Choosing a company name
Naming your company is a very important decision. There are many different aspects to think of when choosing a company name, such as whether you want it to be descriptive, creative or to help you with branding.
Branding
Think of Google, Ford or Orange - three very successful brands with short, snappy and memorable names. Shorter names are easier to brand and if you are going to spend heavily on marketing, you will probably benefit from using a striking name that is easy to remember. You will also find short names advantageous when designing logos and business cards - simply because they take up less room!
Being descriptive
If you are not interested in branding or have a more modest marketing budget, you may find that a descriptive name can bring you more clients. For example, if you were to look under “Takeaway” in a telephone directory, a name like “Google” would be of little use as it says nothing about your business. A name like “Perfect Pizzas” might be a little more helpful here as it would tell customers what your business provides without having to read a description.
Thinking ahead
At some point you may want to put your company on the internet, whether as an online store or a company website. Most people want to register domains which contain their company's name (i.e. Big Ugly Sofas Ltd would probably want to register biguglysofas.com). It is worth glancing at the availability of domain names just for future protection for your business, and see whether anyone else has taken the domain you may wish to use.
Creative Thinking
Many people call us to say they have thought of a name, but is has already been taken. However, there are lots of variations that you can make on a company name. For example, if the name Sandra's Cars Limited was taken, you may want to consider Sandra's Cars UK Ltd. You should be aware that a company may object to your using a company name if it is deemed too similar to an existing name, but this is a rare occurrence. Any objections must be made within 12 months, after that the name cannot be taken away from you.
If your preferred company name is already registered, feel free to call the office and we will be happy to discuss some variations with you. Please be aware that we cannot accept any responsibility for any decisions you make regarding the naming of your company.
Play by the rules
Companies House will generally not register company names which could be considered offensive, so use your own judgement before applying. There is also a list of sensitive company name words that you may want to check out. Sensitive words include terms like “school” or “architect” for which you would need to acquire permission from the appropriate regulatory body.