For new business owners, creating a name can be very difficult. When you’re creating a business name you need to make sure that the name will be memorable and that no one else is using that name. Make it unique and give it a personal touch since it’s going to be with you for a quite a while. There are many things to look at when creating a business name, so be sure that you do the proper planning and research before choosing one. Without further ado, here are 15 steps on how to create a great business name.

How to Create a Great Business Name

1. Take some time to brainstorm and think of words and names. Separate them by categories of meaning - least valuable to most valuable. Think about how you want people to react when they hear your name and if it’s unique and catchy.

2. Think up of words that relate to the feeling you want your customers to feel when they hear your name. Having a thesaurus is a great tool to find words with the same meaning. You can also use Dictionary’s thesaurus page as well.

3. Research more. With the words you choose find out the Latin and Greek meanings. Also, find out what else relates to your word – colors, animals, stones, etc.

4. Play around with the words you write down. Experiment by putting words together and creating names. Make a list that you can later choose from.

5. After making the list, review it. Mark down your thoughts for each name and how you feel about it.

6. Share your list with someone you can trust. Ask them how they feel about the names and what they feel when they hear them. This way you can get a fresh opinion other than yours.

7. Prioritize your list. Get rid of the names that don’t fit with what you’re looking for or that you don’t like.

8. Make sure that no one else has your business name by checking for trademarks. Having the same business name as another business selling a different product can cause confusing amongst the consumers.

9. Check for available domain names. A great way to do this is by checking GoDaddy for the availability. Go for the .com name first, but if it’s not available .net is a fine substitution. If neither names are available you might want to reconsider the name of your business.

10. Do more research. Search the internet to see if there is anything with the name you came up with – including other small businesses. This is just for your sake of knowing what’s out in the world.

11. If you wish to incorporate your business check business names with the Secretary of State of the state you plan on incorporating your business in.

12. Check assumed names. For sole proprietors, check for local assumed names (also known as DBA). In the U.S., you check this with the County Clerk.

13. Claim your business name! Register your assumed name and incorporation papers immediately. After doing so, begin to use the trademark or service mark. These do not require registration to use.

14. If you have found a domain name for your business – register it. GoDaddy is a great place to register domains. It costs about $9.20 a year, but if you want a private registration (recommended) it will cost you around $20 a year.

15. Protecting your brand. You’ve created a business name and now you need to protect it. A U.S. trademark or service mark costs $325, which is a lot cheaper than trying to defend your name later. This isn’t necessary for small local businesses, but is recommended for business owners.

Tags: Business, Business Name, Domain Name, GoDaddy, Small Business, Registrar, Trademark, Service Mark

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