How To Choose a Coaching Business Name

With so many coaches out there, coming up with a coaching business name can be a challenge. There are so many strategies out there. Should you name it after your own name? Should you come up with something new? Does it even matter? All questions need to be answered before you decide on a name that will be a part of your coaching business forever. 

In this blog post, you’ll learn how to choose a coaching business name. We’ll dive into what makes a good one, how to choose one, and the different strategies to use to help you name your business. 

The detailed steps I’m going to show you today will help you come up with a fun, powerful, and meaningful coaching business name that you’ll be proud to share. 

Keep reading to learn more.

What makes a good coaching business name?

It’s crucial to choose a great name for your business, but it can be a challenge. What makes a name powerful, and how do you pick one that really works? Take the time to do this right, because you’re going to be working with that name for a long time!

1. It evokes an emotion

Coaching often involves dealing with emotions, and you want your name to make your audience feel something. Try to connect on a personal level, rather than just a business level, particularly if you specialize in coaching on feelings.

2. It solves a problem

Someone looking for coaching is looking to have an issue in their life dealt with. You have the solution, and if possible, your name should convey that. Highlight the biggest issue that you think most of your clients face, and see if you can weave it into your coaching name.

3. It sounds good

Your coaching business name also needs to sound right. Rhythm has a lot to do with how a name feels. Consider alliteration or rhyme as ways to make the name memorable and catchy. Ask others about potential names you come up with, and find out what sounds good to them.

4. It represents your audience

Think from your audience’s perspective. Who are you aiming your business at? What level do they connect on? If you’re working with older professionals, avoid slang. Equally, if you want to engage real people, turn off the business-speak. The language you choose needs to represent those you are targeting.

How to Choose a Coaching Business Name

So how do you choose a name? What steps do you need to take once you’ve drafted some ideas and you’re trying to select one? Here are some tips for making your coaching business name perfect for you and your customers.

1. Make it unique

A unique name is crucial, and it doesn’t have to be obviously tied to your business. Find words that resonate with you and write them down. Look for phrases that sound good. Use a dictionary or a keyword tool.

Once you have some words you like, play around with them. Explore the sound and feel of different names, toy with unusual spellings (but not so unusual people won’t be able to remember them), and get creative.

Don’t piggyback on other popular names/products, or you’re likely to get lost in the crowd. Stand out by coming up with a name that works for you.

2. Make it long-lasting

You don’t want to hop on one of those short viral trends that are forgotten in a week. You want something with longevity. Think about where your business will go in the future, and whether the name you choose will limit your clients. If you want to eventually appeal to all ages, don’t pick a name like “teen boost.”

Think about what epitomizes your vision as a company. What do you want to achieve more than anything else? How do you differentiate yourself from your competitors? Who are you? Write down lots of ideas, but then narrow these down and don’t try to be everything to everyone.

3. Make it easy to say

You don’t want a name that nobody can pronounce, especially if you’re depending on word of mouth to get you clients. A name that is hard to say can be off-putting to clients, who may instantly feel they don’t connect with a business they can’t pronounce.

If you are going to change spellings to play with common words, make sure the pronunciation is still clear. Ask people how they would say the names you come up with, and if you hit any problems, ditch the name.

It should also be easy to type. You don’t want people struggling to find you online because they haven’t managed to get your name down correctly. Simplicity is key!

4. Make sure it’s legal

Before you go ahead with a name, check whether anybody else is using it. Unfortunately, if you’ve come up with a great idea, someone else may have beaten you to it. If the .com isn’t available, you probably need a different name, no matter how much you love your idea.

If someone else already owns the site, you’ll constantly lose confused clients to them. Even if they’re in a different sector, the confusion will cost you. You might also end up in legal trouble, so choose with care.

You can add a little more to your name to make it unique to you, but minimize the scope for confusion, and maximize the simplicity. Search on social media and do trademark searches before you select a name.

5. Make it represent you

Don’t choose a name that feels wrong for you. Coaching is very much about you, and if your name is “off,” your branding may end up “off” too. You don’t want clients to feel insincerity between you and your company, and you don’t want to spend years wondering why you chose a name you don’t like.

Take some time to think about your name – even a few weeks – before you settle on it. Consider connotations of the words you’ve used. Look at it written down, and listen to it spoken. This can help avoid an “oh no” when you realize it’s confusing when spelled, or sounds stupid aloud.

Re-branding is expensive and time-consuming, so avoid doing it by choosing well the first time!

6. Make sure it looks great in logo form

Think about your logo, too. How can you fit your name into it? It’s good to include a name in the logo; while famous brands can get away with just a distinctive picture, your coaching business needs more than that to make it recognizable.

Think about how you will write the name and how that represents your business. Are you going arty? Professional? Does the font ensure the name is clearly legible? Is it too long?

Designing your logo alongside the name is a great way to make sure they look good together!

7. Make sure you protect it

Once you are fixed on a name, be quick about getting the rights to it. You should buy the domain you want to use, but consider buying other domains as well, if there are any common ones you are worried about losing clients to. You can set them up to all link to the same site.

You should also consider trademarking the name and taking steps to protect it so that another coach can’t start moving in on your space.

4 Types of Coaching Business Names to Choose From

1. Your actual name.

You could use your real name for your business. This is great if you want to sound approachable to clients, but can be a nuisance if you value anonymity. It can also sound vague and doesn’t tell your clients what services you offer – or ends up very long if you try to include that too.

2. Compound words.

If you can’t choose between two words, try merging them and see how they sound. As long as the result is still easy to say and spell, and it sounds good, you may have a great name! Just don’t make it too long, or you’ll sound like you’re trying too hard.

2. Straight to the point.

A casual business name is a great way to achieve longevity, and while it may not be as catchy, it also has less risk of sounding corny, or like you’re trying too hard. Opting for something basic that just says what you do can be powerful! However, you do risk coming across as uninspired or bored.

3. An acronym

Check out the acronym or obvious abbreviation of your chosen name and see how it sounds.

Acronyms are great for being short and can sometimes spell something relevant, but they can also sound like gibberish, and you might find that they spell something inappropriate. 

4. Imaginary words.

Making up a word is a sure way to get uniqueness, but it has to be done well and sound convincing. Gobbledygook is not going to make your business feel professional or help clients remember your name!

Final Thoughts

A coaching business name shouldn’t stop you from moving forward with launching or rebranding your coaching business, however, it is an important part of the branding process and deserves the time and focus before you launch. 

As you saw in the post, choosing the right name not only makes you feel proud and confident about putting your best foot forward but also attracts your ideal coaching clients. Choosing the wrong name does the exact opposite. Not only will you end up rebranding in the future, but you also risk alienating your audience. 

Hopefully, this post helped you choose a coaching business name! If so, we’d love to hear from you. Comment below and let us know what you thought! Feel free to share your coaching business name and what it stands for.