Internet Marketer's Organizer Blog

Starting an Online Business

Whether your company is a sole proprietorship or a mega-corporation, it
will all start with a concept and a name.  So what is in a name?

The answer is – quite a bit!  The name you pick for your company will help you build a brand and image in the marketplace.  Therefore it should be memorable, relevant and simple for your potential customers to remember.

For example, let’s look at Google.  At first glance, this is a
nonsensical name, but when you look a little deeper – it all makes
good sense.  Google does have a meaning – it means numbers without end
and impossible to count.

It’s an ideal name for a search engine – an endless number of searchers
using their engine.  So the name matches the business, making it relevant.
It’s unforgettable, because everyone remembers a funny sounding name like
that, even if most of us may not know exactly what it means.  It’s simple
and simple to spell.  This has helped enable Google to quickly make the
name well known and profitable.

As you can see from this example, your name is pretty important and you should take time to pick the right name for your company.  It should be one that you can easily brand.

Registering your name is not always done online, since businesses come
and go – but you will register your domain name.  It’s best to
secure your business name with a DBA  (Doing Business As license).

Here’s how it’s done:

1. Brainstorm some names that you think will be appropriate for
your company.  Make at least ten and then prioritize them.
The names should include your USP (Unique Selling Proposition).

2. Go to www.uspto.gov/main/trademark.htm – the US Patent
and Trademark Office.  You can do this in your own country
if you don’t reside in the US. Run a search to check that the name isn’t taken, and if it is, cross it off and move on to the next name on the list.

3. Repeat the search on the website of your state’s or province’s
authority for establishing corporations (usually the Secretary
of State).  You can look this up in Google.  Be sure to be especially diligent for Nevada, if you are setting up a corporation or LLC there.

Inspect both the LLC and corporation databases. Do not have a
similar name to any other business. You may seriously harm
your credibility and you may be forced to stop using the
name if the other company can prove you are infringing on its
trademark.

4. Do another search on your local DBA listings (fictitious
names).  You would use a DBA if you want your company to be
known as something other than its legal name. As an example, the
legal name associated with Empowerism is Life, Education And
Prosperity, Inc. The DBA is Empowerism.  You will register at
your city hall.  This costs a little bit but it’s worth it,
as it will give you exclusive rights to your business name.

5. Now you can move on to your domain name.  I prefer to include my main keywords in the domain name URL.  This helps in achieving a higher search engine ranking for those keywords and you can still use your name on the page for branding.

6 Now you can choose a good logo and slogan to match your
business name.  This will help you brand your business.

All that being said, the most important thing is to focus on finding your first customer to make your first sale. Don’t get bogged down in finding the perfect name, even if you find it, it won’t make any sales for you!

This entry was posted on Friday, October 30th, 2009 at and is filed under Home Based Businesses. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.