From Idea to @handle: A Founder's Naming Checklist

Naming a company is one of the few decisions a founder makes that's genuinely hard to undo later. Here's the checklist we recommend running before you tell anyone outside your co-founders what the name is.

Before you shortlist

1. Write down 15-20 candidates, not 3 — the third-best name is rarely the one you end up loving

2. Say each one out loud to someone who hasn't seen it written down

3. Rule out anything that requires an explanation to spell

Availability pass

1. Domain across .com, .io, .co — check with a WHOIS lookup or an availability tool

2. Handles on the 5-6 platforms your actual customers use

3. Federal trademark search via USPTO TESS

Before you file anything

1. Re-check availability — names get sniped between the shortlist and the filing

2. Buy the domain and reserve the handles the same day you decide

3. Loop in a trademark attorney if you're spending real marketing budget behind the name

The checklist doesn't make the decision for you — it just makes sure the decision survives contact with reality.

This is the exact sequence coiner26 is built to shortcut: one search surfaces domain, social, and naming-collision signals together, so the checklist takes minutes instead of an afternoon of open tabs.