What do you mean by market appeal? - if you mean a wider appeal then the answer is hands down, don't name your company after yourself. John Smith contracting - tells everybody that you are a small shop, probably one man. Is that bad, not necessarily, but it depends on your goals. If you want to be nown around town as the local guy then you have done it. Most people associate companies named after the owner as small. A generic name is generic and therefore gives little to preconcieve what the company size is, other than the name it self being descriptive. Look to the national brands you walk into and buy from everyday. Do you go to Walmart or do you go to Sam Walton's Discount Store? Look at the success of national franchises you are going to find almost all are what you are calling "generic" names.Brenda said:Would a company have better market appeal with a generic name (ABC Company).
You are going to have to elaborate a bit more in exactly what you mean by sell your customer base. Anybody can sell a customer base, it is just a list of names and addresses. Are you talking about selling the company and passing it on to the new owners without the customer base being effected by the new ownership?Brenda said:Would you be able to sell your customer base with a name like Jane Doe Company?
Any thoughts?
Brenda
If this was in reference to us ... we still do work in that area ... it's just that people assume that that is where we are still located.jproffer said:Change Names...it surely doesn't cost enough to justify the savings, especially if you're losing work over it.