a pace you can handle. Work out what you capacity is to begin with (how many people you can teach at once, for instance) and base your planning on that. You can always expand later on, but if you try to start too big, too soon, you run the risk of burning out. Home based businesses are supposed to be profitable AND fun after all, so you don't want to stress yourself out before you've even started!

Perks on Buying a Business Instead of Creating One

Many people love the idea of being a business owner, but think that the only way to own a business is to start one on their own. But this is not the case. If you want to buy a business, you will experience all the perks on buying a business as well as those of being a business owner in general.

The idea of having a career as a business owner is something that many people really like. That is because of all of the advantages of owning your own business, especially if it is a very successful one. The most obvious of these advantages is the money that you will make from a successful business - even a small one. Your standard of living will increase when you own your own business.

And you will never have to work for someone else either, which is another thing that people really like. You will get the freedom of making your own decisions about your job and won't have to answer to anyone else for them. That is a freedom that many people love.

There is a way to make being a business owner even better, though. Instead of going through the initial startup process of building a business it is possible to be a business owner by purchasing a business that is already established. You can buy instead of create and experience all of the perks of buying a business in addition to those of being a business owner, as were discussed.

There are many perks on buying a business instead of creating one. The biggest one is that you will miss the stressful time of a business when it starts to grow. You won't have to go through any of this. Instead, you will jump in when the business is at the stage where it is running smoothly and just have to take on the role without nearly as much stress as you would experience if you were the one that had to build the business yourself.

Often, when you buy the right business, you will never even have to work that hard. Some businesses have hit a point where they are successful enough that the day to day things are run on their own by management and the owner rarely has to make any critical decisions. If you are lucky enough to find one of these companies to buy, then you will experience the perks of being a business owner without having to do much at all. You just get to enjoy being a business owner.

If you want to experience the advantages of being a business owner, you don't have to create the business on your own. You can buy a business that is already established and experience the perks on buying a business instead of creating one. You will never have the stress, but you will get to enjoy being a business owner, just like you want. This is a win-win situation for most people interested in owning a business.