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opinions on business name wanted please

Started by bigblue12v, January 07, 2017, 06:15:47 PM

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bigblue12v

I'm looking for input on business name.... Been thinking about this for a long time trying to figure something out. Told myself I needed to have it done by New Years as this is the year I go officially full time with it and need to get all legal and such.

Slight bio-
I use small scale equipment to do small jobs and Low Impact Logging. It's a niche market that does not seem tapped into here at all. All the loggers have big equipment and all the smaller property owners don't want that on their land. There's some good timber on small tracts here as loggers have went right past them looking for bigger patches of land to work (understandably). I think a name says a lot about a company, but needs to be short and sweet at the same time. What about "LIL Timber Co." ? LIL stands for Low Impact Logging. The Logo could incorporate an acrostic to explain the abbreviation perhaps.

opinions please?
Thanks!
Eric
Lots of junk not enough time.. full time mechanic part time logger, firewood junkie, outside boiler owner, meat smoker enthusiast, fabricator, dad, husband

Puffergas

Low Impact Logging Co.
Low Impact Timber Co.
Micro Timber Co.
Jeff
Somewhere 20 miles south of Lake Erie.

GEHL 5624 skid steer, Trojan 114, Timberjack 225D, D&L SB1020 mill, Steiger Bearcat II

bigblue12v

Quote from: Puffergas on January 07, 2017, 06:22:33 PM
Low Impact Logging Co.
Low Impact Timber Co.
Micro Timber Co.

I had thought of "Low Impact Logging" before, and I like it but it seemed borderline lengthy... Perhaps not. Idk...

thanks!
Lots of junk not enough time.. full time mechanic part time logger, firewood junkie, outside boiler owner, meat smoker enthusiast, fabricator, dad, husband

Ed_K

 I think that works pretty well. Keep it short so when checks are written they can abbreviate, like L.T.C . Mine are P.S.F. works great.
I started with "Klaus Land Improvements" and 80 % of calls were from people wanting bids on land clearing. So I changed it to "Pine Shadow Farm" for the farm as we sell maple syrup, a little lumber and we have a few w/pine that will be left coming up our drive way,the rest will get cut as I need building lumber. The business cards have all the info on types of work I do,hand out a lot of them as you talk to customers. Also I have a few Foresters and my log trucker that keep me in wood.
Ed K

chet

This thread has been "cleaned".

Please continue, but in a family friendly atmosphere.
I am a true TREE HUGGER, if I didnt I would fall out!  chet the RETIRED arborist

killamplanes

I have several l.l.c. corporations, all of which have my last name in them in some manner.  I have always stayed booked 1-2yrs out. Never spent much on advertisement, mainly word of mouth which fortunately is still the most successful way to advertise. But I see your point ur trying to catch a particular "size" of logging or "niche" so I say L.I.L it is....
jd440 skidder, western star w/grapple,tk B-20 hyd, electric, stihl660,and 2X661. and other support Equipment, pallet manufacturing line

bigblue12v

I decided on LIL Timber Co. LLC and submitted registration documents to the state.

thanks for thoughts on it. I would link to my page but don't want to risk causing problems. I'll go back to being an observer here...  :-X
Lots of junk not enough time.. full time mechanic part time logger, firewood junkie, outside boiler owner, meat smoker enthusiast, fabricator, dad, husband

livemusic

You posted yesterday and you've already decided? Sheesh. Why post something and make such an important decision in less than 24 hours?

FWIW, I will give some advice even though it's too late. Perhaps somebody will read this on down the way. You are right, choosing a name can be crucially important. If you are like the other fellow in this thread who stays booked up due to word of mouth, it won't matter that much. But if advertising, even business cards and such, matters at all, a name is very, very important. And the best name describes what you do. And I think your name fails. Here's why.

I would never have chosen LIL Timber Co. LLC. To me, that means you grow timber. That is not what you are trying to portray. You are a logging company! And, you are targeting a niche. LIL tells them not much, other than you are a timber company (growing timber) and you are small.

