• Points to think about when deciding on a name
• Some ways to help you decide on a name

Points to think about when deciding on a name:

• Do you want the name to reflect or identify what your business does? Or would something more abstract be suitable?

• Should you include your own name?

• Do you want a traditional-sounding name, conveying durability and old-fashioned values, or a modern name, suggesting a fresh, innovative approach?

• Think about the future - avoid words or phrases that are likely to date quickly.

• If you’re likely to be trading overseas, check that the name doesn’t mean anything inappropriate in the relevant languages, and that it can be easily read and pronounced.

• Think about callers and customers - avoid very long names, strange wordings and unusual spelling. If you’re planning to advertise in directories such as the Yellow Pages, think about using a name that appears near the beginning of the alphabet - it will ensure it’s an early entry.

• If you’re focusing on the local market for your product or service, think about using the name of the city or town in the business name or its physical address.

• Is the name you’re interested in available or is it legally registered to someone else?

• Do you need a slogan or tagline? A slogan can help you define what your business does.

• If creating a website for your company, is the name available for your website’s URL, or do you have to think about creative alternatives?

Tip:Your customers will know a lot about you and your company just by your company name; and first impressions are extremely important.

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Some ways to help you decide on a name:

• The more crowded your market is, the more important it is to choose a name that stands out from the rest.

• Don’t be too abstract when coming up with your name and its spelling. It could be harder to find you on the web if you deliberately misspell words.

• Try not to go consult with too many people. That will result in getting a mish-mash of names with no clear result.

• If you need help in thinking of a name, look for creative professionals that have some experience in this field. They can come up with naming alternatives that you may not have thought about. A fresh perspective always helps when brainstorming for ideas.

• Keep your trading name creative, but your corporate name bland. This will give you the flexibility to develop other brands and trading names in the future.

Tip: Before committing to a name, check www.networksolutions.com to see if the url is available.

At the end of the day, you’ll know whether you have the right name simply by how you feel about it. If you go back to it, and it feels good every time, then you’ve got it. If you have some doubts, maybe you can tweak a word here or there. But it’s important that you spend the time getting this right the first time. It would be difficult to change the name of your business once you’ve developed a good client base. Your current clients may reject the new name for something they’re more familiar with.