Starting your own business can be an exciting new chapter in your life. Nothing is better than being your own boss. Many people, however, miss the target in one aspect: naming their business. Although it may be tedious, choosing and registering a name is one of the most crucial tasks for your business. It’s essential to have a name that not only works for you and your needs but also makes a positive, lasting impression on current and potential clients. Here are the steps you should take to effectively name and register your business:
Start out by brainstorming names for your business. Think about your name, your personal brand, your travel specialty, destinations, or connections. When you’re brainstorming, make sure it’s a name you’ll be proud to talk about in the years to come.
Spelling is key when it comes to the name of your business. Avoid hard to spell or confusing names. You don’t want clients to be confused or unsure about how to spell your business’s name.
Make sure you gather people’s thoughts to get feedback on your business’s name. Come up with five to ten potential names and ask family and friends what they think. This will ensure the name doesn’t have any negative connotations. It’s important that your business’s name sounds okay when it’s said aloud or looks okay when it’s pushed together in a URL, email address, or social media handle.
You’ve brainstormed, narrowed down the options, and decided on a general idea of your business name; now, it’s time to search the internet for any variations of your potential name. Check popular social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Make sure you’re searching in a private window or incognito to get the best search results. Also, check GoDaddy.com to see if your domain is available.
Once you’re on GoDaddy.com, scroll and click “Domains.”
From there, you can start your domain name search.
Visit the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s website and conduct a trademark search. Visit USPTO.gov and under trademarks, click "TESS."
From there, do a “Basic Word Mark Search.”
After you conduct your trademark search, visit your state’s Secretary of State website to make sure your chosen name isn’t similar to another registered company. From there, register your business name.
Once you have completed all these steps, you can now obtain your Employer ID Number. To obtain your EIN, visit IRS.gov. This is the final required step before joining Travel Quest Network and shows that you are an independent contractor.
Starting your own business is exciting but choosing and registering your business name is one task that has proven to be difficult for many people. Following these steps should help you along your journey to entrepreneurship. Good luck and happy brainstorming!