How to name your hardware business
What’s in a name? That is an old question that never seems to get a final answer. However, when it comes to businesses, a name means a lot in the world today. Products now tend to sell across countries and cultures. Therefore, the name you pick is as important as the product itself.
For instance, if you are running a hardware store, the name could mean you either make a sale or not. Harmony Hardware sells much better than Ecstasy Hardware. The first name elicits an organized environment, while the second sounds like a utopia. Therefore, the hardware store name generator comes in handy in helping you pick a name. But what is it exactly? Read on to find out more.
How to use a Hardware Store name generator
You can easily find a hardware store name generator site on the internet if you search for it. It does not name your business but helps you develop your ideas into a suitable name. Simply put, you type in a rough idea and concretize that into a name. So, it is really up to you to come up with the ideas you want to go into the name. You can do this in 4 simple steps.
- Brainstorm and consult. You should think and ask around for a list of all the keywords you want to go into the name, such as stocked, reliable, classy, affordable, original, Hardware. Remember, only a maximum of 6 keywords is allowed.
- Type the keywords in any order into the name generator.
- The name generator will come up with several suggestions, mostly 2-word names, for you. When we typed in the six keywords above, we got 24 recommendations, including; Hardware Affordable, Hadwareya, and Original Master.
- You can then pick the best three names, as we did above, and search if the domains are available. You can even adjust the suggestions a bit. Based on the names generated above, we would go for Original Master Hardware.
20 Hardware name ideas
The following 20 name ideas did come up from several combinations that we tried out through the hardware store name generator. You can pick any of them and see if they are available as domain names. Note that the word Hardware did not appear, we just added it. This decision was based on the belief that you should not talk of a hardware business without mentioning the word “hardware.” However, many companies have gotten away with that. Nevertheless, in the current world where computer searches carry the day, your great name might just be bypassed by potential customers.
- Original Master Hardware
- Hardware Affordable
- Hadwareya
- Hardware Advisory
- Stocked Genius Hardware
- Reliable Liable Hardware
- Hardware Affluence
- Classy Jaguar Hardware
- Affordable Solution Hardware
- Classy Surge Hardware
- Original Edition Hardware
- Classyish Hardware
- Stocked Affinity Hardware
- Reliable Speedy Hardware
- Stocked Ensured Hardware
- Hardware Faith
- Hardware Advisory
- Affordable Target Hardware
- Classy Public Hardware
- Affordable City Hardware
20 More Hardware name ideas
- Totally Stocked Tools
- All the Fixins
- Implemental
- Fabulous Fittings
- Destroy & Design
- Builders Inc.
- Build a Barn
- Builder’s Paradise
- The Usual Tools
- The Toolbox
- Grandpa’s Drill & Tap
- Top Improvements
- Valueware
- Timber Co.
- Shopsmith
- Nuts & Bolts
- Upright Home & Hardware
- Handyman’s Helper
- Home It Yourself (HIY)
- Hardware Haven
Best Hardware Businesses
Currently, there are some existing hardware businesses with excellent names, which are doing very well. These businesses are not just outstanding in their overall output, but they are also highly recognizable brand names. It is interesting to find out what makes them such successful brands since they predated modern conveniences like the hardware store name generator. Below we analyze 5 of them. We look at how they got their names and what makes them tick.
Ace Hardware
Founded in 1924, Illinois-based Ace Hardware is a Hardware Cooperative with several stores. It ranked as the most successful hardware chain store in the United States, with sales of over $1.5 billion in 2018. The name Ace Hardware was coined in the same year when the giant Hardware was started. Four entrepreneurs, Richard Hesse, E. Gunnard Lindquist, Frank Burke, and Oscar Fisher, decided to join their competing hardware stores to consolidate their sales.
The entrepreneurs hoped to capture this enduring spirit in their new business. They picked Ace’s hardware store name after heroic World War I fighter pilots. The pilots, known as Aces, overcame all odds to emerge victorious in the protracted and devastating war. They succeeded because the business grew into the most prominent name in the hardware store sector. Its identity with the war heroes helped the company along its growth trajectory.
True Value Hardware
Founded in 1948 by John Cotter, the company was initially known as Cotter and Company. It had 25 member stores at the time. In 1963, it acquired Hibbard, Spencer, and Bartlett, and it also got the name ‘True Value.’ With business returns of over $361 million in 2018, True Value was the second largest name in the hardware store business in the US that year.
