You have a brilliant idea for a business, even thought of a inspired name.  Here are 12 things you might need to think about before launching with that name:

1. Is the domain name available? I have a friend who was fixed on a business name and started setting up the business only to find that that domain was already taken.  If you plan on being online it will be the one thing that will make or break the naming of your company.
2. Will the customer remember it? Is it memorable otherwise people will not find you on the website and keep coming back. I have a friends company called A View For A Room photography…. however I really have to think when I want to search for it and it usually takes a couple of times – mind you it’s still clever in that I never forgot it was some of those words put together!
3. Can the customer spell it?  Even Summerfield has different spellings so it might get entered incorrectly and not find my site.  Thankfully I have thought of that and put the different spellings in my keywords but you might want to think about that straight off.
4. What is the customer going to think when they hear the name? You might have a really clever idea but if its like an “in-joke” then no-one else is going to understand and it will leave the customer confused.
5. Is the description of your services in the name?  When I came up with my business name you might think it uninspiring – Katrina Summerfield Virtual Assistant, but in my case I knew my first clients were going to be people that new me.  However, on google I have listed Summerfield Admin Services so when strangers stumble across my site they will know what services I am offering.  It still takes them to http://www.katrinasummerfield.com.
6. Does someone else already have that or something similar?  When I started my crafting business I absolutely knew what I was going to call it…  Krafty Kat!  So clever eh!  Alas, several people already had that name and the last thing I wanted when people were searching for my site was for them to end up on a competitors website!
7. A company name is like a tattoo, once its there you’ve got to do a lot of work to re-brand.  Make sure it doesn’t date or end up being something you regret.
8. What do the initials spell and does that fit with your brand?  I toyed so much with the company name Summerfield Admin Services for that very reason – because SAS was such a good acronym – even gave an excellent tag line – The SAS for your business admin!
9. When you run the name together for a website you don’t get anything that doesn’t align with your brand. Who can ever forget the unfortunate incident with Susan Boyles Album launch susanalbumlaunch!
10. If a client shortens the name, do you like it and think that represents your business?  It’s similar to naming a child I guess.  I launched an am-dram website 5 years ago, it has a long name http://www.eldoradomusicalproductions.co.uk.  In hindsight it would have been easier to call it Eldorado!
11. Can you search for it on the internet? I was loving the idea of calling another one of my businesses Digital Downloads thinking it said exactly what I wanted.  However, a quick search for “digital downloads” revealed so much other content that I knew I would get lost in any search so there was little point in calling it that.
12. Can you say it? I know this sounds daft but if you’re pitching at networking events you don’t want to struggle saying your company name.

If you’re interested in my new business check list, head on over to my resources page