Over the years, I’ve meet too many entrepreneurs who spent unnecessary cash on crappy company and product names. They hired ‘branding gurus’ who didn’t understand their target market, the tech industry, your company vibe — or worse, they really didn’t care.

There’s no excuse for a half-ass brand, no reason to settle for something that doesn’t excite you and your customers. Let me be clear: brands matter, even in the B2B tech world. With all of the noise that distracts your prospects, you need a strong brand that cuts through it all while aptly capturing your essence.

And yes, this is something you should do yourself, for few others know your products and prospects better than you. In other words, bootstrap your brand before you pay money to someone else.

A few weeks ago, an Israeli entrepreneur asked for my help dreaming up a product name. Knowing his nonexistent budget, I gave him the following 5-step, quick-n-dirty branding process:

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