The Name Game
I used to hate my name. My mother named me Donna because she liked the Donna Reed Show. Great. I'm named after the perfect neat and tidy television stay-at-home mom. I think that my mom would have named me something else if she could have glanced into the future to see the current sorry state of my family room turned toddler speedway. Donna Maria always reminded me of a nun and that's not what I wanted people to think of when they met me in high school. Today, I love my name. It rhymes, people remember it and it just kind of sounds pretty. My father wanted to name me Jennifer. Just one of many battles he lost over the years.
According to the Social Security Administration, the most popular baby names for girls today include Emily, Isabella, Olivia and Samantha. For boys, there's Ethan, Christopher and Daniel. Naming a baby is easy. You can always find something you like and there's no rule against choosing a name that someone else already has.
The rules are different and the stakes much higher when it comes to naming a business. Not so long ago, it was pretty easy to pick a business name. You looked at your products and picked a name that essentially announced what you sold. If you sold soap, you might have the word "soap" in your business name. Sonia's Soaps. How easy is that? Today, it's different and if you don't learn how to play the Name Game, no matter how great your products and services are, you will lose in the game of business.
Verizon. Intel. Altria. Novartis. Afflac. What do these company names have in common? They have no meaning apart from the meaning given to them by the companies themsleves. You won't find them in the dictionary and before they were used by their owners, they were available as dot coms.
So why am I telling you this? Because you need to be smart about choosing your business name. Using a name that's already out there in the marketplace is tantamount to aiming a gun at the future of your business and pulling the trigger. There's a whole chapter on this in my new book, but for now, here are some tips to help you out. (These are tips. Not legal advice. If you need legal advice, consult an attorney.)
1. If the name you want to use for your business shows up on Google, it means someone else is probably already using it. Pick another name.
2. If the name you want to use is not available as a dot com, it means someone else is probably already using it, has thought about using it, or is offering it for sale at a price you probably can't afford or don't want to pay. Pick another name.
3. If the name you want to use is listed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office as the subject of a trademark appliction or registration, it means that someone else is claiming legal rights to the name. Pick another name.
Losing the Name Game means losing the business game. Choose a name that no one is using. That's the only kind of name you can truly own. Remember, you're building your own corporate ladder here, not someone else's.
Comments
They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and in the handmade soap making world, the business I'm in, we are all creating a similar product. However, we all have the opportunity to bring our own gifts and talents to the craft and make something special and unique. Dream big and secure your name with the trademark office before someone else decides it's a good idea. Creating an identity around your products with a brand name takes a lot of work. Trademarking your brand is like getting an insurance policy to secure that your hard work is not in vain.
Posted by: Ellie | November 9, 2005 02:08 PM