Brainstorming Tips for Creating a Business Name

Here's a few things to keep in mind:

1) Keep your industry, your clients/customers, your advertising plan in mind.

2) The more unique & distinctive a name, the higher the chances that the name is legally available for use. And the higher the chances of obtaining the trademark.

3) Think of your business as having a personality. What kind of image do you want your business to portray?

Specific brainstorming tips:

Think about what you want but more importantly, think about what you DON'T want. If you don't want a 3-word name, don't bother with those. If you don't want non-English words, don't bother with those & so on and so forth.

What are the "types" of names you like? Think about words in their simple forms, e.g. adjectives, Latin roots, mythological names, etc. Compile a listing of the types & then seek out resources, such as books or sites, which specialize in those types.

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How to Choose a Business Name:

Part Four – Know if the Name is Available

Welcome to part 4 of a 4 part series about how to choose a business name.

Here's the schedule:

• 3/12: Know Your Industry
• 3/19: Know Your Customers
• 3/26: Know Your Message/Personality
• Today: Know if the Name is Available

This subject is, obviously, near and dear to me as this is my bread & butter.

A common mistake many new business owners make is assuming that their business name is available simply because:

* the domain name was available
* the fictitious name was available
* the corporate name was available
* internet research showed the name was available
* yellow page research showed the name was available

The above are merely preliminary indications of what business names, service names, and product names are out there. Only comprehensive research will tell you if a name is truly available for use.

Ok, so what is comprehensive research?

Comprehensive research entails searching a variety of files. The first step is a comprehensive search of the pending and registered Federal and State trademark files. Similar names matter too! The search should look for similarities in Sound, Appearance and Meaning, which means looking at synonyms, spelling variations, word placement, translations (if necessary), etc.

The second step is a comprehensive search of US National Common-Law files. This entails searching all incorporation records, all fictitious name/DBA records, Dun & Bradstreet  records, product announcements, newspapers, company directories, etc.

If the research proves clear on both steps, you can then decide if you'd like to file for a State or Federal trademark.

This concludes our 4-part series in choosing a business name. The 4 topics I chose are those that are the ones I think most important. Are there other steps you think should be considered?

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How to Choose a Business Name:

Part Three – Know Your Message/Personality

Welcome to part 3 of a 4 part series about how to choose a business name.

Here's the schedule:
• 3/12: Know Your Industry
• 3/19: Know Your Customers
• 3/26: Know Your Message/Personality
• 4/2: Know if the Name is Available

While the concept of The Message and The Personality of a business are slightly different, there are enough commonalities to discuss them in one post.

Remember the good old days in school when you'd use a definition to start a paper? Well, the tried and true is that for a good reason.

Message: "a communication containing some information, news, advice, request, or the like, sent by messenger, radio, telephone, or other means"

Personality: something apprehended as reflective of or analogous to a distinctive human personality, as the atmosphere of a place or thing"

So, in creating a business name, you need to know the personality of your business as well as the message you want to send to your customers. Understanding these two facets of your business will aid you in your selection of a name.

How do I know what my message or personality is?

While there are going to be several aspects of your business that could be described as The Message or The Personality, there is likely one type of each that is going to stand out. Let's look at some examples to illustrate this:

• Product: Clothing line - Will the line be sporty? Sophisticated? Funky? The type of clothing you intend to sell will determine the message & personality. If, for instance, your line is a modernization of vintage wear, then a name like High Tech Clothing might not fit The Message just as Dowdy Duds is not likely to fit The Personality.

• Service: Delivery services - What are you delivering? Who are you delivering it to? Regardless of the types of goods that are being delivered, names like Super Slow Shipments is not The Message you want to communicate.

Brainstorm about The Message and The Personality of your business. Write the first adjectives that come to mind when you think about what it is you want to convey to your customers. Having this list will aid you in your selection of a business name.

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How to Choose a Business Name:

Part Two – Know Your Customers

Welcome to part 2 of a 4 part series about how to choose a business name.

Here's the schedule:

• 3/12: Know Your Industry
• Today: Know Your Customers
• 3/26: Know Your Message/Personality
• 4/2: Know if the Name is Available

In a perfect world, your customer would be John Q. Public & Susie Everywoman. Well, we know the world's not perfect. Every business, no matter how large or small, has their Customer or Customers.

Now I don't mean lower-case customers – all businesses have customers or clients (and hopefully lots & lots of them).

