naming a business

**startinbusiness** · 05-19-2010 02:43 AM

What are the factors that needs to be considered in naming a business?

**ciaossu** · 05-19-2010 03:02 AM

There aren't really any specific guidelines to follow in all honesty with exception to maybe making sure your domain name is available for the business name you're going to go with and that you're not violating any trademarks. People seem to like to think there are all sorts of rules to finding a business name but in all honesty, a MASSIVE number of successful businesses have random, irrelavant, made up, and nonsense names. At the end of the day, the name means nothing compare to the execution of the company. More or less, it just has to be something YOU are happy with and applies to the 2 exceptions above.

**guidemesingapore** · 05-19-2010 01:19 PM

Well just make sure the name you choose is not similar to existing companies, do not infringe on existing trademarks and is not consider vulgar or obscene.

**jeremylautman** · 05-19-2010 04:14 PM

Like ciaossu said, there aren't any set in stone rules for naming a company. However, there are some good guidelines.

An old professor of mine, Scott Armstrong, posted a guide on his website, jscottarmstrong.com. I'd post a link, but I don't have enough posts yet to put URLs to this forum.
Go to jscottarmstrong.com
Click on Educational Materials
Under the Product Policy heading, click on "Suggestions for Naming Products or Companies"

Basically, here are the cliffnotes:
Putting your name or initials into the product/company is typically bad, especially if you ever want to sell the company/product line
Invoking something people know is good (ex. google: enormous number implies infinity, facebook: a university face book used to be pictures of the incoming freshmen, Nike: Greek messenger god known for his speed, etc.)
Easy to spell without ever seeing the name, easy to pronounce without ever hearing the name
Has favorable connotations and sounds like favorable words (and doesn't have bad connotations or sound like unfavorable words!!!!)

Also, once you have a name, you should immediately assume you can't have that name and go through the entire name selection process again. Oftentimes the second best idea is better than the first one you came up with.