I know someone posted the same thing recently but I need help too  :shock:  :roll:

I am at present a face painter who does a bit of twisting but I am hoping to build up the balloon side of my business so they are 50/50 and I am going to do myself a completely new website for twisting only (obviously with a link to my face paint site and vice versa) but I have no idea what to call myself.  I can't use my fp business name as it is The Face Factory and most will not even look at my site if they are looking for a twister.  My own name is also out as most cannot spell my first name let alone my surname (Hodgskin!!!) so a website with this name would never be found. Oh and obviously whatever I end up with I still need to be able to get the domain name too and not be the same as anyone else local to me  

I am also after help with the look of my alter ego.  I'm not a girly girl so anything too girly or pink is out straight away!!!

Oh my head is spinning just thinking about it - please help!!??

Twisted Sister?     :roll:

Cool suggestion but no domain is not free  

Betty Balloon the Air Dresser

Betty Bloonz

Betties Belting Balloons

Either of the above with Belinda, or Bertha instead.

Sister Twister

The Twist Factory

 

"The Balloon Factory"

Graham Lee

I do like the suggestions of twist factory and balloon factory but I suspect people might think I am a competitor to sempertex and qualatex  

Yvonne why dont you add the word "creations" on to one of them or include it in the name somewhere?

Joe public probably have never heard of either Sempertex or qualatex,
the only problem I can see with name factory is that they may expect you to churn out the models like on a conveyer belt but as you've already taken the plunge with the face factory then the balloon factory sit's very well & you have the word balloon in the name which I feel is very important.
That's one of the reasons I went with balloon chat for this forum, we did have some very clever names connected with twisting & balloons but only those that were in the know would connect the two together.
Joe public wouldn't have had a clue and they are the ones that need to find your site, so balloons I think should be in the title.

Graham Lee

I am with Graham and think the balloon factory is good (you need balloon in the name for it to be picked up by search engines fastest) also you have to take into account how you answer the phone you obviously will advertise the same number for both sides of your business and need to be able to answer it to both lots of customers: If you have to go for 2 different names at least you can answer the phone "Hello your through to the factory" or why not go down the road of a complete change and call the whole business the Face and balloon factory - it covers both in one line. Thats how we got the name Balloons and Tunes - we have been entertaining for over 25 years (40 for Paul Djing but dont tell him) we had names for both sides of the company and did not know what the caller was after till we answered the phone and only changed the name of the company 8 years ago most people dont remember what we used to be called and these days everyone seems to be called Balloonatics so I am glad we did it.

As for an alter ego - the last thing you would call Me is a girly girl too; but neither am I the shy, quiet type (a lot of face painters are I know) and my advice is to be yourself and let your own personality shine through - after all you have to be slightly Mmmmmaaaaddd to want to go and tell people you are going to Entertained by me
today or wear a costume and approach strangers.  

I find if I am mix and mingling the (Sorry if you get offended) men in the crowd will feed me enough lines to keep me going... (like why dont you blow it up by mouth? Its for talking with dont you always tell us, or 'What and be Quiet quick get my husband surely he needs to see this'.  or You blow up a lots of balloons! yes the other name for my company is Blow jobs 'r' us, we are the best in town have you not heard (depends who is around with this line), just a couple but there are many many more they come out with) with the kids have fun with their clothes (boys always wear pink regardless of what colour it is, the more macho the more pink) and the names on them must be theirs, then theres the old favourites with names - Olivia (never Lives here, "I live here") David must be beckham as Victoria etc etc. try spelling their names backwards do you know Megan is Nag em - most families answer and she does!

We went down the route of having 'Clown' style clothing made with balloon material (not the easiest to find) added as the patch pockets to show we are balloon entertainers and not clowns. A waistcoat hides the many lumps and bumps we get as we get older

Believe me you will create you own alter ego/character, no one can do it for you. You probably already have  one and just not realised it yet

Pam

I agree that most have never heard of specific brands but I wouldn't want anyone to skip over my site just because they thought I manufactured balloons rather than twisted them.  Also there is the fact that I don't really like my fp business name mainly because (as suggested it sounds like a conveyor belt company) however, it is too late to change it now as I have a website, 750 business cards and 200 postcards with this name on it and the reputation I have built up under this name too.  

I have also decided that I really do not wish to do them both as the same company (although both will have the other service offered as part of a package too) because firstly having balloons on my site has never got me a booking for just balloons - it always is an add on to the face painting.  I am also worried that if I do it all as one company I just feel that I won't be taken seriously as a twister if someone thinks I am a face painter who dabbles iyswim?  

I also have to confess I have not yet started to answer my calls properly - I just say hello!    :oops: So it shouldn't be a problem in that respect having 2 different names and should I ever start (and being the scatty cow that I am will probably never happen   ) I can always say Hello, Face Factory encorporating XXX Balloons.

I'm liking the ideas (and definitely agree with needing balloons in it) so keep 'em coming.

I would keep it all under the one site and all together as one business – Why pay two lots of hosting fees and keep two lots of books when you can just have the one site with sub-domains?

I rushed in with my website and built http://www.milotheclown.co.uk but then I realised I was alienating all those who weren't specifically looking for a clown. Many people will just be looking for an entertainer and don't actually know what they want until they have spoken to a few different people. I would say that most people type children's entertainer into Google and then pick from the face painters, balloon modellers, magicians and clowns that come up.

My business is now called Milo's Entertainment and I will be restructuring the website to show the different areas I cover i.e. clowning, magic, mobile disco, balloon modelling, face painting etc.

The idea is that I will have sub-domains such as http://www.clown.milosentertainment.co.uk with separate email addresses such as mailto:clown@milosentertainment.co.uk">clown@milosentertainment.co.uk

I don't know if that is any help to you? If you do re-brand you can always redirect traffic from your old domain to the new one and the numbers etc on your business cards will still work. It would give you an opportunity to print new advertising material and get out there telling people that you now do twisting too!

I live on the high street so loads of people walk past my front door every hour – Last week I strapped butterflies, flowers, bugs, snakes and swords along the side of my car (I was practicing and would have just thrown them away) and stuck business cards in the rubber seals around my windows – the cards and balloons went in a flash and I could hear peoples reactions as they walked past my window!

Oh dear, am I blabbing on and going off on tangents again? What was the question? Oh yeah ..... Alter Ego ..... Try "The Entertainment Factory" with sub-domains for face painting and twisting.

Oh no I hadn't meant that I want to run 2 completely separate businesses from the paperwork and tax man point of view merely that I want joe public to perceive them as being 2 separate companies.

I really am not even considering re-branding since I have a good reputation and a few corporate clients (including a county council) through my current name for face painting and do not want to cause confusion for anyone who has lost my card but can remember the name.  Also the business cards & postcards I have had printed were only last month!!!  I am planning on getting a new hosting which will allow me to have 3 domains hosted there which will be perfect as I can have one for balloons, one for face painting and one in case my hubby joins another band or otherwise a private site to upload stuff to for when I am helping friends with their websites etc.

I just really want to come up with an alter ego / new name for the balloon side of my business, that has balloons in the title and that still has the .co.uk domain still free. Don't want much do I?  :shock: