AHi Everyone!

First time poster from the UK here, I've been reading up for a while but as I'm about to start up my own business it seemed like a great time to say Hi, and hopefully get some opinions!

I'm all registered with my local authority, and am getting a business bank account etc sorted, but I'm wavering about the name I have chosen for the business.

I've picked 'Batch 17 Bakes' - but is this too random? I didn't want to go for the usual cake related names, and logically B comes high up on any alphabetical search :)

Its origin stems from an old line from Friends, which my sister and I quote to each other all the time when rating food - if you've seen the episode with Phoebes Grandmothers cookies, you should know what I mean :D

But what do you think? Is it too random, or should I go with something more generic, like Mels Bakes etc?

All opinions hugely welcome!

Thanks! X

Personally, I don't think Batch 17 is a good idea because I think there are too many people who don't know what that means. Not everyone watched Friends or saw every episode.

How about.....Mel's Masterpieces of Baking. I like the M - M alliteration.

Or how about Bonny Baking (bonny as in nice, good, pretty, not like someone's name). I could be wrong, but isn't "bonny" used like that in the UK (or is it just Scotland)?

I'd better stop before I utter some cross-pond insult. 

When I chose my name, which still isn't official yet, I focused on what I'm going to be providing different...what sets me apart from everyone else. I like your name though...very cute!

ALOL you are right Shanter, 'Bonny' is a Scottish term for pretty etc. I'm from the south of the UK (near Oxford) though, so this isn't a word us southerners would generally use, even though it is cute, we kind of leave it to the Scottish ;)

That's kind of what I feared with Batch 17 though, people wondering why it's called that. But then my husband said that people might not care, if that's your names then that's it - why are other companies called what they are? He thinks it will just make me stand out from a sea of similar cakey names?

Gah! This is so difficult, it should be simpler surely LOL?! Thanks so much for the feedback though, really appreciate it! :)

I agree with your husband...why is Kroger (and American grocery store) called Kroger? I do think you should put a tag line though, explaining that you area  cake decorater. For example Bake 17 Bakes ------- Custom Cakes or something along that line. Does that make sense?

 Monica wanted Phoebe's grandmas recipe for a wedding gift..Phoebe lost it so they baked several batches before they came up with a match...it Was a French recipe called Nestle' Tollhouse (said with a French accent) lol...Make sure you pick your name that matches the clientele you are targeting. Something cutesy f you are planning to do mostly party cakes and cupcakes, words like art and couture if you are doing wedding cakes and towers of elegance...

It's called, Nes-lay Too-lose....

Do you mean NESTLE TOLLHOUSE!?

One of my favorites :)
 

Ok, now I really need to look up this episode...tonight! Friday night! Oh geez...I'm such a rebel...watching Friends on a Friday night! LOL

A

Here's the clip:

Thanks Jason! I will be watching this when I get home! and batter...I would prefer Nun...LOL

ALOL well I'm glad to have started a mini Friends revival at least! ;D The episode is actually 'The One with Phoebes Cookies'.

I think I am going to stick with the name, I've no idea what else I would use at this point! I will definitely think of an appropriate tag line though too.

Hi Sugarmagic (great name BTW!) I know what you mean about feeling a bit lost, there's so much to do! So far I've registered with my council and got my hygiene rating and certificate, am working on a logo and a website and am about to sort insurance and bank accounts etc! I hate all the businessy stuff but it needs doing - ditto on any advice you might have though LOL :/ Good Luck with your start up!

I like Batch 17, too! I haven't seen that episode, but I think it sounds cool, and it still makes me think of cakes and cookies because they are baked in batches. Very nice.
 

whenever I see a curious name it sticks in my head....

I have lots of experience with this. Pick a name that is short and easy to remember and tells what you do.

When we opened 4 years ago, we were a custom only shop and I had a name I thought was pretty good.  Two years later, we opened our own storefront and bought out another well-known cake shop since she has the equipment that we needed and high-end customers.  We struggled with the name... a lot!  Do we keep our own name? Do we make try to combine the 2 shops into 1 name?  We talked to several other local people in the event business, like planners, florists, etc. and no one was really crazy about our current name.  It was long and apparently hard to remember.

We struggled long and hard and decided to go with a new, shorter name and happened to be what everyone called my cakes when I first started decorating in 1990 - TracyCakes and since I'm Tracy, it worked. 

Our little business and grown and we have a great reputation in town.  I met other people before and no one could get our name right.  Now, no one has a problem remembering our name, they love it, they remember it and then there is a little bit of thrill when people are excited to me "The Tracy".  It's quite humorous.

One bad aspect about naming your business after yourself and I didn't know - everyone that calls wants to talk to "Tracy".  The person answering the phone can help them but they want "Tracy".  I sometimes claim to be "Gertrude", not Tracy.  :) 

AMarketing 101:

1. State what you do. People should know from looking at your sign what you do.

2. Easy to spell/read. Otherwise, you will have to spell it frequently. More importantly, people will get lost. Seriously, you would be amazed how many people can't spell dessert. I'm thinking of buying Delicious Desert to redirect! No problems with delicious...*facepalm*

I wanted a fancy name like Gateau. My husband is marketing genius. He seriously gets irritated by vague names. Well be driving in the car & he'll say "what the heck to they do/sell?!"

When I was picking a name, he said what do you do? What do you sell? Pick one descriptive. He wanted Carolina Desserts. Delicious Desserts won!

I really like the 'batch' idea, but I think the 17 will throw people. They won't get the 'friends' reference, and wonder why you need 17 batches.

Maybe something like 'fresh batch' or 'first batch'. Even then, a batch usually refers to bikkies, not cakes, so that would probably be confusing as well.

In conclusion, I've been no help to you at all.

Love the name tracycakes. I wanted to be christinescakes, but there were so many on the internet i decided against it.

AI'm setting up from home, starting slowly and hopefully building up - I'd loooove premises though one day! A little cakey hideaway LOL :grin:

I'm mostly self taught, but I have taken a coupe of courses to help - very early on I did a day on torting and covering a cake, and more recently a day at Peggy Porschen in London doing Royal Icing, and I just completed a PME Diploma in Sugarflowers which was soo much fun and I learnt tonnes - I'd highly recommend it!

I did a CIEH course on food hygiene as well, which my council EH officer was really happy about, so it's a good idea to do. Most of it is common sense anyway, but it all helps. I got a 5 star rating because I could demonstrate I knew all of the requirements etc.