Deciding on a name for your company should not be taken lightly as the name of your company will essentially be the point of connection between you and a potential customer.
If you have a strange name that is in no way relative to your business, people will struggle to remember the name of your company and may take their business elsewhere, similarly, if the name of your company is very long. For example a pancake restaurant may want to register their companies name as “Peters Perfectly Prepared Pancakes” where as “Peters Perfect Pancakes” or even “Peters Pancakes” may be more suitable. It is always a good idea to include words that are relative to your business. If you have a cleaning business for arguments sake, then include the word “cleaning” or “clean” or a word relating to cleaning in your company’s name. This will help people to recognise immediately what it is that you do.
When you apply to have your company’s name registered, one generally has to give a couple of options. This is because there may already be a company with a name that is similar to the one you would like and this may cause confusion amongst customers. The name of a company is actually the intellectual property of that company. If you choose a name for your company that is too similar, you may be violating these intellectual rights. Fortunately there is a facility in South Africa where one can perform a company name search before deciding on a suitable new company name.
Remember to keep it simple and relative – something that may that may be significant or special to you may have absolutely no special meaning for your customers. Once you have your preferred names for your company and know that they are totally unique and appropriate, you can submit your company name registration with added peace of mind.
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