Choosing your business name can be a difficult choice. This blog post outlines the three considerations to remember when naming your business.
Check for Availability
Not only is it crucial to your new organization’s identity to obtain a unique name under which to operate, but it’s also Minnesota law. Any potential name for a new business or nonprofit can be checked through the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office.
If you are not ready to register and begin your business, organizations can also reserve a unique name through the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office. Once a name is reserved, no other organization may use that name.
Although it is difficult, there are processes for trying to register a name that is already taken too. Reach out for assistance with this.
Reserve your Domain and Similar Domains
Even if you are not ready to build or publish a professional website, get online and save the domain name(s). You can use a website like Go Daddy or Bluehost to purchase domains. Set them at an auto-renewal payment plan, meaning each year your domains renew and you won’t lose them. If you don’t renew in time, and someone buys your domain, it’s almost impossible to get it back unless they also forget renewal or you buy it for a hefty markup.
Consider getting similar domains or common misspellings of your business or your name. You can direct (or re-direct) using multiple domains to the same web page.
Get Social
Get on to the social networking sites and create profiles, accounts, and pages under the business name you want. Do this on all major social media accounts even if you don’t currently use them. You may use them in the future and want to make sure you have the profile name you want. Consider Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as the major networks, but also don’t forget Google+, Linked In, and Tumblr.
By saving your social network profiles, you are also preventing from someone else having an account under the same name. This allows you to be in control of your branding and imaging.
