Naming a craft business

For days all I could think about was what I was going to name my new business. I would go out to run some errands and forget how I got from point A to point B because my mind was so preoccupied with names. I didn’t want just any name or the first one that popped in my head. I wanted a name I could continue to love for as long as I run my business (which I hope is for a long time!), and also something that meant something to me.

First I thought about using my own name (well, married name), Megan Chain. Maybe something like “Megan Chain Crochet” or “Megan Chain Designs”.

The name might have worked because:

it had a crochet stitch in the name! (for those who aren’t crocheters, there is a crochet chain stitch)
no one else is using it
it is very personal
people can associate my products/patterns with my actual name so they know who the designer is right away

But I wanted something that stood out more and was more unique than a person’s own name. I also wanted a name that had a physical “thing” you could associate with, like an animal or object. So, I moved on and started thinking up other names. I developed some guidelines that helped me decide whether a name was in the running or not.

What I looked for in a name:

The domain name was not already taken
- This was obviously important if I wanted to have a unique web address with my business name.
Was also not taken on Facebook and other social media
- Even if the domain is not taken, there is a possibility someone already has a Facebook page using the same name, which might lead to some confusion if someone is searching for my business on Facebook.
Not associated with something untoward
- You don’t want a potential customer searching for your business online only to find some unpleasant sites coming up in the search results along side your website.
Looks nice when written or typed out
- Being a mostly web-based business, people would be seeing the name written out many times over, so I wanted it to have some aesthetic appeal.
Easy to remember, say and write
- I didn’t want people to have difficulty sharing my business with others, others who might be potential customers. If someone can’t remember, or even say, what the name of my company is, they would have a difficult time telling a friend about it.
Had some personal meaning
- Because the business is solely run by me and is my creation, I wanted a name that had a connection to me personally.
Can design a brand easily
- This goes along with my idea that I wanted a physical “thing” in the name that people can associate with, such as an animal. I would then be able to develop a theme or image for my business that was directly related to its name.
Connected with my craft
- I also wanted the name to be associated with crochet, to identify it as a crochet business. To do this I needed to include a word such as stitch, crochet, or hook within the name.

All of this lead me to choosing the name hookabee! It met almost everything I was looking for 🙂

But why choose a bee to represent my business? That’s where the personal touch comes in. My maiden name is Barclay. Obviously it starts with the letter B, but in addition to that Barclay is a Scottish name and our tartan is a black and yellow plaid.

Barclay Tartan

Our family started associating bees with our name when my brother and sister-in-law had bees on their wedding cake (to match the Barclay tartan kilt my brother wore, of course). Hence, the “bee” in the business name!

So that is the story behind the name. I am still happy with the decision and glad it isn’t “just a name” to me, but something more. Now I need to actually hook a bee! A design for the near future 🙂

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Until next time,