Business Name, One Should Create or Choose

¶ … business name, one should create or choose one that is both marketable and functional. There are several restrictions and considerations that must be taken into account. In order to be successful, a business name must represent the service provided, as well as capture the consumer's attention. Additionally, choosing a business name that will function as an e-business must also take into consideration additional factors that will determine its functionality and accessibility online.

There are several issues that must be overcome or avoided when it comes to deciding upon a business name. When choosing a name, one must ensure that the name chosen is not currently in use by another business or entity. The business name chosen must also end with a corporate designator such as corporation (Corp.), incorporated (Inc.), or limited (Ltd.) Furthermore, one must also avoid choosing a name which contains words that are prohibited by the state in which the business is being formed. Such words include Bank, Cooperative, National, United States, Federal, or Reserve ("How to Form a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Corporation," 2011).

To avoid and/or overcome these issues, one can check for the business name availability online through a search on the state's filing office website and/or reserve a business name for a nominal fee until the business' articles of incorporation have been filed. In order to avoid trademark infringement, a trademark search must also be performed. A business name is officially registered when the business' articles of incorporation are filed with the state ("How to Form a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Corporation," 2011). If the business name filed is different than the name under which it will do business, the "doing business as (DMA)" name must be registered with the state and a permit to conduct business under the alternate name must also be attained ("4 Tips for Choosing a Business Name that is Brand-Appropriate, Web-Ready, and Protected," 2010).

Because the tutoring service is going to be an e-business, additional considerations must be taken. One must ensure that the business name is "web-ready" and that the consumer will be able to easily identify it. In order to ensure that the business name is "web-ready," one must perform a search similar to the name search and find a viable domain name and register the name. One must not overlook the name's marketability on social media or the business' email naming policies ("4 Tips for Choosing a Business Name that is Brand-Appropriate, Web-Ready, and Protected," 2010).

Because the structure of the new business to be created will be educational and function primarily online, the name must reflect the nature of the business, virtual tutoring, with a clear and functional name. The new business name should also not be fraudulent, nor intend to deceive the consumer. A viable and available name for the new start up tutoring company would be "Elite Virtual Tutors." The name not only specifies the services to be provided, but also promotes the quality of the tutoring services and tutors employed by the company. The available domain name proposed for the business would be "elitevirtualtutors.com." The domain name chosen for this business is representative of the business name, and will be easy to find via SEO and general search engine queries. Further explanation of the tutoring services provided can be easily accessed and viewed on a well developed business web page that details the goal of the business, a mission statement, and the qualifications of those employed by the service.