what would you do??

I've read this and thought about it for a while. We run our own businesses, and names do count, but if the company is not a great one, the name is not going to save it, and a company that does a great job, but has a poor name, will most likely still make it.

How about.......

Mire & Son Cutting Edge Woodworking
(Forgive me if the cute little kid in your avatar is a daughter)

Sounds like an established company to me :D :thumb:

I would really be concerned that the other guy with the same name could really bring your reputation down, not to mention the shipping screw ups you have already had.

Change the name, I would.

Cheers!
 
thanks everyone. great suggestions. for some reason, i don't like the idea of having my name in the business name, never have. plus there is a mire's cabinets somewhere close by because when i used to call a lumber dist near here and tell them my name (before the biz was open) they would always ask me if it was mire's cabinets.

i have been thinking long and hard about this and still haven't made up my mind.

thanks again for all the ideas and advice
chris

ps...stu, yes he's my son
 
I'm in the same boat as far as not wanting my name in the company name. I also don't want anything to do with woodworking in my name as I don't plan on having my business being limited to one thing.

Here are some more quick suggestions to get your mind going.

Straight Edge Woodworks
Sharp Edge Woodworks
Straight Cuts Woodworks
Fine Edge Woodworks
Super He-Man Awesome Woodworks (sorry if anybody has mentioned this one before)
Heirlooms (I like this one)
Heirloom Woodworks
Fine Woodworks
Elegant Woodworks
Classic Woodworks
Custom Elegance

I'm sorry if these don't help, I'm just saying names off the top of my head. Just trying to help get you thinking about other names outside of Cutting Edge.
 
How about adding a slogan...and take away woodwork.

"The cutting edge...we gouge!" :rofl:
 
Changed the name......move on

What if he starts do shabby work, lawsuits etc.
It could cost more than $60 to fight the potential problems.

Bite The Bullet...........move on
 
allen, those are some good names, it seems i have brain freeze when it comes to thinking of a new name.

if i use any of those i'll be sure to put the check in the mail..;)

yeah alan, that was good. not sure it would work though...

thanks bob, point taken

chris
 
Change it yesterday ! . . .

While you may not mind shareing some day, some how, in a galaxy far, far away all it would take is the other guy getting ticked off to ruin your world. As hard a pill it is to swallow he was there first and could take you to court at the drop of a hat ( for almost anything ). . . and win. The longer you ignore it the more you have invested in " his name " and the more you have to loose. The court's hands would be tied.
 
steve, he has no leg to stand on. it is legal to have a business that starts with the same name. our names are not identical. plus the secretary of state's office issued me the name. i don't think he has a fight at all.

i can tell you this, if he made it an issue, i'd keep the name just because.

anyway, prolly gonna change it anyway.

thanks for your thoughts
chris
 
Why not?

Chris

I don't mean to get in your face about this, but why the reluctance to use your name as part of the company's identity?

You, after all, are the "product" they are buying, your skills, design sense and integrity. So why not acknowledge it and proudly state it as part of the business. Wouldn't you like someone to say, "I have a Chris Mire kitchen" when asked by a friend who did their job?

Think about law firms, doctors, consultants -- many of them use their names as part of the business name. I recall that the guy who did a major house remodel for us in our prior lives was named Marco Dumont and his business was named The Dumont Company. I don't see the downside of using your own name as long as you have the proper legal structure to protect you from liability -- but I think that is an issue separate from the name anyway. Our business is called Knoll Associates even tho it is only my wife and myself.

Good luck with the deliberations!

Jay
 
FWIW I agree with Chris on the personal names in business names issue. I agree that it is common in some businesses and also that it is an option that many people take but in many instances one of the most important things in a name is that it tells propspects what the firm does. I trade under "Adirondack Outdoors" and the word Adirondack is a nightmare for most British people to pronounce or spell but it does tell clearly what I do. I added the "outdoors" because I think that two word names work better.

One other thought, and please don't be affronted Chris, but I wouldn't put the word mire in my business name. Any word that has as part of its dictionary definition "A difficult condition or situation" would not find its way onto my business cards.
 
jay, not a problem, i just don't like it, i can't put my finger on it, maybe it's cause i don't have a "cool" sounding name. i don't know. the wife and i agree though that we don't want my name in the biz name. i know that it doesn't matter once my "name" is established people could care less what the name is as long as their products are outstanding and they are treated with respect.

i have no problem with people who name their biz with their own name, i even like the sound of some of them. it's just a personal preference.

ian, thanks, and no it doesn't bother me what you said about my name. i have never liked it anyway because it is spelled mire, but pronounced "meer", leave it to a cajun..:D
i have to spell it all the time or people will get it wrong.


mark, that's very creative. sounds like one from another friend, who came up with names such as Lightning Woodworks, or Supernova Cabinets...:D


i am considering Edgewater Woodworks. why? because the property we bought a year ago, the place where my shop will be (if i ever finish it) has a road that we built and named Edgewater Road.

time will tell.
 
Hey Chris, if you really did use any of those names, I'd expect nothing in return, they are all free.

I take it you liked the Super He-Man Awesome Woodworks name. I like it too, that one as well as all the rest are yours free of charge, if you want them.

Also I like Edgewater Woodworks, Edgewater Woodworking would be good too.
 
Chris, this story won't help your decision, but it's a funny story, told to me by an old friend who is the grandson of Mr. Goldmen.

When Goldmen arrived on the shores of the US from Eastern Europe, his name was Bartikovsky. He came here to seek his fortune, and at Ellis Island, he was given [like so many others] a new more pronouncible name. "Goldmen"

Later, he became an optometrist, and when he opened his first office, the sign painter spelled his name wrong. "Golden"

It cost $2 to change a name, and $3 to change the sign [yeah I know - he shoulda made the sign painter do it for nothing.] Anyway, his descendants are all now "Golden".

I'm sure your business and your name will do well.

Ken
 
chris, for years i`ve thought a cool name for my shop would be "the wood butcherie".....ya` know how folks refer to those who do sub-standard work as butchers?...so my thoughts where to play against that with all the weird stuff i do.
 
craig, i'd be willing to bet the IRS would have something to say about that..;)

thanks stu....still trying to decide.

ken, good story. i always thought it was funny how people changed their names when they got here. and then there are the folks who slightly change their name because of a fued with family members. kinda funny.

tod, that would be a cool name. i don't think the stuff you do is weird...i think it's outstanding and very creative!! :thumb:

thanks
chris
 
Hi Chris.

Sorry I'm a bit late for this thread but, choosing a name for your bussines is as easy or as difficult as it can be.

Taking the easy way out, is just picking a name that you like, short and easy to pronounce, to write and to remember.

Taking the difficult way, is analize what sort of jobs you'd like to do, and do best.
Find out to what sort of market/customer you want to address to and try to find a name that appeals to them conveying the most important idea you want them to have about your bussines, i.e. High quality work, reasonable price, functional design, heirloom furniture, trendy and stilysh, etc. etc.

In other words if your main bussines/interest is kitchen cabinetry do not call your bussines Outdoor Everlasting Furniture Studio:D.

Last but not least, you can choose an unobtrusive/meaningless name that appeals to you and stick to it and let your reputation grow supported by your job and the opinion of satisfied customers, which eventually is what matters, but by no means try to make jokes with it unless you are very good at it, and know that they will be understood, first impressions DO matter!

Another way is, let your reputation grow without a given name, give yourself more time to think about a name and maybe it will come out of the most unexpected situation.

Hope this five cents help
 
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