Home Stagers, Choose Your Company Name With Care

All new business owners struggle with choosing the right company name, it’s no different for a home stager who needs the right business image.  Here are 4 key considerations when choosing a company name for your home staging business:

Is your business name easy-to-say and spell?

You really don’t want to have to constantly spell your company name or repeat it for people to be understood. This poses a challenge every time you’re introducing yourself by phone, doing a media interview, speaking at an event, or even in casual conversation.

Besides, if no one can figure out how to spell your company name, they’re unlikely to find you in a Google search.

My corporation is called Six Elements Inc., which “works” on many levels, but it also forces me to have to say “s-i-x not 6 like the number” when I’m saying the name in a media interview, or providing my website address to potential clients.

Is your company name memorable?

This is really a tough one and not absolutely necessary, but if you can come up with a memorable name, it will help you stand out. In Course 4 “Staging Diva Sales & Marketing Secrets to Boost Your Home Staging Business,” I teach my students that a potential client has to see your name 7 to 10 times before they’ll actually notice it. That’s because we’re bombarded by so many marketing messages, it’s hard to stand out in the “clutter.”

If you have a memorable company name, it’s much easier to get noticed and for people to assume you’re well established because they’ve heard of you before.

After all, when they think, “I’ve heard of them already,” you’re much closer to having credibility as a home staging expert. Early in my home staging business I found that when I wandered into a real estate open house and said, I’m Debra Gould from Six Elements Home Staging they would often say “Oh, I’ve heard of your company!”

I chose Staging Diva® as a brand name for my home staging courses, guides, etc. It’s easy-to-say and spell, and many find it memorable. There’s also the playful use of the word “diva” that makes the brand more approachable (unless you have no sense of humor and send me an email explaining that being a diva is not a good thing!).

I’ve had reporters say, “I was searching online for someone to interview for my home staging article, and when I saw the name ‘Staging Diva,’ I just had to call you.” Another media example is when I was featured on the HGTV show The Decorating Adventures of Ambrose Price. Check out this media clip to see how “Staging Diva” fit right into their opening script for the show!

Is your business name intriguing or a conversation starter?

Amazon, Google and Yahoo are easy-to-spell and memorable. We all know what businesses they’re in now, but when they were just starting out, one can imagine lots of people hearing them for the first time asking, “What do you do?”

When you’re in a networking situation (who isn’t a bit tense and shy at those?), it’s easier for people to start (or continue) a conversation with you if they have an obvious question to ask. In my case, many people ask “What are the six elements?” Then I can list them (energy, form, style, design, color and passion), which opens up a dialog about my beliefs about staging, decorating and running your own business.

Other names I like are: Velvet Plum, PostStone, and Digital Connections.

Does your company name convey the right image for your home staging business and what you do?

Here are 2 examples of memorable and easy-to-spell business names that are total failures when it comes to conveying the right business image. I remember them because I’ve seen their company vans on the road, and actually wince every time.

Would you hire a custom carpenter whose business is called, “Nine Fingers Left”? I don’t want him bleeding all over my home, thanks very much. Is it only me who sits in traffic behind this guy thinking, “I wonder which finger is the worst to lose if you’re a carpenter?” Of course I realize the name was chosen for memorability and he probably has all 10 fingers, but I don’t really want to find out. The bottom line is I have negative thoughts associated with the company making it unlikely that I’ll ever hire him.

Would you hire a painting company called, “Splish Splash Painting”? Anyone who has ever hired a painter before has probably experienced the annoyance of paint splashes and drips left behind on windows, fixtures and floors. Thanks for warning me ahead of time that you might be sloppy. I think I’ll hire someone else!

Here are some examples of home staging business names that work based on the criteria I’ve mentioned so far:

Perfect Place Home Staging
Rethink Home Interiors
Pear Tree Home Designs
Designed to Appeal

Have you come up with a great name for your business? Please share it in the comments below. Are you ready to start your business but coming up with the name is what’s holding you back? Let me know in your comments, perhaps I (or my readers) can help by voting for our favorites out of the possibilities you’re considering!

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging

Debra Gould has been writing about marketing for small businesses since the early 1990s as a frequent contributor to Profit Magazine. A home stager since 2002, she developed the Staging Diva Training Program to create opportunities for others to grow their own money-making home staging businesses. There are now 4,000 students in over 20 countries following her formula for business success.