Changing the name of your business is a big decision, but sometimes it’s the best move forward. The right business name should represent your brand, resonate with your audience, and align with your long-term vision. Here are 12 signs that indicate it might be time to change your business name.
1. Scope-Limiting Terms in Your Name
If your current name includes terms that limit your business to a specific niche or service, and you’ve expanded beyond that, it’s time to rethink your name. A broader name can open up new markets and opportunities.
Example
- AcuityAds – illumin: In April 2023, AcuityAds changed its name to illumin. This change was a strategic move away from the original name, which had restricted the company’s image to specific services. The new name, illumin, opens the door to broader opportunities, freeing the company from the limitations implied by having “ads” in its name.
As our solutions have matured, so have we, and our original moniker no longer encompasses everything that we are and everything we are capable of. As illumin, we can reach new customers, and build a marketing engine powered by a brand that is able to grow into the future.
Tony Vlismas, VP of Marketing of illumin
- Paytrix – Navro: In February 2024, Paytrix underwent a rebrand, adopting the name Navro. The name change reflects the company’s rapid expansion, acknowledging that its business has grown to encompass more than just simple payment solutions.
We’ve moved beyond just enabling businesses everywhere to send payments. Now, we offer genuinely local collection accounts to support your global infrastructure in addition to the local and real-time payments we have offered since the beginning – and even this is just the beginning of what we have planned.
Navro’s team
2. An Outdated Name
Names can age. What sounded trendy and relevant a decade ago might now seem outdated. If your business name no longer fits the modern era or your evolved business identity, consider an update.
Example
- Schlesinger Group – Sago: In March 2023, Schlesinger Group unveiled its rebrand to Sago, marking a new era for its 57-year history. Replacing the long and outdated name, the new streamlined name, Sago, better captures the company’s modern positioning and its vision for the future.
Giving our brand a fresh name and visual identity links to the legacy of Schlesinger Group while drawing attention to the simplicity and innovative approach of Sago’s solutions today.
Ellie Ahmadi, CMO at Sago
3. Pronunciation Challenges
If people consistently struggle to pronounce your business name, it can hinder word-of-mouth marketing and brand recall. A simpler, more universally pronounceable name can be more effective.
Example
- TurnoverBnB – Turno: In February 2023, TurnoverBnB shortened its name to Turno, realising that the original, longer name might limit its growth potential. The company chose the shorter and memorable Turno to enhance brand visibility and recall.
Our mission is to simplify and automate the time-consuming work of managing turnovers – to solve cleaning. By shortening our own name, we are embracing and living that mission.
Assaf Karmon, CEO and Co-founder of Turno
- Calendso – Cal: In September 2021, Calendso rebranded to Cal.com. This move followed a growing trend among brands, such as Booking.com and Crypto.com, to include ‘.com’ in their names, enhancing memorability and direct online access while minimising reliance on third-party platforms. Cal.com emphasised that this change, from ‘Calendso.com/peer’ to ‘Cal.com/peer’, cuts down typing by 62.5%, making for a more efficient and user-friendly experience.
Our plan is to build a strong, memorable brand. Cal.com is the kind of domain/brand name that achieves exactly that.
Bailey Pumfleet, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Cal.com
4. Geographically Restrictive Name
If your business name is closely linked to a specific location, it might restrict your ability to connect with a wider audience, especially if you’re looking to grow or expand into new regions. Choosing a name that doesn’t reference a specific place can help in appealing to a more diverse, global market.
Example
- Crestbridge Bahrain – Yasira: In December 2023, Crestbridge Bahrain changed its name to Yasira. The former name was restrictive because it closely tied the company’s identity to a specific location, potentially limiting its appeal in broader markets. Yasira, as the new name, offers a more versatile and unrestricted brand identity, opening up greater global opportunities.
- EmiratesHR – Yomly: As EmiratesHR transformed from a UAE-centric local solution into a global enterprise operating in over 50 countries, it rebranded to Yomly. The initial name, tied closely to a particular location and the HR sector, limited the company’s scope. Yomly, in contrast, is a more flexible and inclusive name that doesn’t restrict the company to a specific region or service.
We are all very proud of the journey that we have been on over the last five years of EmiratesHR. However, as we continue to expand our footprint globally, we felt that the EmiratesHR name no longer captures the full extent of our capabilities and global ambition.
Mark Nutter, Chairman and Founder of EmiratesHR
5. You’ve Outgrown Your Name
As businesses evolve, their names sometimes don’t keep up. If your name no longer encapsulates all that your business offers, it’s time for a name that reflects your current and future trajectory.
Example
- Austin Software – Howdy: In November 2022, Austin Software announced it had outgrown its original name, leading to its rebrand to Howdy. This change signifies a move away from a name that confined them to a specific location and function, embracing Howdy for its broader versatility and memorability.
