TOP 10 WORST BUSINESS NAMES EVER

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Believe it or not, many of the "worst business names" actually helped make the company more memorable to customers!

Nothing is more important in business than having a name that is logical and easy to remember. Some business names look great on promotional products, however, the names may be memorable for the wrong reasons. Many bad business names come about because of poor planning or failure to consider cultural differences. Some of the "worst business name" blunders are unintentional and some are simply the result of a joke carried too far!

Before finalizing a business name, be sure to ask the opinion of several friends and business people. This step could have prevented business names like Analtech, a biotech company that sells thin layer chromatography plates, or Phartronics Engineering, an engineering company.

Failing to consider cultural translations and being unfamiliar with slang are two of the best ways to get onto a worst business names list. For example, the Pho King, a Vietnamese restaurant popular in California, is pronounced similarly to a common American curse word. Morning Wood is the name of a Korean furniture company. Bunghole Liquors, a liquor store in Salem MA, has gotten a lot of attention for its unusual name despite the rational explanation (a bunghole is a small hole drilled into a wooden barrel, such as a wine barrel). Since most people are unfamiliar with that definition, it gives the business name two completely different connotations!

Many businesses, like Jack's Bar or Susie's Bakery, are named after the owner. However, there are some who should think twice before naming a business after a surname. Tom Raper RVs and Sleazer Clothing Emporium are examples of this blunder! If humor is an absolute requirement and you're trying to avoid a list of the worst business names, make sure that a funny business name really is funny. Sometimes the joke falls flat, like a now-nonexistent frozen yogurt business called Spoon Me or an exterminator called Killer for Hire. While these clever puns may technically be true to the line of work, potential customers who are unaware of the real purpose may choose to overlook it.

Unfortunately, sometimes disaster even strikes companies who have jumped through all of the hoops and think they have chosen their names wisely. Some business names are great until someone tries to build the company’s web site. Before choosing a company name and ordering all of your printed giveaway items, consider the domain name possibilities. By combining ALL of the words in company’s name, it may be obvious that a new company name (or at least different domain) is needed. This is something the owners of Therapist Finder and IP Anywhere may not have considered!

Many of the worst business names come from owners who are trying to make their businesses stand out and be memorable. Sometimes this works and sometimes this fails! Many of the previously-mentioned companies with questionable names have achieved regional popularity, due in part to the name. A name that makes people laugh will stick in the minds of consumers and possibly give a company an automatic boost in sales. It is easy to go overboard, though, so don't create a company name that is memorable for the wrong reasons!

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