With over 50,000 self-storage facilities in the United States, it probably feels like all the good names are already taken. Furthermore, how do you find an excellent name that represents your brand and speaks to your target audience?
How do you make the final decision?
If you’re struggling to name your self-storage business, don’t worry. You’re in the right place. In this article, I cover some of the top tips for naming your new business and how to make sure the name is legally available for you to use.
Learn more about the self-storage industry
Tips For Naming A Self Storage Business
Naming a business is hard, especially if you don’t have any ideas or a place to start. So, before you dive in, grab a piece of paper and a pen or open up a blank spreadsheet.
Then, use it as a place to brainstorm ideas and write down words or phrases that come to mind as you go through the tips below.
From there, we’ll talk about narrowing things down and landing on the perfect name.
1. Keep It as Short as Possible
Short business names are usually snappier, catchier, and easier to remember. Ideally, you want to stick to two to five syllables and hopefully no more than 25 characters total.
However, the shorter the name, the better.
That said, there are exceptions to this, and it’s not a hard rule. But when you think about huge, notable brands, which ones come to mind?
Nike. Apple. Ikea. Febreeze. Target. Honeywell.
They’re easy to remember because they’re short, simple, and brandable.
Obviously, there are exceptions to these rules. But typically, the shorter and simpler your name, the easier it is for everyone to remember.
2. Avoid Words That Are Hard to Say or Spell
Voice-to-text and voice search are more popular now than ever before. So, it’s important to consider making your name easy to pronounce and hear.
To do this, avoid using:
- Commonly misspelled words
- Complex terms that are hard to spell
- Words that have several pronunciations
- Homophones like to, too, and two
Try to keep things as concise and simple as possible.
3. Consider Storage Related Terms
Since you’re opening a self-storage business, storing or using space-related words in the name might make sense, especially if you’re feeling stuck. It may help to start brainstorming terms, phrases, and words to get all your ideas down on paper.
Examples of this could include The Storage Co., Storage Solutions, Works, Store More, and AAA Self Storage.
For a boost of creativity, expand use the thesaurus to find synonyms around the words of what your business does. You can either use the thesaurus function from your word processor or thesaurus.com to develop additional synonyms.
From there, you can cross off bad ideas or any terms you don’t like.
4. Phrases Your Audience and Competition Uses
Your business exists for your target audience, so it’s important to consider phrases and terms they use when talking about using a self-storage facility.
There are quite a few places you can look to see what your customers (and competitors) are saying, including:
- Facebook groups, posts, and stories
- Forums related to the self-storage industry
- Competitor websites, brochures, and flyers
- Trade journals
- Magazines or blogs
Alternatively, you can ask friends or relatives in your target audience. Hearing it directly from them may help you brainstorm and narrow down your choices.
Remember to avoid anything limiting your business’s future growth if you decide to go in another direction down the road.
5. Neighborhoods, Cities, and Nicknames
Including the name of your city, street, or neighborhood is an excellent way to encourage local shopping and create a strong sense of community in your area.
You can also think about nicknames for your city or neighborhood, as well. Here are some examples to use as inspiration:
- Exit 92 Storage
- Newcastle Storage
- Albuquerque Self Storage
- South Valley Mini Storage
- Lone Star Storage
With that said, make sure the name you choose isn’t limiting if you decide to move or expand your self-storage business down the road.
6. Incorporate Your Name
If you’re still struggling to find the perfect name, consider using your name, a nickname, or something personal and unique to you.
This is a fantastic way to build a personal brand if that’s something you want to do. Some great examples of this in action include:
- Sam’s Secure Storage
- Smith Storage
- Uncle Mike’s Self Storage
If you go this route, keep in mind it may make it harder to sell your self-storage business later on, as the chances of the buyer having the same name as the business owner will be pretty slim.
List of Catchy Self-Storage Business Names
Here is a list of existing self-storage business names that may help give you some creative ideas. While many of these names may be available for you to use, be sure to check first to be sure they can be used.
Tips on how to check business name availability are after the list of names!
