One of the best pieces of advice I ever got from a business coach was on the subject of picking a name for a new business. Her words exactly were, “Don’t be cute. Be clear.” So, when it comes to picking a name for your new business selling travel, I will give you the same advice. Don’t be cute. Be clear. That means, don’t even think about going with a name like, “Glenda’s Getaways.”This advice is a great starting point for travel agents looking to pick a name for their businesses. Why? When you are cute, no one takes you seriously which doesn’t bode well for building know, like and trust. In addition, when you pick a cutesy name, often you have to explain it to people. The easier your brand is for people to understand, the better off you are.But this is just a starting point. When it comes to naming your travel business, it should be an organic part of the 3 phases to building a brilliant brand. Here are the 3 Phases to Building a Brilliant Brand:Phase 1: Pick your specialtyWhy? Reason #1: Because experts make more money. Reason #2: Because travel expertise is where the demand is. Reason #2.5: Because generalizing is where the demand (and money) isn’t.Sooooooo, on to Phase 2…Phase 2: Craft a core, compelling messageWhy? A big mistake many people make is stopping at picking a specialty. They think, I’ll pick cruising as my specialty and then come up with a name like Roy’s Cruises. Then, they spend the next 12 -18 months pounding the pavement with marketing activities that get 0 to very little traction. They wake up 18 months later with a very expensive hobby. The reason why is that they skipped Phase 2 of the branding process - they skipped crafting a core compelling message.This phase is so important because it’s how you articulate your specialty to your ideal prospects in a way that is magnetic…gets their attention. When you DON’T craft a core compelling message, you end up trying to speak to everyone. And when you attempt to speak to everybody, you speak to no one. You get nobody’s attention.HOW you craft a core, compelling message is another lesson altogether. In fact, it can be such an extensive process that at Gifted Travel Network, we have dedicated an entire module of our Travel MBA program to this process. To learn more about the Travel MBA program, click here.Once you have an excellent, solid message that clearly articulates the benefits and solutions of your travel services to a specific target market, at this point you can pick a name that is clear and professional.Phase 3: Design your visual brandNow that you have a great, core, compelling message and a solid name for your business it’s time to take this to a graphic designer to design a logo and select a style guide for your brand.In summary, when picking a good, solid name for your business, I highly recommend you follow these 3 phases to building your brand, allowing the name selection to be an organic part of the process and then run with it.