The first place to begin with your new business venture is the company name.  This name is not to be taken lightly.  We will discuss some factors to think about in your choice.  Remember, the relevance to marketing your business and the availability for domain name registration should be carefully considered.  In addition, you may want to think about whether a certain name may limit your company’s ability for growth beyond your initial product or service idea if there is a potential.  Also, once you have chosen your company name there is no turning back.  Simply said, you must select it with care.  The following list contains more factors to think about when choosing a company name:

1. Business Considerations:

The name should describe the product or service.

The name can describe or include the location.

The name should be very easy for customers to remember, and as short as possible.

The name should be appealing.

The name should be available in a .com extension for registration on the Internet.     

2. Legal Considerations and Availability:

The name, or one that might be considered legally similar, is not currently used by another business located in the same business directories where your business will be located.

The name, or one that may be legally similar, should not be already registered in the state or county where you are going to do business.

The name, or one that may be legally similar, is not currently being used by a corporation or a partnership in the state you will do business.

The name, or one that may be legally similar, should not be currently registered as a trade name, trademark or service mark.

The name, or one that may be legally similar, should not be currently registered as a Federal trademark or service mark.

3. Internet Address:

If you plan to have a reference on the web or a website, you are going to want to check the ability to register your domain name.  We would not even consider using a company name unless the identical domain name was available (the domain name would be the web address i.e. youtube.com) in a .com extension.  There are many companies offering domain name registration on the Internet.  You can perform searches on these sites for available names and then register the name of your choice right there.  Whatever service you choose, make sure it is reputable and secure.  There are literally hundreds out there for you to use, like register.com, for instance.    

An example of what we are talking about for a company name is one of our own window washing companies, SirWindow (technically SirWindow, LLC).  The domain name is sirwindow.com, which is the address for the web site (www.sirwindow.com).  The name is short and easy to remember, and the web address is consistent with the company’s name.  You are definitely going to want to avoid lengthy names as well as those very contrived or uniquely misspelled.  These names can be easily forgotten or misunderstood.  Remember; when a customer types in a web address all they have to do is misspell one letter and your website will not be found.  Make your potential customer’s job as easy as possible! It should be easy to do business with you in every fashion (this includes a phone number that is easy to remember).  A website is certainly not a necessity, but it makes a strong statement about your business to potential clients, and customers can find you more easily.  Also, it will always make you feel better about your company.

4. Legal Names:

A trade name is used by a company to describe itself in commerce. A trademark is a name legally registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to protect a name, a product, or a service.  Before you use a name in business commerce, research should be done into the availability of the name. There are a variety of methods for conducting this research, including the library, the Secretary of State’s office, and online search facilities.  For a search of Federal Trademarks, you may log onto the United States office of Patent and Trademarks website and follow the instructions.  Also, you may want to research this prior to hiring an attorney. This will save them time and you money.  

5. Marketing Potential:

Finally, registering a name by which your company will be known can be a critical marketing stage of your business. The name may determine where you will appear in an alphabetical phone book or directory listing. For instance, if your company is going to use the Yellow Pages as its primary marketing resource, then choosing a name that places it in the middle of the list could be detrimental.  Logically, you would want to be towards the front, or near the end to increase the chances of a customer finding your business.  Remember, a good company name will determine whether customers can remember your business or get it confused with someone else’s.  Also, many products and services have been initially successful simply because the name grabbed the attention of potential customers.  Name selection is a part of your overall marketing strategy!