Leatherwork Business Names

[Glendon]

I am in the very early stages of working up a leatherwork business plan. The basic idea is to take a few designs I have been working up for the disability community, such as wheelchair backpacks, crutch pouches, and sling bags, and turn it into a social enterprise. Basically take teens with mild to moderate disabilities and give them an internship that exposes them to craft skills, basic business skills, and social skills, while turning out real products. What can I say, I'm a social worker by training. My ideas get a little grand. If this actually gets off the ground, it will probobly start out with me selling a couple products a week to finance a few basic leathercraft classes.

Anyway, while I was futzing with this, I started thinking about business names. I was thinking about something simple like "Familyname" Leatherworks. Nice and traditional which is a feel I'm going for, but a bit long. My experience is with non-profits and their descriptive but unapproachable sounding names. I want to try for a busniness that people actually want to you know, do business with, not a social service provider that makes people think "such a good cause" as they promptly forget it exists.

For those of you who sell under a company name, how did the name come about? For everyone else, what kind of names come to mind when you think of a good general leather goods business? I have a couple ideas I'm leaning towards, but I don't want to post them here and risk the domain name being snatched up. Part of it is a short family name that will be dying out when a cousin of mine goes and I wouldn't want to lose it.

Edited May 11, 2012 by Glendon

[Sylvia]

I know the feeling. Sometimes it's tough to come up with a catchy short name that won't take half a day to type in the web browser.

Some things to think about are

1. position in the phone book. There are reasons that people go with "A-1 plumbing" "Ace hardware" "AAA" These names position them in the phone book and other directories at the first of the list.

2. Names with unusual or difficult spellings. there are two schools of thought on this. If it's just difficult to be memorable then it's ok. If it's hard to spell and long and you can never remember if it's ea or ie.... forget it. Go with a first name if you can.

3. Alliterative names: "Bob's Burger, Steck's Store" (his name is Bruce Steckler) The repetition of sound helps the client remember the business name.

4. Names with which your target market can relate: If your target market is wealthy, you want a posh name like "Royal Caribbean" "Tiffany's" If your target market is self described cowboys... "Hitchin' Post" "Barry's Barn"

I hope this helps some.

[FHL FERG]

Capable Leather Products - a lot of design options with the initials clp to brand it

Handi Leather- sounds to much like Tandy Leather though.

But like Sylvia said, determine the target market and build around that.

[Glendon]

Thanks for the input you two. I appreciate it. For now I guess I'll flesh the business plan out a bit more and see if that will spark ideas as I write everything down.

[DoubleC]

Hi Glendon. What a great idea. I've offered to co-facilitate a group at the local MH agency right across the street. Different type of disability but just as limiting. My name is quite a mouthful as you see, but everyone on here that doesn't know my real name just calls me Double C. That came about two ways. I had a partner for 3 minutes :-) and my last name is Crossan and hers started with a C also. After the 3 minutes, my first name is Cheryl so the Double C still worked. And it made a makers stamp actually not necessary because I sign my work with a plain old horseshoe stamp I bought that I double stamp like it shows in my avatar.

I live in a small, well kinda city in VT. so I wanted a friendly sounding name. So I went for the Double C for my name because i like family names in a business. I'd go with that if you can figure out a way, the option you mentioned with your cousin. Plus people look up the 'Couture' so that makes me smile (hey I looked it up too since I'd only heard it connected with haute couture) and I think it makes people remember the name more. The people who don't look it up probably promptly forget me :-) Anyway I'd go with a family name if you can and also like Sylvia said, having all the Cs in my name doesn't hurt although it's really too long a name. Good luck on your venture. Cheryl

[katsass]

FWIW from the old grumpy guy. I've been making custom only (no stock items) holsters and knife sheaths for over 50 years now, and along with a good name, a distinctive maker's mark or logo also helps. Almost every customer remarks on mine, be they a return or first timer. Many first time customers advise that they saw a piece of my work and saw my mark which they just couldn't forget. I have more comments and new customers from that silly little mark than from any other form of advertising. Just saying, something to think about. A pic of one of my sheaths --- and my mark on it's backside Mike - Katsass Leather

[Sir Titus]

I chose Awl American Leather for the play on words and for the buy American aspect of it.

[Techsew Ron]

Thanks for the input you two. I appreciate it. For now I guess I'll flesh the business plan out a bit more and see if that will spark ideas as I write everything down.

Did you end up finding a name?

Someone in this thread came up with "Capable Leather Products". I think that's a great name. Or something like "Ability Leatherworks".

Ron

[Glendon]

I actually ended up going with my first choice, Orne Leather. I didn't want to paint myself into a corner with a name that would be hard to branch out with. Orne is short and easy to remember, so I figure it would work alright as a business name. It's also a family name that will be dying out when one of my uncles passes. I wanted to keep the name out there, so since it was fairly short and simple I decided to use it for the business.