Need Help Naming Your Business or Substack? This Could Help :)

Here’s something I know.. naming your business, blog, Substack, Instagram, etc can be hard. Especially if you are not creative with words {like me}.

In the last 15 years of Saffron Ave, the question I get asked A LOT has nothing to do with color or logos. It’s “I can’t figure out what to call this.” Sometimes it’s a brand new business, a Substack ;), a digital shop, a course, or just another side-thing.

And, as I said, naming is hard for me too.. so I get it.

I can look at a brand and tell you in about five seconds why a typeface is wrong for the logo or why a palette feels off. That part is instinctual for me, but words are a different story. Coming up with an actual name has never been my strong suit, even though clients tend to assume it should be :(

So why not do something about it? I built a tool to help my clients name things, and as a paid subscriber, you will also get access to it!

*My goal for this tool is to help you start thinking out loud and get the ball rolling.. to get you inspired!*

It opens with a conversation and walks you through a handful of questions one by one. IE: “what does your business do” and “what’s your origin story”. It digs for the things that actually make good names: the story underneath, a childhood memory, an object you love, the one thing you do differently that nobody else does.

That part is more important than people might think because the best names almost never come from describing what you sell.. they come from something personal you would never think to put on a website.

1. Generates eight name directions, each one tied back to something you referenced or said

2. Lets you pick your two or three favorites to compare side by side

3. Pressure-tests each one: how it sounds, how it feels in a logo, whether it boxes you in as you grow, and a lil ‘gut check’.

4. Checks domain and social handle availability so you don’t fall in love with a name that’s already gone

5. BONUS: It gives you tagline options and a few content directions for each name (which is a great starting point to build off of on your own).

1. A way to say what you do out loud (ex: the sentence you give someone at a party, not a tagline).

2. A starting visual direction with colors, type pairings, and a few words you can hand to a designer or drop straight into Canva

3. An honest read on whether your niche is too narrow, too broad, or right where it should be

A generator hands you A TON of names and zero personal reasons. So, you actually end up more overwhelmed than when you started. Analysis Paralysis.

This tool will teach you to think about a name the way a designer or even a copywriter would. Even if you don’t use a single name it suggests, you’ll at least walk away seeing your own ideas more clearly (hopefully ;).

One quick note: this tool runs on Claude, so you’ll need to be signed into a Claude account to use it (a free plan is fine).

WHAT I RECOMMENDED: Give yourself at least 10-16 minutes to answer the questions honestly. The more detailed and intentional the answers are, the better names you'll get that you’ll connect with.