Choose Your Home Business Name

Starting a home business can be one of the most exciting and nerve-wracking times of your life. Just like when you have a child, one difficult decision is - what do you name it?

There are legal issues involved in naming a business. The most obvious is that you cannot infringe on another business' trademark.

The simplest way to name a business may be to simply use your own name. Joe Smith's Furniture Store has the advantage of not needing a DBA (Doing Business As) or FBN (Fictitious Business Name). Rules for this may vary by your area, so always check before finalizing your business name, but a good rule of thumb for using your name for business is that it must use your name, obviously, and must clearly state the kind of business you are engaging in.

But for many reasons you may want to use a DBA or FBN. The only difference between these two is that some cities use one, others use the other.

You may be offering a service, and feel more professional using a business name rather than your own.

You may not want to advertise with your name.

You may have thought of that perfect name and just need to use it.

The reason doesn't really matter. The first thing you want to do with any business name is check for trademarks involving it. Check with http://www.uspto.gov/ and make sure your name is not trademarked. You do not want to get sued over a business name, after all.

Should you trademark your name? That depends on you and your needs. For most, it will be safe enough to give it a few years in business before you go through the trouble of getting a trademark.

Choose Your Home Business Name

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