Sounding board

[Michele]

It's too bad Remodelista is taken. I thought it was a neat play on your role here as a fashionista.

Is there another phrase or expression that conveys the finishing touch for an outfit or something? Like for a sundae it's the cherry on top. Or the icing on the cake.

[Vishenka69]

I can't think of anything, may be Lily will. I love Dawkter Designs but not many outside of this tight circle will get it. I have also decided that I want to target the younger, web savvy set if that helps with the naming. It would be cool to offer a service to design the whole room or even a house by ordering everything online and shopping exclusively with the tools available on the web. I could really use someone with a marketing degree/background.

[GreyhoundsRUs]

What about using your first and middle names?

[ladymoreta]

Ugh, anything I can think of is taken... I'm liking words like "vanguard", "innovative", "chic", and maybe "modern", but I can't come up with anything unique to pair with them.

[scarlett09]

I used my friend the thesaurus to look up the words "accessory", "decoration", and "decor". I'm just gonna throw out adjectives/nouns/words to think about like:
"accents", "frill", "trimmings", "bells and whistles" (lol), "embellishment", "enhancement", "flourish", "garnish", "illumination", "finery", "gilt" (you've mentioned that website!), "fittings", "settings", "accoutrements", "set", "backdrop"

I saw the word "jazz" a couple times, so I was thinking Julie's Jazz. But then I realized it sounds like you have a jazz trio or are bedazzling acid wash jeans. So don't use that suggestion. But definitely think about words that people use when talking about staging or decor - I used accessory because Michele talked about the finishing touches on an outfit and it made me think of scarves and jewelry. I hope that some of those words get your (and our collective) creative juices flowing for a name.

[SoonerTexan]

I'll reply more when I'm not sleep deprived or about to kill a puppy, but look up brand camp. Her website is geared towards photographers but works for any small business. Really gets the creative juices flowing.

There are also some other things you should think about/lessons learned about small businesses I can share. Maybe Miss Martini sill chime in! I know there are others on here with a small business too.

[Vishenka69]

I was thinking about this all last night. Barely slept, have a huge headache but haven't been this excited about anything in years. What about Shop, Style, Live? It works well as a web concept but on a business card?

Last night I already came up with a rough outline for the website and how I can use spaces in my house (for now) as examples of my philosophy. I would love any tips and advice from other small business owners.

[Ladybug]

I think your company name should tell me something about your style. Everyday, modern, elegant, formal, custom, tradtional, affordable, expensive, design or organization solutions? What is your signature style? I think most designers are referred to by name and that name becomes synonomous with their style or niche. Affordable design solutions? Who is your ideal customer? You don't want to go too bargin because you don't want every customer to haggle you either. I think you need to have a solid idea about all these things before you begin. You can't keep changing your identity afterwards or people will never know what to expect.

[HouseofWool]

What about Affordable Design Solutions, or Design Solutions?

I think as a designer, you may have a signature style, but it needs to be somewhat fluid to accommodate a variety of customers, otherwise you end up pigeon-holed.

[Meenah]

http://www.askthedecorator.com/

Check out this site! Not for a name, but a good resource.

[MrsK]

I don't have much to add but a "WAY TO GO!" I have the same hesitations about the PO business I'm considering - worried about training, business model, marketing, even the name. If I ever get my act together, I'm coming here for advise.

[Michele]

I like Shop, Style, Live as a motto or phrase under your company name more than as a company name. But I really like it for that.

I agree with Ladybug to avoid advertising being discount or budget friendly. It's ok to be those things, but I don't think you should advertise it. Walmart has that covered.

I think deciding to focus on a younger web savvy clientele is good. Russ and I absolutely prefer companies with solid websites. I like being able to do as much of my own research on your website as you can provide for me. Seems kind of like doing it yourself and then paying someone to do it for you but it makes sense to us.

[Vishenka69]

You guys are amazingly helpful. Doing a very basic market research revealed a big whole in terms of a web presence. I do want to contact the one girl (who seems to be my age) and see if she'd be willing to take me on as an apprentice at first. I have way too many questions to even know where to begin. She also has a similar background to mine, used to be in finance in corporate in NY before moving here and decided to do decorating.

Parallel to that I started working on the business plan and drafting the website/blog. Can't do much with that until I pick a name and register a domain though.

I don't want to promote myself as a discount service but since I'll be targeting a younger audience, which will often translate to a tight budget, I want to offer services that can meet those needs as well. My fee will be the same, but their budget will drive what and how much to buy. Does that make sense?

Shop, Style, Live came about by thinking about the trajectory of the service. Shopping, even window shopping for ideas, is always the first step. Then it's styling the ideas and items acquired and then the final part of living in stylish surroundings. The girl who's website made an impression on me, called her company Love Your Room. This is her site, it's the only memorable one from all the other ones I came across, http://www.loveyourroom.com/ She has no degree in design, so not sure how she can provide those services. I'm not planning on making structural suggestions unless I can find a reliable contractor to work with. I do have a friend with a design degree that I can bring in, but the project would have to be lucrative enough for him to get involved.

[Vishenka69]

Never mind, those were all way too generic and said nothing about me. I'm not a big fan of strict rules when it comes to decorating. I think every project is space and owner specific. I also feel that often the spreads I see in magazines and finished rooms on TV shows are too stylized for everyday living. Sort of like runway fashion really has very little to do with what most people wear in real life. I'm more interested in real life than styling for a photo shoot. May be something along the lines of Effortless Home. I understand that nothing is definite until I've made sure it hasn't been used already. But at this point, I don't even have top 3 choices to check up on.

[reciprocity]

I like names that are simple and visually evocative (that's how I settled on Silver Bullet Press for my letterpress side project)

Other names I was tossing around adapted for interior design: Houndstooth Interiors, Thistledown Designs, Cloverleaf Designs, Crossroad Interiors

Then you can put the "Shop, Style, Live" under that and then you can list yourself as "Principal" on your business cards (sorry I always think in terms of business cards first and foremost!)