Five Steps To Starting Your Business - Page 2

Naming Your Business

The first step toward getting your business going is deciding on a name, for example "New York Landscaping." Any name that you do business under other than your own given name is called a "fictitious" or "assumed" name, and certain steps need to be taken in order for you to do business under that fictitious or assumed name.

Depending on where you live, different government agencies track which names are available. Look in your local phone directory, under government agencies to find the number, or contact your local Secretary of State.

Check to find out if the name you want has been taken. If it is available, you may need to file a fictitious or assumed name certificate with the state or local fictitious name office. Some areas will also require you to publish a notice in the local paper about your new assumed name.

Both state and federal law regulates the use of names and "trademarks". To avoid conflicts with other businesses regionally or nationally using your business's name, or the names of your products, you may want to consider registering your trademark on the federal or state level. Contact an intellectual property attorney for trademark search and registration services.

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