Article · ~10 min read

Startup Names: Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid

Strikingly Free Beginner

This is the plain checklist most first-time founders actually need: the ten errors that quietly hurt a name, from being too literal to skipping the trademark search to grabbing the name before the .com and social handles are free. It stays specific with real cases (Xobni was hard to say, Picaboo had to become Snapchat) so you can pattern-match your own shortlist against it. Treat it as a starting point for a naming gut-check, not a scoring rubric.

• The frequent killers are being too descriptive, ignoring trademarks, and not checking domain plus handle availability before you commit.
• Run the pronunciation and spelling test early: if people can't say it or type it after hearing it once, it costs you word-of-mouth and search traffic.
• A name that boxes you into one product (or one city) is a name you may outgrow, so leave room to expand.