Are you stuck on choosing a bakery name and it feels like all the good names are taken already?
I’m going to share a very big mistake I made when naming my bakery that almost cost me everything! Read this article to the end to make sure you don’t make the same mistake.
Does your bakery name really matter?
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, then you might know that I used to own a chain of cake and cupcake stores. When I originally opened my first store in 2007 I called it Daddy Cakes. My 4 year old actually came up with the name. I had been practicing my cupcake baking with three different size pans. While she played in the kitchen, putting colorful papers in the pans, she declared the smallest size was the baby and the jumbo was the daddy. As soon as she said it, I knew it was my new name. Daddy Cakes! I loved it and it passed almost all of my criteria for a great bakery name. but keep reading to the end to see what went wrong.
Three tips for choosing the perfect home bakery name
Naming your bakery is a big undertaking and only you will know when you land on the perfect name. You can avoid costly mistakes by picking a name that is easy to spell, making sure your bakery name clearly conveys your message and at the same time, helps you to stand out from the crowd.
Choose a bakery name that is easy to spell
The first and perhaps most important tip is to have a name that is easy to spell. People will be searching for you online and you want their search to be quick and simple. Capture their attention span by having a name that they can easily search and find.
Find a name for your bakery that conveys your message
My second bit of advice is to choose a name that says what you do, without locking you into a too specific niche. You may decide to expand or add other product lines later. Broad categories are okay but don’t be too specific.
Stand out from the crowd with an unforgettable bakery name
My third tip is to make yourself unforgettable! If you choose generic words like so and so’s sweet treats or confections your name will be hard to remember when the time comes to make a recommendation or get a call for repeat business. Find a way to stand out from the crowd and be memorable!
What to do when you find a good bakery name
Now that you have found a good business name you’ll need to take a few steps to protect yourself and follow the laws. Checking to see if anyone else is using that name and then protecting it from anyone else using it are critical steps that you don’t want to skip.
Check if the name is available
The easiest way to see if your bakery name is available is to do a google search. See if anyone else is using the name, or the social media handles that you want.
Check to see if the bakery name you want belongs to anyone
Even if you search google and don’t see any other businesses using your name, someone could be planning to use that name. Check to see if there are any registered owners of the business name by doing the following:
- Search fictitious name registry in your state. Just search fictitious name+ your state.
- Check with the US Patent and Trademark Office to see if anyone has a trademark registered for the name you like.
Protect your home bakery name
To make sure that someone else doesn’t start using your name, or worse: steal your name, you need to register it. The exact ways vary from state to state, but here are some of the ways you can protect your home bakery name:
- See if your state requires you to list it as a DBA
- Buy the domain name for your business name
- Search “register a business in + your state” to see if there is a state registry
- You can register your business with the IRS. Click here to learn how.
The biggest mistake I made as a bakery owner
I mentioned at the beginning of the article that I made a very big mistake when naming my bakery that almost cost me everything! here’s the rest of the story:
I chose the name Daddy Cakes for my cupcake shop. After doing internet research, and not finding anyone using the same name, I registered it with my state and the IRS.
For the first year, I was in a small shop in a small town, then I was asked to appear on the Food Network on a show called Cupcake Wars. That show brought me national exposure. A pancake company in a different state saw that I was using the name and decided to send me a cease and desist letter!
By the time I received it, I had already expanded my original store into a much bigger location and had plans underway to open my second store. Changing names just wasn’t an option. I had custom signage, logos, company vehicles, and merchandise all branded with the Daddy Cakes name.
It turns out that we both began doing business with the name in the same week of the same year. It was really hard to prove who used the name first, but this company had filed for a trademark before us. To make a long story short, the entire process of protecting the name cost over $18,000, and I ended up changing my name in the end!
What’s the bottom line when it comes to naming a home bakery?
I hope you have been able to find some useful information. Choose a name that is easy to spell, that conveys a message, and is unforgettable at the same time. Take the time to check for the availability of the name and then register it to protect yourself. Most importantly, learn from my mistake. If I had read an article like this I may have saved myself lots of time and money.
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