Starting an Online Business

Whether your business is a sole proprietorship or a mega-corporation, it
will all start with a name and a concept. So what’s in a name?

The answer is - quite a bit! The name you choose for your business will
help you build a brand and image in the marketplace. Therefore it must
be memorable, relevant and simple for your potential clients to remember.

Let’s look at the infamous Google for example. At first glance, this is a
nonsensical name, but when you look a little deeper - it all makes
good sense. Google (actually googolplex) does have a meaning - it means numbers without end
and impossible to count.

It’s an ideal name for a search engine – an endless number of searchers
using their software. So the name fits the business, making it relevant.
It’s memorable, because everyone remembers a funny sounding name like
that, even if some of us may not know exactly what it means. It’s easy
and easy to spell. This has enabled Google to quickly make the
name well known and profitable.

As seen by this example, your As you can see from this example, your name is pretty important and you
should take time to pick the right name for your business. It
should be one that you can easily brand.

Registering your name is not always done online, since businesses come
and go - but you will be registering your domain name. It’s good to
secure your name with a DBA (Doing Business As license).

Here’s how it’s done:

1. Brainstorm some names that you think will be appropriate for
your business. Make at least 10 and then prioritize them.
The names should project your USP (Unique Selling Proposition).

2. Go to www.uspto.gov/main/trademark.htm - the US Patent
and Trademark Office. You can do this in your own country
if you don’t reside in the US. Run a search to check the name isn’t taken, if it is move on to the next name on the list.

3. Do the search again on the website of your state’s or province’s
authority for incorporating corporations (usually the Secretary
of State). You can locate this in Google. Be sure to do a special one for Nevada, if you are setting up a corporation or LLC there.

Inspect both the LLC and corporation databases. Do not have a
same name to another business. You may seriously harm
your credibility and you may be forced to stop using the
name if the other company can prove you are infringing on its
trademark.

4. Do a search on your local DBA listings (fictitious
names). You would use a DBA if you want your business to be
known as something other than its legal name. For example, the
legal name associated with Empowerism is Life, Education And
Prosperity, Inc. The Doing Business As name is Empowerism.Register at
your local municipal offices. This costs a small fee but is worth it,
as it conveys exclusive rights to your business name.

5. Now you can move on to your domain name. I prefer to include my main keywords in the domain name URL. This helps in achieving a higher search engine ranking for those keywords and you can still use your name on the page for branding.

6 Now you can choose a good logo and slogan to match your
name. This will help you brand your business.

All that being said, the most important thing is to focus on finding your first customer to make your first sale. Don’t get hung up in finding the perfect name, since even if you find it, it won’t make any sales for you!