One of the things I love to do most is naming… whether it’s a company name or a product or service, I can really get into it and have come up with some amazing names together with my clients.

For example, I helped life coach Linda Hannett name her signature product, “Redecorating Your Soul.” And I worked with song-writer and coach Deb Drissell on naming her website, “Your One Beautiful Life.” 

Best. Names. Ever.

What you choose to name your business (and products and services) is an important part of branding, but you must make sure that, whatever name you choose, it’s actually available for you to use. Too many times I’ve seen business owners choose a name, build a business around it, then have to take it all down because they found out (too late!) that the name belonged to someone else.

A $22,000 “Naming” Mistake

One online business owner I know lost $22,000 because he never bothered to check whether the name he chose for his new product was already taken. As soon as he went public (and after spending all that money creating and designing the product) the rightful owner of the name stepped forward and served him with a cease and desist order.

Ouch. That’s gotta hurt big. 

Always check to see if anyone else is using a name. You can do a search on Google, Yahoo, Bing, and as many other search engines as possible, to make sure there are no obvious uses of the name. And it doesn’t have to be an exact match, so scramble the words and see what comes up. If you get a hit, you may still be able to use the name IF the other company is in an entirely different business than yours. If it’s a close call, however, give it up. Start with a blank slate. It’s not worth the risk.

If you already have a name you want to protect, consider filing for a federal trademark registration. Have a lawyer do a deep level search to rule out any chance that someone else is using the mark. The standard is whether the name you choose for your company or product is likely to be confused with that of another.

If there’s a likelihood of confusion, it’s back to the drawing board.