When starting your consulting business, this is possibly one of the first issues you will wrestle with. Coming up with consulting firm names can be a tricky proposition, and one that requires a lot of thought from you!
A popular choice is to name the practice after the principle consultant, and possibly add the term “and associates.” While this may seem like a good idea, you will find that clients might disregard any other employees or minority partners, and only want to deal with the lead consultant. Not ideal.
Of course, in the case where the individual dies, retires, or sells the company, a company named after an individual may not be able to be renamed!
You might use part of your name, for example, your last name, to devise a name for the company. It worked for the Ford motor corporation, and it may work for you! Try combining your last name with the word “consulting” for example, Wilson Consulting. Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it!
Being specific, for example, choosing Wilson Financial Consulting, also helps, as it provides any potential clients with an immediate indication of the type of work you accept, making it easy for them to decide if they want to contact you.
On the other hand, you could choose a name that’s completely unrelated to your name, for example, Gigabyte Computer Consulting. It’s clear, catchy and not linked to any one person. You could consider any combination of terms related to your field for your moniker, and it may help to sit down with a piece of paper, and jot a few terms that you like the sound of down, and then spend some time working on combinations.
Another factor to consider is including a geographical reference in the name. While the addition of the world global, for example, would indicate that you accept work from anywhere, adding a particular geographical reference, such as New York, limits your potential to grow beyond that area. So exercise caution when using this idea! Rather leave it out, than limit your potential footprint!
You may also want to consider what the acronym of your company’s name would be, if you ever intend to use one. Getting it wrong could have embarrassing consequences!
Once you’ve spent some time on your name, and chosen your favorite, it’s time to incorporate that name into a logo.
Of course, your logo should be based on the name of your organization, and perhaps have a graphic representation of your services. Good logo design is tricky however, so it might be wise to seek the assistance of a graphic designer, who can design several options for you to choose from.
Important features of your logo should be that it is clear, professional and clean looking, and that it projects the desired image of your company. Also, bear in mind your chosen corporate colors, if any, when designing your logo, or that your logo may dictate those colors to you.
Once you have a logo you love, you can start putting it on letterheads, business cards, emails and other documents and consultants marketing materials. A marketing professional once told me, “If you can brand it, brand it.” The more you name, and logo gets out there, the more exposure you have, and the wider your potential client base becomes.
