Companion to Find a Startup Name You Can Own. This page is the method, not the product tour — for product steps see How it works.
Same brief, two methods
Brief (fixed): “B2B analytics dashboard for indie SaaS founders.”
| Step | Generate-then-check | Availability-first |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ask ChatGPT for 20 names | Generate candidates with live .com/.net checks |
| 2 | Paste each into a registrar | Filter to registerable rows |
| 3 | Most taken → emotional reset | Derive only within surviving direction |
| 4 | Repeat until tired | Shortlist 3, then trademark screen offline |
| Typical failure | Time lost + false favorites | Still need legal clearance (honest limit) |
Why generate-then-check fails founders
It maximizes linguistic plausibility first. Domain scarcity is discovered late — after attachment. That is the engine behind the ChatGPT taken loop.
Why availability-first wins the job
Founders optimize for time and certainty, not $/token. An availability-first engine is a naming search with constraints — the same philosophy as the pillar guide. Free generators that ignore a clear registerable standard still leave you holding the WHOIS tab.
Evidence stance
We publish dated samples (see the ChatGPT loop spoke) rather than fake “98% available” claims. Availability changes; the method should still be reproducible: same brief → compare time-to-first-registerable shortlist.