The question of how to name your keepsake business comes up a lot in our Facebook group The Breastmilk and Memorial Jewellery Group, my mentees and people who’ve bought our business startup packages. Before you start making your social media pages or buy a domain, you should double check the name you’ve come up with. I include a free 15 minute mentoring call with website
There are a few do’s and don’ts but before I list them, please know that this is 100% my personal opinion and you can name your business what you like (so long as it complies with your laws* and isn’t already taken)! You need to work out how to name your keepsake business and it’s a completely personal thing, but after 7 years in the industry I’ve seen some business names that people regret and some that really appeal to their target audience.
How To Name Your Keepsake Business Do’s
- DO pick a name that’s unique. It will make it easier for your clients to find you when they search your business name. You want them to find you straight away without risking them finding another business (especially if that’s another keepsake business)
- DO choose a name that means something to you. It could have your name, your children’s names, pets, precious stones or a crystal, a month or day maybe, something empowering that implies strength and perseverance. A plant or celestial object
- DO choose a name that allows you to do all aspects of keepsake pieces; baby (breastmilk, first curl, umbilical cord and placenta) and memorial (ashes, hair and fur) and anything else clients could ask for like fabric and flower petals, belly and hand casting, precious metal clay. Being ready to offer anything can help you get more orders and there are benefits to each side. The baby pieces can be enjoyable to make and memorial artists will be approached for them, and memorial keepsakes tend to be more likely to get larger orders and repeat business from family members
- DO make it easy to spell, so that it’s easy to search for you. The business name will likely be in your domain name too so you could send some friends a voice message and say “how would you spell …?” to check. If some of them struggle with it then it might be time to reconsider
- DO spell it right, especially if you’re adding the word jewellery (jewellery in the UK/Australia, jewelry in the USA/Canada but that can change from area to area – it isn’t spelt jewlery as I see on TikTok…). A blog on spelling, punctuation and grammar in the keepsake industry is coming soon
How To Name Your Keepsake Business Don’ts
- DON’T copy someone else’s business name, even if it’s business doing something else and in another country. I wanted to call my first business Tree of Pearls but that was taken by a pearl jeweller in a different country. I guess I could have used it still but even though they weren’t in the keepsake industry, it would have added legal ramifications and I wanted to make sure clients searching for my business name would be more likely to find me. I chose Tree of Opals because it was unique and meant something special to me.
- DON’T use someone else’s business name with a variation in spelling or sound. It’s just not fair and you open yourself up to legal issues again, for example trouble registering your business or copyright/trademark violations. Clients will struggle to find you if they hear your business name and search for you but there is more than one option. Tree of Hope popped up a few years ago (please don’t worry, I wasn’t upset as I’m one of the most established keepsake artists in the world, but they work with ashes). A year after I started Keepsaker Supplies, along came a business named Keepsake Supplies. I take these as a complement but others would be upset. I had to bear them in mind that when doing SEO.
- DON’T use the words “milk“, “breastmilk” or anything that could limit your scope to baby pieces. Clients can be put off ordering memorial jewellery from a company using the word “breastmilk” in their business name. They may see the name and assume you only do that kind of keepsakes, even if you clearly do. Even if you’re 99% sure you don’t want to do memorial jewellery you might change your mind later. An exception to this is if you’re an established IBCLC or breastfeeding business you may want to tie in breastmilk jewellery and have no interest in memorials.
- DON’T use the words “ash/es” or “hair”, or anything that could limit your scope to memorials. Some clients will be put off ordering breastmilk and baby jewellery from a company using the word “ashes” in their business name. Again, even if you’re totally sure you don’t want to do baby jewellery, you will probably be asked for it and enjoy the process, plus it can help your mental health to work with clients other than the bereaved. However, if you’re already an established funeral home, for example, you could add Memorial Jewellery to the business name to make it clear this is the jewellery side of your business.
I always say, you might think twice before ordering a hand carved wooden crib from “Bespoke Coffins”, no matter how nice their cribs are.
- DON’T gender your business if you want everyone to be comfortable buying from you. Mamas aren’t the only ones who want keep their babies close, even if you only offer breastmilk there are lots of us non-binary* and trans parents who nurse. Dads often order keepsakes with hair and umbilical cord for themselves.
There is a business name that I already have two clients with (in different countries) and a third person told me this was the name they were going to choose (with Mom’s instead of Mama’s) and I begged them not to. I remember a few years ago there were three breastmilk jewellers with the same name, one was “The … Breast Milk Jewelry”, another was ” … Breastmilk Jewelry” and a third ” … Breastmilk Jewellery”.
Actually How To Name Your Keepsake Business
If you want to check if the business name is taken, check Google, Facebook, Instagram, Etsy, TikTok or leave a comment below and we can check orders. Also check to see if similar domain names are taken.
So, if I want to pick a business name I’ll check on Google, social media, domains, Companies House (UK limited company registration – we’re listed a Keepsaker Ltd!) and when I’m happy I’ll buy the domain and start using it, but check again now and again in the early days in case I missed something.
You can request a eCommerce website quote with a free 15 minute business mentorship video call with Nikki. You can use this call hone in on your business name if you’re not ready for a website yet. Just fill in this webform to book the call
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