Choosing the Perfect Business Name - in 127 (or more) easy steps!

Choosing a name, registering it and getting an ABN is simple - or so you'd think.

First off - get the ABN. In Victoria, where I am, you can go to http://www.business.vic.gov.au and use a nifty little tool to check your eligibility. One of the first questions is "Have you started trading as an enterprise/business?". Well, no not yet (I figured the buying frenzy didn't actually qualify as trading). So, check the 'no' box...

The next page shows a list of activities that constitute trading (none of which have occurred at this stage). So, check the 'no' box... Response: "You are not entitled to be registered for an ABN". Well, that's a bit rude! 

In order to trade as a business you require an ABN, to get an ABN you need to be already trading as a business - which you're not allowed to do without an ABN. Dizzy yet? On reflection, this might have been the point I actually began to have a few disquieting thoughts about everything being a piece of cake. What to do? Alright, it's just a teensy little fib - check the 'yes' box. Woo hoo! The government likes me.

Second - register my business name. http://www.business.gov.au has links to each state or territory and is easy to follow. But hold on, you can't just willy nilly register your name, there are things to check first. Is it too similar to an existing business name? Is the domain name available? And what about trademarks - is my name the same as a registered trademark?

The choosing of a name took a very long time. What I discovered was, whilst lots of appropriate "bead" or "jewellery" names were available to register as my business name, I couldn't actually find a domain name to match. Someone had beaten me to them all! Really, it was sheer greed - didn't they know I might need just one of them? 

So, selecting a business name with matching domain name, that Google or Bing might like to pop into number one position, wasn't going exactly as I'd planned. And I still haven't got my name. And I still have to read up on trademarks...

For much of my life my nickname has been Min, so in a flash of inspiration (did I mention I have flashes of inspiration? You might recognise it as brilliance, but I'm quite modest so I'm sticking with inspiration), I decided on MinzBeadz. No business names like it (check), domain name available (check), anyone with the trademark (um, check?). Maybe I should get some help with this one.

Checking whether a trademark is available is not just a matter of someone else having the exact same name. You can step on someone's toes by having a similar name too. You are able to check trademarks yourself at IP Australia  however there are a number of companies around that will do the hard work for you (you need to suss them out carefully, as many just give you a 'yes' or 'no' with a comment along the lines of "call us to discuss" - as if I have time for someone else's sales pitch).

Best of all though, and highly important, (as much of my start up cash left my account rather hastily in my little shopping spree for stock), some of these companies will do it all for free! 

One of the nice things that I've found, since my whole new life began, is helpful people who don't seem to have an ulterior motive in helping. As a perfect example of this, for assistance with trademarks try Mark My Words Trademark Services - friendly, helpful and, most of all, speaking my language. As I'm not bilingual, speaking in English rather than Legalese is a necessity, and not feeling like a dodo, I find, is really good for the self esteem. Mark My Words Trademark Services will not only search to see if your name is ok to use as a trademark (for free), but can do all the registration part for you as well (unfortunately not for free).

But back to my wonderful name. As it turned out, no one except me wanted it, which is a little hard to understand given its greatness, and all seemed well in the mysterious world of trademarks.

Off to Consumer Affairs to register MinzBeadz which was quick and easy - big thumbs up to Consumer Affairs Victoria, and my beautiful and important looking Certificate of Registration arrived only a few days later in the mail.

Now I'm a real business, as opposed to a shopper gone mad. I know this because shoppers gone mad only have credit card statements and receipts, whereas I have A Certificate.

Proof I am absolutely not a mad shopper (oh, I added the gold star - I thought I deserved one)

All I have to do now is register my domain name, get a website (with one of those cute little shopping carts), and wait for the money to roll in. Of course, I will still be nice to the little people when I'm a gazillionaire (cut to scene: white sand, azure water glinting sunlight, hammock, palm trees, really cute bronzed waiter bearing cool drink with a little umbrella...)

But that's a story for next time (the website, not the cute bronzed waiter).

Min

Owner MinzBeadz
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