As we’ve grown exponentially over the years, and just like we’ve outgrown our office spaces, so too have we outgrown our name. We are in a new era and we’re super proud of what we’ve accomplished so far and are even more thrilled for what is to come.
Jacqueline Samira, Founder and CEO at Howdy
- FinancialForce – Certinia: In May 2023, FinancialForce rebranded to Certinia, marking its transition to a more expansive Services-as-a-Business (SaaB) platform. The original name, being lengthy and service-specific, hindered the company’s growth potential, a constraint lifted by the new, more memorable name, Certinia.
We really outgrew our name at the end of the day. This is the opportunity for us to reset in the marketplace who we are today and everything that we aspire to be. The name FinancialForce was great when we were an ERP system on Force.com. The company we are today, if you look at [our] portfolio, it’s almost confusing to have financials in our name and for folks to not understand everything that we do in this platform for services businesses. So this was really about catching up to the company that we are today. And where we want to go.
Scott Brown, CEO of Certinia
6. Wrong Domain Name Strategy
If your domain name strategy didn’t involve securing an exact brand match (like yourbrand.com), and instead, you opted for a domain with additional words, hyphens, or numbers, it could be problematic. This approach often leads to customer confusion and traffic leaks, as potential customers might struggle to find your site or end up at the wrong address. Additionally, if your initial strategy involved using a country code domain extension, this could limit your ability to expand globally.
Later, if you fail to secure your exact brand match .com domain name – perhaps because it’s already taken by another company or simply not available – you might face a tough decision. In such cases, you might find it necessary to change your business name just to secure a suitable domain, ensuring that your online identity aligns with your brand.
Example
- Clubhouse – Shortcut: In September 2021, Clubhouse rebranded to Shortcut. Before the rebrand, the company operated under the domain Clubhouse.io, while the more recognisable audio-based social app Clubhouse owned Clubhouse.com. Shortcut transitioned to the exact brand match .com domain, Shortcut.com, aligning its online presence with the new name.
Clubhouse is a good name. Well, it was a good name, because it’s not going to be our name anymore. For many of you, the reason for this is probably pretty obvious. The Clubhouse Audio App became so big so fast that we couldn’t possibly hope to forever maintain our own brand standing in the face of their popularity.
Kurt Schrader, CEO and Co-founder of Shortcut
- JIT Services – Sagiliti: In 2022, JIT Services rebranded to Sagiliti. Before this change, the company operated under Jitservicesinc.com, while a different entity with the same name owns the domain Jitservices.com. The rebrand to Sagiliti enabled the acquisition of the exact brand match domain, Sagiliti.com, a move that effectively strengthens its brand protection.
Our customers are seeing tremendous value by working with us to advance sustainability and equity goals. We’re proving that these steps are not only good for our world, but they’re also good for business. Now is the moment to reposition our company in alignment with these values and the opportunity ahead.
Ravi Norman, Chairman and CEO of Sagiliti
7. Your Branding Lacks Uniqueness
Having a distinctive name is critical in standing out in a competitive market. If your brand name is non-unique, fails to reflect your company’s values and services, or draws negative attention, it may be an indicator that a change is necessary. A well-chosen, distinctive name establishes a stronger brand identity and ensures that it resonates more effectively with your target audience, reflecting what your company truly represents.
Example
- daPulse – Monday.com: In 2017, the project management startup daPulse rebranded to Monday.com. The original name was frequently met with confusion and even mockery, as it didn’t clearly reflect the company’s services.
I knew it was really bad when I went to TV for the first time in my life and all the anchor could focus on was how bad the name Dapulse was.
Joel Goldstein, monday.com
The new name, Monday.com, chosen for its simplicity and memorability, better resonated as a project management tool, evoking the sense of organisation and a fresh start associated with the beginning of a workweek.
I always struggled to find a way to describe what our tool does in a sentence, but I can easily describe it in a word: monday. In becoming monday.com, our vision is finally encapsulated in our name.
Roy Mann, CEO and Co-Founder of monday.com
8. Legal Reasons for a Name Change
Sometimes, external factors like trademark disputes may legally force you to change your business name. While challenging, this also presents an opportunity to rebrand and potentially avoid future legal issues.
Example
- Nreal – Xreal: In May 2023, the Chinese augmented reality glasses startup Nreal rebranded to Xreal, following a prolonged legal dispute with Epic Games over naming similarities. Epic Games took legal action against Nreal in 2021, arguing that the “Nreal” name closely resembled their “Unreal” brand, potentially causing market confusion.
- Muzmatch- Muzz: In 2022, Muzmatch rebranded to Muzz, following trademark infringement case loss of Match Group under allegations of unfairly benefiting by use of the descriptive word ‘match’.
9. Shift in Business Model or Philosophy
If your business has undergone a significant shift in its operations, philosophy, or values, your current name might not reflect these changes. A new name can better represent the new direction or ethos of your business.