The name had been a renowned trademark of the new acquisition since 1932. True Value has since grown to include 4,500 independent stores around the world. Part of this success can be attributed to the simplicity and promise captured in the name. It assures the customer of getting Value for their money. That has proved to be an important assurance over the years.
Do It Best
With sales worth $299 million in 2018, Do It Best was the third most successful hardware merchandizer in the US that year. It was initially known as Hardware Wholesalers Incorporated when founded in 1945. It was a 75 member-store cooperative at the time of its founding. The founder was Arnold Gerberding, and the company was located in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
The cooperative went international in 1979 when the Panama Do It Center joined as a member. The cooperative adopted the Do It Center design for its stores in the US in 1982. The new-look centers proved to be highly popular with customers. It was, however, not until 1998, when Our Own Hardware joined in, that the cooperative’s hardware store name idea was changed to Do It Best Corp. This name helped harmonize the different operations of the corporation, including transport services, under one name. However, the name has since been a very successful selling point.
Harbor Freight Tools
The fourth company from the 2018 list is Harbor FreigThe company Tools. Eric Smidt and his father Allan started the company in North Hollywood, California, in 1977. The company was initially known as Harbor Freight and Salvage due to its original nature of business. It was a mail-order tool business at the beginning, dealing with sold and returned products. However, the company changed its name to Harbor Freight Tools as the orientation moved towards tool manufacturing. Since its founding, the company has always remained a family business and has expanded to 1,200 stores all over the US.
The new hardware store name idea alerted customers to the fact that this was a tool manufacturing rather than a salvage company. The mail-order operations naturally turned e-commerce as the internet business grew. By 2018 it had $48 million worth of sales. The company partially has its name to thank for its successful tools business. It has become a household name both in social circles and on the internet. However, this does not take away from the high-quality and efficient services it has been offering customers over the years.
W W Grainger
The last company on the 2018 list is W W Grainger. It was founded in 1927 by William W. Grainger as an industrial supply company that originally provided motors. The company is renowned for its maintenance, repair, and operation products. It has never bothered to change its name since it was founded. The original hardware store name idea has remained effective since it is already associated with quality products and excellent after-sales service.
Clearly, some people don’t have to work too hard, using the hardware store name generator in search of a name. They prefer to build their brand instead. W W.Grainger is a good example of such a company. The company had sales of $37 million in 2018, which proves that it is not always about the name. Building a good reputation is just as important as picking the right name for the success of the company.
Unique advice for using the hardware business name generator
It would help if you never forgot that the hardware store name generator enables you to develop a name but not create an idea for you. It comes up with possible name combinations that will capture what you are offering. It is also important to communicate as much as you can through your business name. It is not easy to succeed in the modern competitive world with a hardware store name idea as abstract as WW Grainger.
The advent of internet business results in searches in which you have to communicate quickly. The business name will tell someone what you are about. Abstract names may have succeeded in the past and become well known, but you should not take that risk today. It is easier to operate with a name that immediately shows what your business is all about and its offerings. That way, you will nail the people you are targeting faster and start making sales.
5 tips for creating unique hardware business name ideas
- The hardware store name idea should be easy to spell and pronounce. People will not want to struggle to pronounce the name because they will move on to easier. They should also be able to write it easily if they make a recommendation. The hardware store name generator will help you with this aspect.
- Use a name that communicates about your product. The word hardware should appear in the name of your business. It will guide potential clients accordingly. An inconclusive name will severely limit the performance of your business since searches will likely miss it when someone is looking for hardware.
- The first step to success in business is to get a unique name to you, not to be mistaken for any other company. Conduct an internet and trademark search to ensure the name is available. Adjust it accordingly if it is already taken. Though this can be a frustrating process, you have to do it to ensure you get your name.
- The name should not be limiting as your business grows. The name should be as general as possible. It isn’t easy to be adjusting your name every time your business grows. For instance, the One Stop Hardware Store is a much broader name than Nails and Roofs Hardware. You never know what you may be selling tomorrow when the business grows more prominent.
- Get it right the first time. If you change the name along the way, it may not be easy to carry your clientele along. It takes a lot of advertising to inform them that you have changed the name. That is an expense you can always prevent.
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