How to Failure Proof Naming your Business

How to Failure Proof Naming your Business

In a previous blog post, I explained why I choose to re-name my business from Brands for the People to Brands for the Heart.

As a branding expert it made me realize how EASY IT IS TO MAKE A MISTAKE IN NAMING YOUR BUSINESS and pick the right name for the Trademark.

Most business names are DESCRIPTIVE making it more difficult to ensure you have virgin territory with your business name and that there is no potential to confuse your customers.

Examples of descriptive brand names are…
Bed, Bath and Beyond; Network Solutions & Whole Foods

It seems an obvious choice for a business to choose a business name that describes the industry that they’re operating in so that their customers know what the business offers.

For example…

Wellness businesses use the words like: Wellness, well being & health
Solar energy businesses use words like: Renewable, Solar, Sustainable & Green
Organic food companies use words like: organic, natural & pure

The problem even though it’s describing what your business does, it often creates confusion for customers because most businesses use similar words in their business name. More over, it makes it NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE to trademark your business name. In this video, I explain how to FAILURE PROOF your business name and trademarking strategy.

In the comments below, I’d love to hear from you, what’s your business name? What questions do you have about naming your business.

With gratitude,
Andrea 

PS – Watch out for the upcoming blog where I’ll share when re-brand your business and when not to. In other words, when you need to invest in re-branding and when you can’t away with doing the bare minimum.

Comments

  1. Linda

    How important is it to trademark your business name?
    Where do you go if you want to trademark your business name?

    1. Andrea Shillington Post author

      Hi Linda, It all depends on your business and your business goals. Thankfully the web has levelled the playing field for businesses to gain access to a global marketplace and so Trademarking is even more important when your customers are all over the world. Having a Trademark is also an asset should you ever wish to sell your business. You can talk to a Trademark lawyer / and or an agent inexpensively to better understand exactly what you need to know. Here’s a bootstrap option http://www.trademarkia.com