What shall I call my new business? Business name traps out there.

What business name shall I use ?

You will want something that sounds good and stands out.

However, there are practical things the budding entrepreneur must consider when choosing a business name:

Who else uses that business name?

Anyone who does will certainly rise up and object and it could get expensive. You must do some basic homework. Google the name and see what you get. If another business has the name certainly one in the same field, you need to rethink before you get a Cease and Desist Letter or even worse legal action. If another business uses that name have good reasons why a customer would not confuse you with the existing business.

2. Check the trademark register to see if the business name has been registered.https://www.gov.uk/search-for-trademark. Breach of a trademark will lead to court action and is to be avoided.

3. Check companies house.

Do a search to see if the business name is already registered and what it does. If there is an existing company doing anything similar think of another name to avoid potential issues. From a practical point of view if someone else has the name you will not get it . You may not be thinking of becoming a company at the moment but do not shut off the avenue for the future.

4. Check if the domain name is available.

If someone else owns the business name, you will not get it. Going down the route of different modes-. live, .uk is possible but Clients may get confused. Again, different variations on a name e.g., Barkley- Legal- may lead to a loss of searching clients. Decide if it is worth it. Ideally you have the name and the domain name to go with it.

5. Does the business name give the right impression for your business.

Does it reflect what you do and your values. Unusual may stand out but it needs to be a good representative of your business.

Some people just use their own name which is fine. However, you still need to check out the above points. Even if your name is Ronald MacDonald and want to sell burgers this would not protect you from you know who. The larger companies in particular can be very sharp n picking these things up. Do not assume that no one will notice little you – they probably will.