Naming my business

I've been browsing through the business link website, and I've been looking at how to go about naming a business.

'Choose the right name for your business

Introduction

Choosing a name for your business is a creative and enjoyable process. It is also one that you need to get right. Customers may infer a lot from your business name and first impressions count.

While it may be tempting to try to stamp your individual personality on your business name, there are many other issues to consider. Being objective and choosing a name that reflects your business strategy can be more valuable, especially as your business develops.

This guide shows you how to create the right impression, display your business name, consider whether your business name will be your brand and get your name on the web. It also outlines the specific rules that you must follow when choosing a company name for a limited company, sole trader or partnership.'

I think it will make things a little easier and more straight forward once I choose a name for my proposed business. Although I've already worked on the P.E.S.T and the four P's, once I've got this detail sorted, I can go back and see whether or not the information I've got so far goes with the name. It's all very well deciding upon a name, but what I choose needs to say something about me. It needs to give off the right impression.

'Points to help you decide on a name for your business

• Do you want the name to reflect what your business does - framing, moving, cleaning, building? Or would something more abstract be suitable?
• Would it be a good idea to include your own name?
• Do you want a traditional-sounding name, conveying durability and old-fashioned values, or a modern name, suggesting a fresh, innovative approach?
• Think about the future - avoid words or phrases that are likely to date quickly.
• If you're likely to be trading overseas, check that the name doesn't mean anything inappropriate in the relevant languages and that it can be easily read and pronounced.
• Think about callers and customers - avoid very long names, strange wordings and unusual spelling. If you're planning to advertise in directories such as the Yellow Pages, think about using a name that appears near the beginning of the alphabet - it will ensure it's an early entry.
• If you're focusing on the local market for your product or service, think about using the name of the city or town in the business name.
• Keep your trading name creative, but your corporate name bland. This will give you the flexibility to develop other brands and trading names in the future.'

There are rules I must think about also, something I didn't realise! (http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/about/gbhtml/gp1.shtml#ch2)

'Before choosing a name you should search the index of company names to ensure your chosen name is not the ‘same as an existing registered company. You are also advised to check Trade Marks Register of the UK Intellectual Property Office to ensure that the proposed name is not identical or similar to an existing trade mark. The address and contact information can be found on this website. You can also contact the Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys via their website. The registration of a company name does not mean the name or part of a name might not infringe other laws such as trade mark law.

1. Can I choose any name I want for my proposed company?

There are a number of rules which apply to company names. If your company is:

• a private limited company - its name must end with"limited" or, if its registered office is in Wales, with "cyfyngedig" or with the permitted alternatives, ie "ltd" or "cyf". There is an exception to this rule: a private company limited by guarantee can apply for an exemption if:
  
  
  • the objects of the company are the promotion or regulation of commerce, art, science, education, religion, charity or any profession, and anything incidental or conducive to any of those objects;
  • the company’s articles:
    - require its income to be applied in promoting its objects;
    - prohibit the payment of dividends, or any return of capital, to its members; and
    - require each member to contribute to the assets of the company if it is wound up during the time that he is a member or within 1 year of him ceasing to be a member

• a private unlimited company - its name may end in "unlimited" but it is not required to do so;

• a public limited company - its name must end with "public limited company" or "plc", with our without full stops. If its registered office is in Wales, it may end with "cwmni cyfyngedig cyhoeddus" or "ccc" with or without full stops.'

After reading through these rules, I now know I won't have to worry about adding on an additional ending to my companies name as it will be a public unlimited company.

There are also a few more rules which need to be taken into account..

• your company name ends with limited, or Ltd, public limited company or plc, for companies, or limited liability partnership, LLP or Welsh equivalents - this must not be used anywhere other than at the end of the name
• the name isn't offensive
• the name isn't the same as - or very similar to - one already in the register
• the name doesn't include any sensitive words or expressions - unless you have obtained permission to use them'

Some more information taken from business link..

'Choose the right name for your business

Here's how I chose the name for my business

Managing director Nick Jenkins founded Moonpig, a London-based company selling personalised greeting cards over the internet.

What I did

Consider how a name could work as a memorable brand

"I wanted business to spread by word-of-mouth so it was important my company's name was both catchy and memorable. I decided it had to be only two syllables so that people wouldn't forget it, and phonetic so that they wouldn't misspell it. Moonpig is fun and cheeky. Most of our cards are humour based and Moonpig encapsulates that.

"The name also had to be easily represented in graphical format. Once you've seen our logo you never forget it. I commissioned a cartoonist to design the moonpig. The whole branding exercise cost £200 and three days' work, but it has been far more effective than we could ever have expected."

Ensure the name is available on the internet

"Control of a domain name was very important for us. To check what was available, I sat on Nominet for four days plugging in variations of names. I originally came up with lots of different names - red-dog, green-carrot, that sort of thing - but they were all already taken.

"Moonpig was actually my nickname at school. It was available as both a '.com' and a '.co.uk' which was also an important consideration.

"Moonpig is a completely unique word. The only references to it on Google are links to our website."

Trade mark the name

"Having the '.com' and '.co.uk' gave the name Moonpig some protection against copiers but we thought people might also try other permutations of Moonpig to capitalise on our success. It wasn't that expensive to go for trade marking and it gave the name an extra layer of protection.

"I employed a trade mark attorney and Moonpig is now a trade mark in the UK and the US.

"It's such a small insurance premium. In a customer-facing brand I think it's critical as the brand name is the thing that customers really recognise."

What I'd do differently

Start out with a general, bland registered-company name

"Although we continue to trade under the name Moonpig, we changed our name at Companies House to Altergraphics Limited in 2001, when we received venture-capital investment. The new investors seemed reluctant to write out a cheque with the word Moonpig in it.

"It might have been easier if we'd started out with Altergraphics as our company name anyway. Moonpig pigeonholes us as funky and humorous which is great as a trading name for our current website, but having Altergraphics as a corporate name gives us the flexibility to develop other brands under different trading names in the future."