What I'm talking about is the upper-case Customer, i.e. the people who are at the focus of your marketing and sales campaigns. Once you know who they are, choosing a business name will be that much easier.

Finding Your Customer

A few key questions:

• What are you selling?
o Easy enough, right?

• Who needs this product? Who needs this service?
o Ah, okay, here's one that's a bit harder. Who are the types of folks out there in our commercial world that you know would benefit from your product or service? Small business owners? Single mothers? College students? And so on & so forth. Make a list of any & every type of customer you can think of that you know needs what you have to sell.

• How will your Customer find out about you?
o This will be answered within your marketing plans but should also be considered when choosing a business name. Where do you plan to advertise? Internet? Yellow pages? Fliers? And so on & so forth. Again, make a list of any & every type of advertising route you know you're going to explore.

One note about the above: If you're just starting out, your scope for the last 2 questions may be a bit small (or very large, if you're the ambitious type). Either way, it's best to be honest with yourself. Make two lists if need be – one for the immediate & one for the future. For example, if you're just starting out, you may want to rely simply on word of mouth and some fliers for advertising. But as your business grows, you know you'll add Internet advertising.

What Does My Customer Have to do with My Name?

Well, everything really. Your name is going to be the one and only thing that is going to identify your business in the marketplace. It's how Customers will come to know your business and its personality. The name is how Customers are going to find you when they want to buy from you again (and again and again). When your Customers refer you to their friends, the name's the golden ticket.

That being said, always keep your Customer in mind when choosing a business name. Here are some examples to illustrate this key point:

• Product: do-it-yourself accounting software – the self employed are going to be a major Customer for this type of product. Those that are working for themselves aren't going to have a lot of time to research hundreds of different products. They need to know your product is reliable, easy and cost-efficient. Is there a component to your product that's going to be especially relevant to this type of Customer?

• Service: bed and breakfast - the main Customers are tourists that want those 'extra touches' not available at motels or hotels but can be narrowed even further to honeymooners, retired couples or business travelers. What is the one thing, to you, that stands out about your bed and breakfast? What are those 'extra touches' that set you apart from hotel, motels and other B&Bs?

So you can see by the simple examples above by brainstorming about your Customer(s), a picture starts emerging. This should be a conjoined image of (1) what they want and (2) what you plan to offer to them.

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The Importance of Creative Naming
Trademark Information

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How to Choose a Business Name
A 4-Part Series

Eek, one day into the schedule and I'm already a day behind. 'It's good to be so busy,' is the mantra I've been repeating to myself.

At any rate, here's the first part of a 4 part series about how to choose a business name. There are, I feel, 4 key objectives to keep in mind when choosing a business name:

• Today: Know Your Industry
• 3/19: Know Your Customers
• 3/26: Know Your Message/Personality
• 4/2: Know if the Name is Available

How to Choose a Business Name:
Part One – Know Your Industry

Regardless of your industry or specialty, it's key to know your industry inside & out, at least as much as humanely possible. Customers come to you AND buy from you because they've decided that you're an expert in your field. It's up to you to ensure that you truly are.

Knowing your industry also allows you to make a more informed decision about the name or type of name you should be considering. Let's look at some examples to provide some insight:

• Industry: Clothing, specifically a name for a Clothing Line
o Are you selling sports apparel? Swim wear? Evening wear? The type of clothing you're creating and selling will determine the name. Let's say you have a sports apparel line…calling it Lucky Tux is only going to confuse customers.

• Industry: Web Design Services
o What are you offering? HTML? Flash? CSS? Animation? And what about hosting? Or search engine submission? The type of services is going to determine the
name.

As you can see by the very simplistic examples above, the type of name is going to be largely determined by your plans for the business. If you've got a particular niche in your industry, keep that in mind. If you know you want to expand, keep that in mind.

Now, how do you get to know your industry? A few suggestions:

• Who's your competition?
o Look at your direct competitors, of course, but also pay attention to the big players in your industry.
o What do you like about their name? What do you not like?

• Associations
o Industry specific associations are a treasure trove of information & should be researched.
o Because of the work I do on Yahoo! Answers, I've got listings upon listings of associations for all types of industries. Let me know if you'd like further information on any industry's association.

• Books:
o There are books upon books for any number of subjects, whether it be about starting a business or information specific to your industry.
o Because of the work I do on Yahoo! Answers, I've got listings upon listings of books for all types of industries. Let me know if you'd like further information on any book titles.

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