Business Name Change

[BlueJeanBaby]

I've been selling under Lemonade (now Lemonade Accessories) for the past 3 years. I've just recently (past 6 months) broken away from Etsy and started my own site. I have more of a name on Etsy than by myself, obviously. 

Anyway, I came up with the name my junior year of HS. It's not really standing the test of time and, to be honest, I can't remember why I picked it. I was reading Craft Inc. last night and in the part about naming your business, she said that it needs to be something you'll like for a long time and something that no one else has. There's a Lemonade Bags and a Pink Lemonade Boutique as well as other 'Lemonade's on Etsy.

Needless to say, I'm thinking of a name change. The only problem...my website, business cards, and tags for my items all match and all say Lemonade Accessories. I'm not going to jump into a name change so I do have time to use up all these things but would it be wise to change a business name 3 years in? I haven't done anything legal yet so there's no paperwork to change...just wondering if I'd lose customers who are looking for me under Lemonade.

Geeze this got long, sorry!

[Dolly Mixx]

I did the same thing. I changed my name completely, from Cupcake Accessories to Dolly Mixx, starting over with a brand new website and all that. I haven't found that my sales have decreased, they have increased, and i've started selling wholesale, because of my more professional website. The name Cupcake Accessories really started to grate on me after a while, so after a year of it being open, I switched. I kept the old website active though, and directed people towards my new one, which I have to say, does bring me the most hits. I wouldn't necessarily say you lose your customer base if you do this, I have a few loyal customers who have followed, and i've gained more  by restarting.

[glasskanvas]

I can kinda sympathise on this one! I've had to alter my name a few times for one reason or another over the past 3 years and it's been a pain everytime. There are so many place you place yourself when you're marketing your work that you don't think about till you're in the process of changing over.

Anyways...one of the main reasons for name changing was the fact it didn't reflect what I was doing at the time. Make sure the business name is identifiable and if poss reflects what you do...or might do a few years down the line. Also, check out whether the name is available for domain names, etsy names, registered businesses etc...You don't want to go to all the effort and realise there's a .co.uk version of your site for example.

[CraftyChef]

I changed my name after about 5 years. Painful but necessary. I might change the look in 10 years, but not the name(s) again.

You can use your current supplies and put stickers on everything proclaiming "New name (state the name) coming soon!" That way you don't have to waste your supplies and people should have plenty of time to get used to the new you. Put it on all your websites and hangouts, too.

[BlueJeanBaby]

Thanks for the feedback! I really expected people to say something like, "No! That's a kiss of death!"

I like the sticker idea. I could put those on the back of my biz cards. I'd def. annouce it on my shop blog with a link on my homepage.