1. Whether your brother-in-law likes it is irrelevant
When it comes to names, opinions are like cell phones: everybody has one. Don’t let people out of the process sway your opinion. Especially anyone’s brother-in-law.

2. Whether you like it is irrelevant
Like, schmike—what counts with a name is if it meets your criteria. Most names people instinctively dislike upon first impression: do you think Amazon wowed the VCs when first presented? Did Starbucks show up as a brilliant nom-de-guerre upon first sighting? I don’t think so. The inventor of the Frisbee hated the name, preferring the “Pluto Platter.” Read more about the Frisbee name here.

3. Spelling counts
Your third-grade teacher was right—spelling matters. Get too cute with it and no one will be able to remember how to search for your company.

4. Descriptive is overrated
“But people won’t know what we do unless it’s in the name.” Well, they won’t remember you if you sound like all the possible competitors. Strong brands have strong names; weak brands have descriptive names. What’s stronger: Integrated Healthcare Systems or Talyst? Exquisite Events or Whistling Rabbits? You be the judge.

5. Odd is good…up to a point
The key thing you want a name to be is memorable. That being said, too weird is off-putting. Who your audience is will define how far you can go. Home Street Bank, yes. Purple Bank, not so good. Virgin Airlines, good. Upsy-daisy Airlines, not so good.

6. Acronyms are expensive
“It worked for IBM and AT&T.” Yes, and they had decades and millions of dollars to put towards building meaning into their acronyms. For smaller companies, acronyms require too much marketing muscle to make meaningful. They evoke nothing, and they don’t even play the role of a descriptive name. Avoid them.

7. Pronunciation counts
If your friends and family can’t pronounce it, your customers sure won’t be able to. Don’t pick a name that people stumble on saying—because they may just stop saying it.

8. The trademark lawyer is your friend
Your cursory search on the web is no way to avoid trademark lawsuits. Clear your choice with a trained professional—it will save money and heartbreak in the long run.

9. Gotta have the dot-com URL? Let it go.
What with people squatting on URLs, search engines getting big bucks from misspellings, and the high price of buying a URL, sometimes your best choice is to add a word to your name for the dot-com or use the dot-net or dot-biz version. Know when to cut your name search losses.

10. Great names are made, not born
Remember, you build meaning into a name over time: great names do not spring fully formed as from the head of Zeus. Pick a name that meets your criteria, evokes your brand, and is memorable. Then build meaning into it like crazy.

-Lynn Parker