You have a concept, fresh ideas and a fantastic product or service to share with the world, and you’re getting ready to incorporate your business, but one obstacle remains: you need a great name.
Deciding what to name your business is an important decision. Words carry weight, and your business’s name is likely to be a customer’s first impression. So how do you make it a great one?
Make your business name memorable
A short name always packs a punch, as does a great acronym if your chosen business name is longer. Ever heard of International Business Machines Corporation? No? Sure you have. Most people know them as IBM.
To get started creating a unique and memorable name for your business, let yourself brainstorm. With a pen and paper handy, think about the products or services you’ll be offering and the community you’ll be serving. Write down any name that comes to mind, even if it seems completely wrong. Once you have at least five possible names, walk away from your list for a while and clear your head.
Later, come back to your list. Read over each name and see if any more ideas for naming your business come to mind. Create variations of the names you’ve already written down. Expand and cut names from the list as many times as you need until you have chosen a favorite and at least one backup.
Verify that your chosen business name is viable
The name you choose for your business may be a perfect fit, but there are still a few details to work out. First, you’ll want to conduct a name check to verify that someone else hasn’t already registered your name in your state.
While you are waiting for your name check service, you can do a bit more legwork on your own. Search online to see if an acceptable website address is available and, if you plan to incorporate social networking in your marketing strategy (something that’s just about mandatory these days), you’ll want to go ahead and reserve appropriate names on the applicable networks.
Once your name passes the check, make sure to have it reserved so that you can be sure it will still be available when you are ready to formalize your business.
Finally, as you formally incorporate your business, consider having your name trademarked. This provides you protection and a means for legal recourse should someone else neglect to take the naming precautions listed here and run a business under the name you have chosen.
Image is everything
Prospective clients and customers will make their very earliest assumptions about your business based on the name you choose, so make sure it’s memorable and fits the personality of your company. When you have a great name, you are already one step closer to starting a business with a successful future.