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Q: What should I consider before choosing a name for my business?

Dec 17 2008

Answered by: Marc Barber Ask a question

Before you start the search for a name, there is quite a lot of background thinking to do about your marketplace, competitors and product.

Choosing a name is a long-term decision, which is all wrapped up with working out what you are trying to sell and identifying why customers will buy from you rather than your competitors. Your company or product name should encapsulate a message to potential or existing customers. This will not happen overnight; it takes many years to build up a name to carry the message you want. But one thing is for sure, you cannot change horses mid-stream. The name you plump for now should be the name you still have in five, ten years’ time.

Comments [2]

Comment by Yzzy Howell

Saturday 27th December 2008

We have been involved in hundreds of business start ups and have found that names which stick in a persons memory work the best for our Mumpreneurs. Just think about how many people inadvertently start singing 'Moonpig' or saying 'confussssed dot com' and those annoying 118 118 guys? The names that appear to be ridiculous or annoying seem to do the best. I have no idea what a Google is but it's the first thing I think of when search engines are mentioned. We all giggled when one of our wahms decided on the name Bumfluff for her nappy store but she has done extraordinarily well despite having a name that makes people giggle.

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Comment by Andrew Millet

Friday 13th February 2009

being an accountant I come from this subject matter from a slightly different angle. 1) make sure that the name is not already in use; 2) search Companies House to ensure that the company name is available; 3) search the patent office website to ensure that the trademark has not been issued; 4) find out if the URL is available. Andrew Millet - www.wisteria.co.uk

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