Comments on: Starting A Business: Naming Your New Business

By: Ian Gordon

Ian Gordon — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 06:31:30 +0000

Holy crap! How did I mess that one up? And how did it take this long for someone to call me on it?
Of course you're right. Further proof that kids fry your brain. Thanks for bringing it to my attention, Patrick

By: Patrick

Patrick — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 09:01:42 +0000

Chevy made the Nova, not Ford.

By: 20 Steps To Starting A Business | Startup Daddy Home Business Development Podcast

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 20:21:30 +0000

[...] have gone into some specifics about naming your business [...]

By: Ian Gordon

Ian Gordon — Mon, 18 May 2009 23:10:04 +0000

@Thomas, I use Skype a lot, and unfortunately it is just not reliable enough to depend on as the number for your business. I recommend a company I use myself, eVoice Receptionist. You can get a local or Toll Free number, and it can forward to any other number (like your home or cell), or you can use it for voicemail. The number also receives faxes. It is smart enough to know when a call is a fax, and it comes to your email as a PDF. If all you need is a Voicemail/Fax number, I recommend eFax. It is a little less a month, and also knows when the call is a voice call or fax. If it is a person, they go through to your voicemail. You get the message by email. If it is a fax, you get a PDF email. Both of these are in my Recommended Resources, and if you use the links here or on the resources page, you get a 30 Day free trial, so you can check things out. Good luck! Ian

By: Tom Farmer

Tom Farmer — Mon, 18 May 2009 17:10:52 +0000

This is great stuff, thanks for putting this course together.

My question has to do with the post above talking about using a virtual voice mail number for their business. Does anyone have a good reliable source for this? I’m thinking of using something like that for a contact number for my business, instead of listing my home phone. I’ve read a bit about Skype for business, but in looking at their community pages, they are getting slammed by their own users.
Also, does anyone use a service for faxing? Something like where faxes sent to a specific number arrive in your email inbox & outgoing faxes are sent through your computer.

By: Ian Gordon

Ian Gordon — Mon, 19 May 2008 06:13:34 +0000

@ Shannon,
You make an excellent point. Trademarks are especially tricky beasts and any do-it-yourself solution will have its risks and most definitely frustrations. Getting your Trademark yourself can be done, but like everything else about your business outside YOUR expertise, I recommend outsourcing it to an expert.

By: Ian Gordon

Ian Gordon — Mon, 19 May 2008 05:52:06 +0000

@Rob,
The internet truly gives everyone, even the little guys, access to the Global Market Place. People will always get nervous when dealing with companies from another country though. My wife is from Toronto, and I have some experience helping some friends overcome a similar problem. I had them get a virtual voice mail number, and UPS Store mail box, in Buffalo, NY, just over the border. Instantly, you are a multi-national. When you have a US phone number and shipping address, it not only eases customer’s fears, it can make you look like a bigger company. Perhaps a road trip to a border city in Washington is in order. It doesn’t solve the preconceptions your name carries with it, but with the right marketing angle, it can make a big difference.

By: Shannon Moore

Shannon Moore — Fri, 16 May 2008 18:57:00 +0000

Great article Ian! Choosing a business name is more of an emotional process than folks fully realize & I think you laid out all the important steps very clearly.

I did want to add one note about your trademark section. The suggestions are great – everyone should definitely take advantage of the free resources out there. My one concern is that that type of research isn’t comprehensive. First if filing for a Federal trademark that means all other States will have to be checked, which includes the corporations, LLCs, etc. as well as trademarks. The Feds do not check State trademarks.

Another caveat pertains to the USPTO site. Yes, it’s a great free resource & one I push all the time. However, it’s got its flaws. The biggest one is that it doesn’t search intelligently so basically what you put in is what it spits out. This is a problem in that the USPTO takes into consideration similarities in Sound, Appearance or Meaning.

Here’s an example:

Let’s say you have a clothing line you want to name Pirate Style. So you go to the USPTO & search the name and yay! There’s nothing there. However, go back and now look for Pyrate Style and you’ll see this mark has been registered since 1997 for jewelry, bags & clothing.

Again, great article Ian & I look forward to reading more!

By: Rob

Rob — Fri, 16 May 2008 14:34:57 +0000

Thanks for the article Ian. You make a good point about not using “regional references”. I started a home based business selling Radio Control Cars and used the name Vancouver Hobbies because my original intention was to stay small and sell locally (Vancouver, BC Canada). Thanks to the internet, my fun little hobby business has now expanded to North America and my largest market is now south of the border in the USA. Even though I am able to ship from a warehouse in the US, many of my US customers have concerns about dealing with a Canadian based shop. Perhaps if the business was named differently, those concerns wouldn’t arrise.

Listen to Ian everyone. Think big, learn from my mistake.

Rob
http://www.VancouverHobbies.com