3 Reasons You’re Making Your “Naming Your Photography Business” Process Too Difficult

You’ve been dreaming about photography “forever”. You’ve bought the perfect camera, you have all the accessories, you’ve even built up your portfolio with family and friends. But one thing is holding your back:3 Reasons You’re Making Your “Naming Your Photography Business” Process Too Difficult

Your business name

Naming your photography business can be one of the biggest stumbling blocks for people just getting started. You want the perfect name, want it to be memorable, and be able to grow with you for years into the future. Yet that desire is what’s holding you back. Here’s why.

1. Waiting for the perfect business name stops you in your tracks.

Everything associated with your name has to be put on hold until you make your final decision. You can’t get your tax license, register your business, or order business cards. So weeks, months, even years can go by waiting for the right name to “pop” into your brain. Funny thing is it rarely does. You’ll always have doubts. You’ll always have questions. And the longer you wait, the more your dreams of owning a photography business pass you by. The more you focus on your name, the more you focus on the wrong things. Clients want you – your photography – and the name is always secondary. If this is where you are stuck, make your decision today to start simple – Your Name Photography – if nothing else comes to you. You can always change the name or do a DBA (doing business as) later.

2. Cleverness can be a holdback.

Have you ever found a company with a cute name that may have made you laugh. Then the more you thought about, the more you questioned the integrity of the business? Yep, we all have. The owner started out with good intentions, yet the name takes on hidden meanings, depending on your background and the way you interpret things. A clever name doesn’t win clients. And a clever name can come back and hurt you, especially if society changes. (For example, shooting was a popular word a couple of decades ago until “shooting” became engrained in our society as a horrible thing.)

3. Clever or double meaning names can be lost or misunderstood.

So you’ve put a few words together that have a couple of meanings. You think its clever and people will love it. The problem arises when a potential client has no idea what it means, and they are left scratching their heads, wondering what kind of person came up with a name like that. Confusion should never be a part of your marketing plan. Sell them with your style, your branding, your colors and your look. Your name will always fall to the back of the “impact” if you have a tightly pulled together look that attracts people from the beginning.

For all of these reasons and more, I suggest to keep your naming process simple.

If you’ve been stuck for a while now, yes it can be as simple as going with your name – Your Name Photography – to start moving ahead in your goals and your dreams.

Another activity to get you moving in the right direction is to find a name that specifically says what you do. Take out a piece of paper and write down words associated with your business ideas. You may end up with words like:

  • Pets
  • Dogs
  • People and their pets
  • Cats

In this case, you can start simple with Pet Portraits or Best Friends Photography. It gets straight to the point, especially when displayed with your work.

Stay focused on what really matters – getting clients and growing your business – not on something that can be easily changed and modified as you grow.

Now, if you’re just starting out and trying to build a successful business from the ground up, Six Figure Photographer is the perfect step by step system to help you get your business up and running and the clients flowing in. Six Figure Photographer gives you the most important things to do to set up a solid business plan today, followed by steps to do as you continue to grow and change in the months ahead. Easy. You can get it at SixFigurePhotographer.com

Simple Things You Should Do Today When Naming Your Photography Business

Thinking of starting a photography business? One of the most difficult tasks you’ll have is coming up with a name for it.

There really is a lot to consider.

Simple Things You Should Do Today When Naming Your Photography Business

What is your goal for your business?

Simple Things You Should Do Today When Naming Your Photography Business 1

Who is involved in the business?

Simple Things You Should Do Today When Naming Your Photography Business 2

Is the name already being used in the photography industry?

Simple Things You Should Do Today When Naming Your Photography Business 3

There are also a few more things you should consider when playing around with naming ideas. [Read more…]

Naming Your Photography Business – An Advanced Guide

One of the most popular questions that finds its way into my email box and throughout my various social sites is: What’s a good name for my photography business?

I’ve touched on a lot of issues in two of my posts:

What Should I Name My Photography Business?

Choosing The Right Name For Your Photography Business

But there are several other things you should think about when you’re deciding on a name, and a few resources you should keep in mind.

Will you be trademarking your name?
Twenty years ago, your photography business would only be in competition with other photographers in your local area. Not true anymore. Now you’re in competition with photographers from all over the world. If you travel regularly as a wedding photographer (as we did starting in the mid 1990’s) your branding extends well beyond local lines. Trademarking your name gives you added protection of having someone come in and choosing something similar, and trying to ride on your coattails. It’s also important as you expand into multiple areas: books, gift products, artwork, etc. What do I name my photography business

You can trademark your name and any branding material, such as a logo. While there are many companies and law offices out there that will help you with the trademarking process, two of my favorite sites are Nolo and the USPTO. Nolo is a legal site filled with all kinds of help for small businesses. You can order books, legal forms, and even find a lawyer in your area if that’s your next step. They have a great book on Trademarking that gives you everything you need to know about the trademark process and protecting your name. The USPTO (U.S. Patent and Trademark Office) has a ton of information on trademarking. They have an online search function that allows you to put in your name ideas, and see if anyone else has trademarked it. And once you file for trademark status, you can follow it online as well.
[Read more…]

Choosing The Right Name For Your Photography Business

I’ve had a ton of comments over the past few months about my article What Should I Name My Photography Business? Based on some of those comments I thought I would dive into the concept of choosing the right name for your photography business a little bit further.

naming my photo business
Choose one that’s unique
I know the word “unique” is overused, but in this case it’s true. In many cases a photographer will choose a relatively common name based on the type of photography they are going to promote, and wind up one of many with the same name. Now that we have the Internet, it’s easy to find out how unique your name is. Simply head over to Google and type in your choices – are there any other photographers using the same name?

[Read more…]

What Should I Name My Photography Business?

I had a great question come in today from a photographer that’s starting up a new business, and contemplating name choices. “What should I name my photography business?” As I was typing up the answer, I began thinking about how many of you may also be thinking of similar things, and thought I would post about it here as well.

The first question I would have to you is, “How do you want to grow?”

For some people, it’s all about the art. They have dreams of becoming a household name with their photography. Think Denis Reggie, Anne Geddes or Annie Leibovitz.

For some people, it’s all about the business. They have dreams of building a large studio in which they can hire multiple photographers, and offer a variety of services using multiple talented people.

Both are great business models. However, both should be named differently.

[Read more…]