Part 1: What’s in a name?

“That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”

But it sure as heck matters when it comes to marketing!!!  Picking your name is so important, spend some time on it and make sure you get it right.

As the profession booms, it’s harder and harder to find something unique to call your business.  But it’s an essential part of your branding and vital to any marketing you do.

I had an issue about 6 months after I started when I discovered someone else already trading under “Virtually Sorted”.  If you want to read about what happened click here.

So how to research your new business name:

1. Use www.123-reg.co.uk to search for your domain.  It will show you all the domain extensions and show you if any have been taken.  It will also show you similar domains such as ones using hyphens, slightly different wording etc.  Make sure you buy all the domain extensions that you would not want anyone else to have.  It’s the cheapest and most effective way of protecting your online presence.
2. Search www.companieshouse.gov.uk using their Webcheck service.  This will show any limited companies trading using your name.  NB: This only shows limited companies, not sole traders, so it’s not failsafe.
3. Google it – yes Google the business name and check that someone else isn’t using it.  Sounds daft, but you’d be surprised!  Virtual assistant forum posts will often show up here, where perhaps someone is using an abbreviated website address but markets themselves using a full name e.g. www.VA-exec.co.uk might be “VA executive solutions”