Starting an Online Business

Whether your company is a sole proprietorship or a mega-corporation, it
will all begin with a concept and a name. So what is in a name?

The answer is – quite a bit! The name you choose for {your business will~The name you pick for your company will}
assist you in building a brand and image in the marketplace. Therefore it must
be memorable, relevant and simple for people 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
perfect sense. Google (actually googolplex) does have a meaning – it means numbers without end
and impossible to count.

It’s a perfect 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 familiar and profitable.

As seen by this example, your {business name is very important and you~As you can see from this example, your name is pretty important and you}
should take time to pick the right name for your company. 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 register your domain name. It’s best to
secure your business name with a DBA (Doing Business As license).

Here’s how to do it:

1. Brainstorm some appropriate names for
your company. Make at least ten 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 that the name isn’t taken, and if it is, cross it off and 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.

Verify both the LLC and corporation databases. Do not have a
same name to any other business. You may seriously hurt
your credibility and you could 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 company 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.  You will register at
your city hall. This costs a little bit but it’s worth it,
as it will give you exclusive rights to your name.

5. Now you can move on to your domain name. My preference is 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 business 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~This helps you brand your company}.

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, even if you find it, it won’t make any sales for you!