- 20 East Self Storage
- 4 Corners Self Storage
- 4th Street Mini Storage
- A 24hr Storage
- A Space Center
- A World Of Storage
- A1 Clocktower Self Storage
- A1 Self Storage
- AA Storage
- AAA Self Storage
- ABS Self Storage
- Additional Storage
- Affordable Family Storage
- Affordable Storage
- All American Storage
- All Star Mini Storage
- Allguard Self Storage
- Alligator Self Storage
- Alpine Mini Storage
- American Self Storage
- American Storage
- American Way Storage
- Atlantic Self Storage Company
- Bel Aire Self Storage
- Big Jim Self Storage
- Bluffside Mini Storage
- Broadway Storage
- California City Mini Storage
- Cardinal Self Storage
- Central Mini Storage
- Clare Avenue Self Storage
- Climate Controlled Storage
- Commercial Street Storage
- Crossroads Storage Park
- Dobbs Road Self Storage
- Downtown Self Storage
- Edge Investments Storage
- Executive Airport Mini Storage
- Extra Space Storage
- EZ Drive In Storage
- Five Star Mini Storage
- Florida RV & Boat Storage
- Granny’s Closet Self Storage
- Highway 51 Climate Controlled Self Storage
- Houston Mini Storage
- Idaho Falls Mini Storage
- Idaho Storage Connection
- Independence Self Storage
- JB Properties Self Storage
- Jonesboro Store and Lock
- Key Storage
- Lake City Self Storage
- Lakeland Mini Storage
- Lakeside RV Storage
- Life Storage
- Lighthouse Storage
- Little House Self Storage
- Lock & Go Peru
- Lock & Stor
- Lock and Leave Self Storage
- Military Self Storage
- Mini Price Storage
- Mini Storage & More
- Mr. Storage
- Nearby Self Storage
- Outdoors Storage Company
- Pensacola Mini Storage
- Pioneer Car & Self Storage
- Prairie Hill Self Storage
- Public Storage
- Red Dot Storage
- SafeSpot Self Storage
- Sam’s Super Storage
- Savannah Self Storage
- Secure Lock Storage
- Secure Storage Shoals
- Secure Storage Solutions
- Six Seven Eight Mini Storage
- Small Town Storage
- Smart Stop Self Storage
- South Side Storage
- Spacebox Self Storage
- Staylock Storage
- Storage King
- Storage Max University
- Storage Nut
- Storage Place
- Storage Solutions
- Storage West
- Store Space Self Storage
- Stowaway Mobile Storage
- Strong Hold Storage
- Sunset Storage
- Super Storage
- Tombstone Self Storage
- Toy Box Storage
- U-Store Mini Warehouses
- Value Store It Self Storage
- Where U-Store-It
- Your Other Attic
Finding the Perfect Name: Putting It All Together
By now, you should have a lengthy list of words, phrases, and terms you can use in your business name. At this point, I highly recommend going through and removing any that are hard to spell or pronounce.
Now, you can start combining pieces together until something stands out. It may help to create a list of potential names you can use. From there, you can narrow things down to your favorites.
But before you make your final decision, it’s important that your new name passes a few tests.
Say It Out Loud
Make sure you say your new name out loud. It may look great as a logo, domain name, and on a business card. But it also needs to sound good when you say it out loud.
You can also sit down with someone and talk about your business. Does saying the name in casual conversation sound natural? If not, you may want to consider something simpler or easier to say.
Logo Design
Lastly, think about how to incorporate your new name into a logo. Logos should be simple, memorable, and indicative of your brand.
Take Apple, for example. Their business name is easily incorporated into a logo. And today, it’s a household symbol that everyone immediately recognizes.
A logo is an important part of your brand identity, so don’t forget to consider turning your name into a memorable logo as you make your final decision.
Related: How to create a logo for your business.
Is Your Self-Storage Business Name Available to Use?
At this point, you should have several top considerations to choose from. And the best way to narrow it down further is to check each one for availability.
This step is necessary because using a name that someone else is using could be very costly, time-consuming to rebrand your business, and possibly embarrassing. There are several places to look to check whether a name is available to use, so let’s walk through the most common ones.
Can the business name be registered in your state?
If you plan to use a specific business name, you may be required by the state to verify it’s available to use.
Related: How to check business name availability in your state
Is your name already trademarked?
When searching for a name for your new business, you should check that your new name isn’t trademarked by someone else. If it is, you may not be allowed to use it legally.
Thankfully, the United States Patent Trademark Office (USPTO) makes trademark searching a breeze through their Trademark Database.
A name isn’t necessarily available if it doesn’t appear in this search. Every business has some limited protection through a common law trademark. This means another business can’t open up down the street with the same name, as this creates confusion for customers. Also, check local competitors by doing a Google search and looking through the Yellow Pages.
If your name is available and you want to protect it from being used by anyone else, you can register it with the USPTO.
Related: How to check for a trademark
Hopefully, you now have some good name ideas for your self-storage business. Once you have narrowed down this list to just a few and researched that they are all available, start asking friends, family, and potential customers their thoughts to get feedback, and then pick your perfect self-storage business name!
