Pun intended

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Finding the perfect business name is always a tricky one. Has the name already been taken? What does it look like as a URL? Does it even sell your business? On the dawn of The Crane Event’s 3rd birthday, we reflect on the conception of our name and what it means to us, personally and as a business.

When Jemma and I first met, we discovered our ‘eventful’ background and it wasn’t long before the idea of doing our own thing started to fill our conversations (who said romance is dead?). Then, outside a chip shop (again, with the romance thing) it suddenly came to us, the name for our fantasy business . . . The Crane Event. Oh, how we laughed.

When we were ready to launch, we proudly told our friends and colleagues the name. Some got it straight away, some didn’t. Some approached us weeks later saying ‘ahhh…’ (with a knowing wink), whilst others warned us about it being too jokey, but we didn’t mind. We wanted something that represents our personality, and more importantly, told people who we were and exactly what we do. And we stand by that.

Some people see puns as being the lowest common denominator in business with warnings regarding their use (read more here or TLDR: be wary of alternative spellings, overuse of the same keywords, and you should pay a large sum of money to a consultant to give you a name). Some may think that pun-based names come with risk, but isn’t any new business a risk? People who are not going to use your business just because they don’t like your name might be a saving grace. If something as simple as a name puts them off, you have to ask are they a good fit anyway?

Taking a more positive outlook, evidence shows that 44% of the UK see a pun as a talking point. When you provoke a reaction (hopefully good, sometimes bad), you become memorable, so whether you’re bringing a smile to someone on a miserable Monday morning or making them cry into their pint on a Friday evening, at least you're being talked about. And isn’t that what it’s all about?

For us, our name is something we believe in, and are proud of. Some people misinterpret it (Crane Events), whilst others think we provide bungee jumping events (too literal), but we stand by it with conviction and always have a sparkle in our eye as we introduce ourselves to new clients.

If you’re struggling to come up with a name for your business, heed some advice from Mashable.

In the meantime, here are some of our favourite business puns . . .