King bell
VIP Contributor
The name of your enterprise is the first thing potential customers will see and it should be catchy but professional. If you offer a service, the names will tend to be pretty straightforward, such as “Janitorial Services” or “Carpenter.” However, if you produce a product, an interesting name can help set you apart from your competitors who offer similar products.
Another important consideration when naming your business is whether or not the name can easily be trademarked. As you will see in Chapter 5, the trademark registration process is lengthy, expensive and complicated.
If the name you have chosen can’t be trademarked, you will have to rely on state regulations that prevent people from using confusingly similar names and logos. However, this only applies if someone else tries to infringe on your rights. If you start with a name that is already in use by another company, your business could end up being associated with the wrong business and cause confusion for consumers.
The next step is to register your DBA ( Doing Business As ). This denotes the business name being used for legal purposes. In some states, it’s known as an Fictitious Name Certificate (FNC).
Another important consideration when naming your business is whether or not the name can easily be trademarked. As you will see in Chapter 5, the trademark registration process is lengthy, expensive and complicated.
If the name you have chosen can’t be trademarked, you will have to rely on state regulations that prevent people from using confusingly similar names and logos. However, this only applies if someone else tries to infringe on your rights. If you start with a name that is already in use by another company, your business could end up being associated with the wrong business and cause confusion for consumers.
The next step is to register your DBA ( Doing Business As ). This denotes the business name being used for legal purposes. In some states, it’s known as an Fictitious Name Certificate (FNC).
