10/16/2006

Naming Your Business

"There's a lot of room for personal and professional creativity when choosing a business name, but there are three main considerations to keep in mind:

Will your business name receive trademark protection?

Is your proposed business name available?

If your business will have a website, is a similar domain name available?"

So states this article from nolo.com that offers these additional guidelines:

"Make your name memorable. A creative, distinctive name will not only be entitled to a high level of trademark protection, but it will also stick in the minds of your customers...

Your name should be appealing and easy to use. Choose a name that's easy to spell and pronounce, and that is appealing to both eye and ear...

Avoid geographical names...especially if you plan to sell products on the Internet...

Don't...choose a name that might not be representative of future product or service lines...

Get feedback. Before you settle on a name, get some feedback from potential customers, suppliers and others in your support network..."