IMO, your Low Impact Logging is a totally WONDERFUL name. It says it all and that is RARE. I would have chosen something along the lines of that and then let LIL be a logo. I think it is quite catchy, actually. I wish you would have waited!

I have a ton of marketing experience and if I had not done this exercise about a hundred times with people over the years, I would have never posted this, but it was gnawing on me! I think you had it and chose the wrong one!

BTW, a website done the right way can bring you business. You could really paint the picture for what you could do for a client with a good website. And done right, people would find you with the right phrasing. Such as your name!

At a gathering yesterday, I had conversation about this very thing -- low impact logging -- with a friend of mine who works for a logger who my friend says incorporates low impact talk into his sales pitch. And adheres to his pitch. I have used him before on small jobs. I like it when people take care of the land.

Good luck!
~~~
Bill

bigblue12v

Bill,
Thank you for the input. I've been thinking about this for months honestly. I'm one of those people who is better at solving other people's problems than my own. My one and only beef with "Low Impact Logging" as a name, is that everybody else's name has logging in it as well. Yes I know that's somewhat the point, but how am I to get people to let go of the stereotype and embrace a new concept when my name sounds the same.
Also I might be the only one, but "Low Impact Logging" to me is more of a verb than a name. It also would not be very fitting should I ever find myself running more traditional equipment that no longer is "low impact".
Additionally, I would like to entertain the idea of using an acrostic on my name to point out the low impact logging aspect.. But still keeping the actual name a bit shorter. This could be done up into a logo of sorts I think, used on a website header and on business cards.
Example:

L ow
I mpact
L ogging

Timber
Co. LLC


But perhaps I'm very wrong and you're absolutely right.

I don't understand how my name lends you to think that I grow timber, although, in a way, that is what we do. As we are focused more on select cutting, or thinning, both of which allows the surviving forest to thrive.

Perhaps I made a mistake. I simply felt that the term " logging " is overused in names in this area and wanted something to stand out a little. Something that made them think more about standing trees being healthy rather than giant equipment thrashing about their woods and semi load upon semi load hauling out their forest in chunks. As that is the image associated with logging here at least, and that is not what my company is about with this approach.

Thanks
Eric
Lots of junk not enough time.. full time mechanic part time logger, firewood junkie, outside boiler owner, meat smoker enthusiast, fabricator, dad, husband

curdog

Good luck with your new business, from what I've seen the name of the logging company is probably less important than many other business types. Most people aren't going to remember the name of the company,but they will remember your name. When I ask people who they had cut their timber, they rarely mention the name of the company, but they said that they had John Doe cut it or they sold it to such and such mill. It may be different in other places, but most people refer to a logging company by who they talked to and who they got to know during the process.....

jwade

bigblue i located your facebook page i think. looks like you have a prett nice set up. good luck with your endeavor.

bigblue12v

Quote from: curdog on January 08, 2017, 10:01:35 AM
Good luck with your new business, from what I've seen the name of the logging company is probably less important than many other business types. Most people aren't going to remember the name of the company,but they will remember your name. When I ask people who they had cut their timber, they rarely mention the name of the company, but they said that they had John Doe cut it or they sold it to such and such mill. It may be different in other places, but most people refer to a logging company by who they talked to and who they got to know during the process.....

That is a good point. Maybe I can break the stereotype 😁

Quote from: jwade on January 08, 2017, 10:39:44 AM
bigblue i located your facebook page i think. looks like you have a prett nice set up. good luck with your endeavor.

Thanks!!!
Lots of junk not enough time.. full time mechanic part time logger, firewood junkie, outside boiler owner, meat smoker enthusiast, fabricator, dad, husband

bill m

I guess it's to late for another suggestion but here is mine anyway. When I started in business I wanted something that was easy for people to remember. I went with "Bill Markham Tree Service" . It told people who the company was and what we did. Simple and to the point. You could have done something similar with your name and Low Impact Logging after it, and in your logo under that put it in initials. After a while and you become established people will start recognize your company just by the initials.
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tareece

Todd Reece
Lover of many things. Experienced in most... expert in few

bigblue12v

Quote from: bill m on January 08, 2017, 04:29:29 PM
I guess it's to late for another suggestion but here is mine anyway. When I started in business I wanted something that was easy for people to remember. I went with "Bill Markham Tree Service" . It told people who the company was and what we did. Simple and to the point. You could have done something similar with your name and Low Impact Logging after it, and in your logo under that put it in initials. After a while and you become established people will start recognize your company just by the initials.

Yea but that's pretty overused around here I think. Every logging company is "John Doe Logging" I wanted something short and that would set us apart a little.

Quote from: tareece on January 08, 2017, 07:17:58 PM
How bout
Lil beavers?
We're not allowed to joke about that stuff here... I find it humorous but my humor isn't welcomed here. Hopefully you don't get in trouble for that.