Example
- Beachbody – BoDi: In 2023, the digital fitness and nutrition platform Beachbody rebranded to BODi, aligning with its shift towards the new Health Esteem category. BODi’s new platform encourages individuals to embrace their authentic selves as a starting point for health and fitness, rather than tying self-esteem to specific outcomes like achieving a “beach body.”
We felt it was important to change the name of the platform from Beachbody because it was actually focusing people on an outcome and an ideal. People don’t care about the outcome if it’s at the expense of their self-esteem or lifestyle.
Carl Daikeler, Co-founder, Chairman and CEO of BODi
10. Your Business Name Creates Misunderstandings
The current name of your business leads to confusion among consumers and business associates, failing to clearly convey the mission and vision of your company. It might be too similar to other brands or misrepresent the nature of your services or products. This lack of clarity can hinder effective communication and brand recognition, making it difficult for your audience to understand and connect with what your business truly represents.
Example
- ArcadiaPower- Arcadia: In December 2019, Arcadia Power dropped “Power” from its name to become simply Arcadia. The former name gave the impression that the company’s focus was on power plants, which did not align with Arcadia’s mission and values.
When first deciding on a name for our company, we landed on Arcadia Power because it was a reflection of our mission and vision. Arcadia — a byword for utopia or for living in harmony with the earth — is an apt representation of the type of energy system we’re keen on creating..But we are not a power company. We don’t own power plants or take positions in the energy market. We are, first and foremost, a mission-driven technology company building a platform that advocates for consumers, not big power companies.
Kiran Bhatraju, Founder and CEO of Arcadia for Technical.ly
- MicroAcquire – Acquire: In 2023, the online marketplace for buying and selling startups, Microacquire, rebranded to Acquire.com. The original name, containing “micro,” often misled potential customers about the size of deals the company could handle, causing some to mistakenly believe it was only appropriate for small startups.
The “micro” just doesn’t apply anymore, and as a result, we’re rebranding to Acquire.com. Not only does this better reflect our aspirations in 2023 and beyond, but it honors acquisitions of all sizes, large and small. After all, who wants to think of their acquisition as “micro”?
Andrew Gazdecki, Founder and CEO of Acquire.com
11. Mergers and Acquisitions
Mergers or acquisitions often lead to a reassessment of the company’s identity. A new name can represent the fusion of different cultures, values, and visions.
Example
- Tilney Smith & Williamson – Evelyn Partners: In 2022, Tilney Smith & Williamson, a leading integrated wealth management and professional services firm, rebranded to Evelyn Partners. The rebrand follows the completed merger of the two businesses in 2020, uniting Smith & Williamson, established in Glasgow in 1881, and Tilney, which dates back to 1836. The company has invested in both Evelyn.com and EvelynPartners.com.
We wanted a name that would be bold and fresh, and would reflect our purpose and our ambition, rather than one which sounded very corporate and would end up being abbreviated in a haphazard way.
Simonetta Rigo, CMO of Evelyn Partners
12. Your Business is Named After Its Founder
While there are notable success stories like McDonald’s and Ford, naming a business after its founder can pose unique challenges. Founder-based names may be hard to pronounce or spell, creating barriers in marketing and brand recognition.
More importantly, a founder’s name doesn’t inherently convey anything about the business, its nature, or the value it provides to customers. This lack of inherent meaning can make it more challenging to establish a clear and immediate connection with the target audience, which is vital for businesses seeking to establish a strong market presence.
Example
- Scott’s Cheap Flights – Going.com: In 2023, Scott’s Cheap Flights, founded by Scott Keyes, rebranded to Going.com. This change was in response to the company’s evolution, as it had grown to offer more than just cheap flights and had expanded beyond its association with its founder, Scott. The new name, Going.com, better reflects the broader range of offerings and services the business now provides.
I work with 65 amazing people and none of them are named Scott. Each week, we help thousands of people get unexpectedly cheap flights, and every time they write back to say ‘thank you, Scott,’ I feel supremely guilty! This company has dozens of people who deserve credit, not one person. While the name Scott’s Cheap Flights worked great when it was just me, I’m even happier to be at a company we’re all building together on our mission to help people travel the world, and that’s Going.
Scott Keyes, Co-founder at Going.com
Conclusion
A business name is a cornerstone of your brand identity. Changing it is a significant decision, but it can also be a transformational one. This step should be taken after careful consideration of your company’s history, market trends, customer perceptions, and long-term goals. A well-executed name change can rejuvenate your brand, open new opportunities, and better align your business with its vision and values.
Premium domain names are a valuable investment that can help businesses avoid the costly consequences of choosing a compromise domain. Don’t put your brand at risk – contact us today to learn more about our premium domain name options and secure a memorable, professional domain for your business.
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