There are many factors that should be considered when deciding on your business name. It is the first thing your customers see. It can quickly determine if they want to do business with you.

Make a list of keywords. Any words at all. They may seem crazy at first, but they can give you other possible ideas.

Now try to piece a few names together from those words. Say the names out loud several times. Go make dinner and come back later and say the names again.

Run them by your family and friends. Just remember it is ultimately your choice. You will be seeing it far more than anyone else.

Need some help? Consider the following questions and see what you can brainstorm out of this.

• What does your business do? Do you include the product or service?
• Should you include your personal name?
• Do you use a street name - town - state - region - any geographical location?
• Can you describe the product or service?
• Do you want it to be a catchy phrase?
• Do you want it straight forward and serious?
• Do you change the spelling? example: substitute y for i
• What will your clients respond to more - fun or serious?
• Are you going to have a website? Check to see if the domain name is available.

A word of warning: if you change the spelling, your customers may not find you online. Especially if it is too similiar to another name, you may lose customers to competition.

Another thing to consider: people do not respond well to initials. If they cannot figure out what the business is, they will probably pass.

Specific words can also hurt you. If your business starts out selling Christmas ornaments and you call it Christmas Trinkets, you will have a hard time doing business in the summer, even if you add other holdiay items.

My suggestion is to make sure people can figure out what your business is just by hearing the name. Your name is your number one FREE advertising spot.


Q: Is the naming of my business important? A: Yes! Make sure you don't give your business a vague name. You want your customers to remember your name and you want future customers--if they see your name on the street--to know what it is you do. Make sure someone else doesn't have whatever name you come up with. First check your phone books. If you don't see anything, go to your county clerk's office. They will have on file all the business names in your area. There are two ways to name your business. Say you have a typing service. You could call yourself, "We Type, So you Don't" or "Deb Ruggiero's Typing Service." The first name will require a DBA (doing business as) registration. You can do this at the county clerk's office. Some clerks, for a charge, place your DBA in the local paper for you. If they don't, you need to run it once a week for four weeks. If you decide to put your surname into your business name (Deb Ruggiero's Typing), you may not need a DBA. (Some states always require you to file a DBA and most banks won't cash your checks if you haven't registered your business name.) You also need a DBA if your business name includes words such as Company, Associates, Group, Brothers or Sons. If you want to grow your home business, you'll need national name protection. You will then want to register your name as a trademark. To do this you should contact the U.S. Patent and Trademark Offices in Washington, DC.

Articles on Choosing a Business Name

Choosing a Name for Your Small Business