Lots of junk not enough time.. full time mechanic part time logger, firewood junkie, outside boiler owner, meat smoker enthusiast, fabricator, dad, husband

Puffergas

Leave it to beaver logging Co.  😂

Anyhow, any size machine can be used as low impact!!!!!!

How about "low impact Bob"??  Or any name..
Jeff
Somewhere 20 miles south of Lake Erie.

GEHL 5624 skid steer, Trojan 114, Timberjack 225D, D&L SB1020 mill, Steiger Bearcat II

bigblue12v

Quote from: Puffergas on January 08, 2017, 09:29:18 PM
Leave it to beaver logging Co.  😂

Anyhow, any size machine can be used as low impact!!!!!!

How about "low impact Bob"??  Or any name..

While picking up parts today for my little skidder I saw a big skidder I'd like to check out. It's a Massey 320 which is cool because it also has a Perkins engine like mine, and I've grown to really love mine. It's in pretty great shape and looks like it was very well cared for. Not a greasy leaky mess and not rusted or dented up. Fenders, limb risers and all are straight as can be. Tires are definitely not like new but I imagine they have a lot of hitches left in them yet. Does anyone ever sharpen skidder tires? I know it's a pain but so is shelling out a lot of cash for new tires when you're trying to get started.
We're way off topic by now I'd say lol. Got my documentation from the state on the LLC, registered with the IRS got tax ID number, opened a business checking account at the bank and now working on application for bond, which I need to get my Indiana timber buyer's license. Woohoo.
Lots of junk not enough time.. full time mechanic part time logger, firewood junkie, outside boiler owner, meat smoker enthusiast, fabricator, dad, husband

Jeff

Quote from: Chet on January 07, 2017, 07:16:26 PM
This thread has been "cleaned".

Please continue, but in a family friendly atmosphere.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

longtime lurker

Been and gone as you've already registered etc but I'm going to be contrary about length of name.

I used to be of the "keep it short" school of thought but this time around (this is business startup number 6 and timber industry business number 3) we didn't go that way. What I've found interesting is that while we use the acronym to keep it short, and thats what goes on cheques etc... people remember it precisely because its a great long name. But then so are things like "Hudsons Bay Company", "British East India Company" "Georgia Hardwood Lumber Co" "Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway" etc etc

I think the "keep it short" school of thought is mostly about the number of squares available on a computer generated government form somewhere. I've never particularly been inclined to make things easy for any government. ;D.  its the same as the "start the name with A so you're first off in the phone book" school of thought; There might be an advantage there, maybe. But its not that much of an advantage IMHO and if you need that particular advantage to survive you've got a problem.

I think whats more important is that the name of your business conveys the who/what /where of the business. Being long doesn't interfere with people remembering your trading name... if anything I think it enhances it. Being specific means you might miss a few enquiries from Joe Public, but it also means the enquiries you do get are aimed at your core business. Time is money, and time spent fielding enquiries about (for instance) tree lopping services or lumber sales when you're a logger is money wasted, unless you're looking to diversify into those areas.

Our trading name people remember, even if the memory is something like "Oh its that great long timber company name". Both the name and the acronym point at our core business, which is the supply of something other then what you get at home depot and a particular emphasis on ship building timbers ...and the logo on the door says something too... just a contrary $0.02 worth.

                                                         

 

The quickest way to make a million dollars with a sawmill is to start with two million.

bigblue12v

Lots of junk not enough time.. full time mechanic part time logger, firewood junkie, outside boiler owner, meat smoker enthusiast, fabricator, dad, husband

livemusic

Hello again, Eric. I made quite a long post and I won't rehash it, I stand by what I said.

I think that there IS a niche and targeting that niche could provide success. I have never forgotten this age-old axiom of making money -- How do you make money with a business? You identify a need and you provide a solution. So, does a niche exist whereby landowners wish for a logging company that is very careful not to destroy the land? (I know you can't destroy land, but you can sure mess it up for a very long time.) I say that there is! People like you and me who don't want to see the land all rutted up, creating a terrible erosion problem for decades to come.

As for your comment about everybody names their company Such-and-such Logging, LLC. (Using the word logging.) Yes, but what's wrong with that if that is what your business is? Nothing in my book. You had solved it by making your name unique. The key was not "logging" but "low impact."

In my book, a timber company grows trees, a logging company logs the trees. But I am no forestry expert.

As for is it too late? Nope. If you decided that you really screwed up, you could make changes now.

I guess I could say one more thing. And that is that, often, the difference between success and failure for a business is a small amount of profit on an ongoing basis. In other words, often, if a business had just been able to boost revenue by, say, 10-20%, it could have been enough to save them. And I think that marketing a name such as what you had could provide an edge over "LIL Timber Co." or whatever that name is that you chose. Remember, without you explaining what "LIL" stands for, the public has no idea what it stands for. "Low Impact Logging" says it all. Perfect!

Bearing in mind, that if one chooses a catchy name, some advertising is in order. Or, at least, promoting the new company everywhere you go via making a pitch to anyone who will listen. (Talking it up!)
~~~
Bill

