Pick a New Business Name That Stands Out and Avoids Confusion
Post #11: Just because the name sounds good to you and no one else claimed it, doesn’t mean you’re good to go.
In this Substack, I will walk you through the process of starting, operating, maintaining, and — if needed — selling or closing your own small business.
Today, I am covering the final step in making sure you have a great business name that catches your potential customers’ attention and (more importantly) doesn’t offend anyone unintentionally.
A well-chosen name not only helps your brand stand out but also prevents potential legal issues and customer confusion.
Similar-sounding or visually similar names can lead to misdirected customers, lost opportunities, or even costly rebranding efforts.
👉 Subscribe to this Substack if you want to learn how to setup, operate, maintain, scale, etc… a small business. The Journey began with Post #1.
To review:
You decided on what service or product you want to offer, and realized why you chose this one, and you made a list of ideas for potential business names [Posts 1 & 2].
You searched for your business name ideas via web search, the Secretary of State business entity search, the US Patent and Trademark Office TESS (online search tool), DNS (for website domains), online map apps for brick and mortar business names, social media for existing handles, and WIPO’s Global Brand Database to ensure that your name has not already been claimed [Posts 3–9].
7 Tips to Ensure the Name is Distinct and Avoids Confusion
These recommendations will save you headaches in the long-run.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Bootstrap Your Business to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.