A: This is a tough area for small business start-ups. The name you choose for your business is quite important. It will be your customer’s first impression of your business so it’s important to choose carefully!
A recent article written by Jeremy Quittner in Small Biz, a Business Week publication, discusses how to find a name that works for you. He writes, “A good name is an alchemical combination of message and esthetics. It has to encapsulate everything that makes your business special. It has to be catchy. And it has to be original…. Bad names – and there are plenty – are off-putting, impossible to pronounce or spell, confusing, or just downright forgettable. Then there are the legions of copycats, such as the many companies adopting names with “oo” after Google and Yahoo! made good.”
After doing some research, I discovered that many resources suggest five key ideas to keep in mind when working to find a company name.
1. The name should be memorable, appealing, fairly short and easy to use. This includes being easy to spell and pronounce and it should be a name that people can easily repeat. Be cautious about using acronyms or abbreviations as they have the potential to confuse customers.
2. The name should distinguish you from your competitors and emphasize your business image. Adjectives describing a product or service (i.e. Merry Maids) can be effectively used in a business name.
3. The name should be distinct. It is vital to make sure the name you choose does not bear any resemblance to any other company’s name. You could get hit with a lawsuit if you infringe on the trademark rights of the original user of a business name.
4. The name you choose could help you be more noticeable to your customers and it should have a visual element. Selecting a name that starts with “the” or “A” will change your placement in telephone directories. Providing your customers with a visual element will be a powerful aid to their memory of your business.
5. The name should include information about what your company does. Provide some clues for potential customers so they have an easier time identifying what products or services you will be offering.
To help the creative process along, you might surf the Web, browse the dictionary, read trade magazines, and bounce ideas off of friends and colleagues.
Once you’ve settled on a name, check out Trademark: Legal Care for Your Business & Product Name by Stephen Elias. This book provides up-to-date information on how to choose marks that competitors can’t copy, how to search for other marks that might conflict with yours, how to register a name or other mark, how to protect and maintain your marks’ legal strength and how to understand and resolve disputes outside the courtroom. It also contains information on domain names, changes to trademark statutes and case law and the latest registration processes.
Elizabeth Kudwa is the Business Reference Librarian at the Capital Area District Library located at 401 S. Capitol Avenue in Lansing, MI. Contact her at 517-589-9400 or by e-mail at
kudwae@cadl.org.