BradMarks

Lots of good posts about choosing a business name, it can be the most important decision an owner makes. I know I wrestled with it, before choosing a name that represented what I did and where my focus was.  I bounced a number of names off people before deciding. Reply's of "too narrow of focus", "what does it mean", "too broad", and finally "that sounds good" by a few people helped me decide.  Personally I am not a fan of cap letters defining a company, unless maybe IBM for example.  People like to twist names to their liking, that's how they remember (at least I do).  I can see L.I.L. as "Logging Indiana Land" for example, which may not be a bad thing at all!  Anyway, it's pretty cheap to register a name, and if you have any doubts, register another before it is gone, kinda like domain names.  Good luck with your new venture.

bigblue12v

Quote from: livemusic on January 12, 2017, 09:25:40 AM
...
As for your comment about everybody names their company Such-and-such Logging, LLC. (Using the word logging.) Yes, but what's wrong with that if that is what your business is? Nothing in my book. You had solved it by making your name unique. The key was not "logging" but "low impact."
.....
Remember, without you explaining what "LIL" stands for, the public has no idea what it stands for. "Low Impact Logging" says it all. Perfect!

Bearing in mind, that if one chooses a catchy name, some advertising is in order. Or, at least, promoting the new company everywhere you go via making a pitch to anyone who will listen. (Talking it up!)

Bill,
I'm attaching a picture of the logo we came up with. I had something kind of like this in mind all along but wasn't sure how it would turn out. Looking forward to seeing what you think of it.
Thanks for your time!
Eric


 
Lots of junk not enough time.. full time mechanic part time logger, firewood junkie, outside boiler owner, meat smoker enthusiast, fabricator, dad, husband

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