Question

Topic: Taglines/Names

Landscape Design & Construction Name

Posted by diesel on 1/17/2012 at 12:26 PM ET 250 Points
I am in the process of setting up a new company. My market will consist of med-high level residential clients as well as small business, to enhancements for large corporations. My goal is to enter the market as more of an upscale/much higher quality garden design firm than the typical truck with a mower fly by night companies. I want to be known as being high quality/high customer service. We may cost more, but it is worth it.

My family name is well known in the community and I had fully intended on using it in the company title. [family name] & Co. I do not want to use landscape in the title in case we eventually branch out to doing other business. There is also another large company in the area, with shady practices, who will be watching my every move once they figure out who i am (they are after another family member's business thus they will come after mine as well).

However, I also think most landscape company names are cheesy (earthscapes, mainscapes, prairie view, etc.).

Any advice?
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 1/18/2012 at 9:03 AM Accepted
    Why not simply, "[family name] & Co Garden Design"? If you wish to branch out you can also create "[family name] & Co Construction, LLC." (etc.). Or, create an umbrella name "[family name] & Co Enterprises" and have a subsidiary name for your garden design business ("a division of [family name] & Co Enterprises").
  • Posted by diesel on 1/18/2012 at 2:13 PM Author
    That is what I have been thinking.

    [Family name] Enterprises makes me think it should be a huge corporation.

    [Family name] & Co. Construction - I like this, however people naturally assume construction means carpenters framing a house, etc. There is no "design" involved with it. The same could be said for "garden design" - there is no construction involved with it.

    Is [Family name] Companies too generic? Also, in my state you cannot use the term Co. with an LLC. So it would have to be [Family name] & Company LLC instead of[Family name] & Co. LLC.

  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 1/18/2012 at 2:44 PM Member
    A generic/umbrella name isn't a name that most of your clients will truly care about. It's the name of the subsidiary they'll see. And in some cases, subsidiaries don't want to use the parent's name/brand because there may be little or no overlap.

    Rather than use "& Co." in your name, why not leave this off entirely ([FamilyName] Companies LLC)? Then you can have a "Garden Design Division". But if you create too big a bucket to allow you to do all things in the future, you're likely to look silly starting out. You'll only have one division for an umbrella company.

    If you family name is well known, focus the new name on the target market ("[family name] Garden Design"). If you want to start a new business, create a new name for that when/if the time comes.
  • Posted by diesel on 1/18/2012 at 3:05 PM Author
    What do you think about using a synonym of "exclusive"?

    This market is middle to upper middle class. People can only think they are upper class. However, my experience in other markets is very high end, and that is how I want to create my brand here. It won't be a boutique firm, or chic, but those words portray the brand I aim to create. boutique, chic, exclusive, private, etc...

    I don't want it to scare people off, but at the same time I want it to make the phone ring with a certain class of people.
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 1/18/2012 at 3:19 PM Member
    Let your tagline help to describe who you serve & why. Keep your business name professional/clean. Also, if you need to serve a different clientele, you won't have a headache.
  • Posted by diesel on 1/25/2012 at 10:50 AM Author
    A co-business owner recommended [family name] Greenscapes, or [family name] Elite Landscapes.

    Thoughts? The EPA has a "greenscapes" program which aims to save natural resources and reduce waste. I will work along those goals as well but don't necessarily want people to associate me with that. Although it wouldn't be a bad thing.

    I cannot come up with a term that is different than "scape" or "landscape". I wish I could.
  • Posted by diesel on 1/30/2012 at 3:32 PM Author
    Well I may be settling on [Family name] Landscape Design + Consulting.

    Tagline on our trucks may be as simple as "Progressive Landscape Contractors".

    Thoughts anyone?
  • Posted by diesel on 2/2/2012 at 8:10 PM Author
    But I haven't received an answer. And I am still paying attention to the thread!
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