Choosing a business name
Your business name is a fundamental part of your brand. Here’s where you’ll find tips and a great tool for deciding on that perfect name.
How to choose a name
Write a list of all the words you associate with your business. They could be about the products or services you want to provide, or the value of what you do.
You can make up words (Google, Facebook), join words together (YouTube), use phrases (Trade Me) or a name — your own (J Smith Plumbing) or invented (Häagen-Dazs).
There are certain names that are restricted or protected by legislation. View the full list here:
Names protected by legislation(external link) — New Zealand Companies Office
Brainstorm
If you’re struggling to find a name that fits the bill, try this technique:
- Find something to write your ideas on — a large wipeable board, a stack of Post-Its, or an online version of these. Use whatever works for you.
- Set a time limit, for example, five minutes, and write down every name that comes into your head, no matter how crazy or irrelevant they seem.
- Discard names you don’t like or don’t make sense for the business.
- Review what’s left and choose all the names you like.
- Repeat step 4 until you have a number you’d like to test, for example, six.
- Test your chosen names.
Test
If you have a name in mind but aren’t sure if it’ll be suitable, or can’t decide between several names, test them on people.
A simple and effective way to do this is an A/B test. You’ll need at least two names to try and some people to test:
- Take two names and ask people if they prefer A or B.
- Note the winner.
- Repeat stage 1-2 until you’ve tested all your names.
- Add up the scores and find the winner.
- If you still don’t like it, discard it and start again.
Register
Don’t forget to register your company. You’ll need to log in with RealMe to complete this.
Companies register(external link) — New Zealand Companies Office
Is your name available?
Once you’ve found the perfect name, the next step is to find out if someone has beaten you to the punch and registered it.
ONECheck is a free tool that checks the availability of business names, web domains and trade marks in one search.
Simply enter the name and click Search. If it is not already in use, from the results you can:
- reserve your business name
- register your domain name
- get started with your trade mark.
Watch: Choose and check a business name with ONECheck
Video transcript: Choose and check a business name with ONECheck
[Audio/Visual: Gentle music starts playing with a shot of the presenter in the centre of the screen seated at a desk in a grey room. Music continues to play throughout the entire video.]
[Visual: A graphic of a dollar sign inside a lightbulb inside a pink circle appears on the right-hand side of the presenter and disappears after a few seconds.]
So, you've thought up a great business idea and it’s now time to give it a name. It's an important step because nowadays your business name is a big part of your brand and can go a long way in to telling your customers who you are. A business name that is on brand, memorable, unique, rolls off the tongue and tells people what you do is what you'll want to aim for.
[Visual: The screen changes to show a person staring blankly at a computer screen. The screen changes to show the presenter in the centre of the screen. A graphic of a checklist inside a pink circle appears on the left-hand side of the presenter and disappears after a few seconds.]
If you're feeling stuck and needing a bit of inspo, to get those creative juices flowing try this. List out every single word you'd associate with your business, all of them.
[Visual: The YouTube logo appears on the left-hand side of the presenter and disappears after a few seconds. The Trade Me logo appears on the right-hand side of the presenter and disappears after a few seconds.]
Now see if you can join any of these together, say like YouTube did, or maybe there's a short, sharp phrase that could be a good fit, like Trade Me. You could keep things simple and use your own name, for example, S. Smith Plumbing.
[Visual: The Häagen-Dazs logo appears on the left-hand side of the presenter and disappears after a few seconds.]
Or an invented one like Häagen-Dazs.
[Visual: The Google logo appears on the right-hand side of the presenter and disappears after a few seconds.]
Or you could even make up your own word, like Google did. And once you found a few potentials that could fit the bill it's worthwhile to test the names out on friends and or family, ideally, members of your target market. Perform an A/B test to determine which of the two, three, or four potentials they like best. And once you've got your top pick, you want to check if it's available to use, and hasn't already been claimed by another New Zealand business. Luckily, MBIE make this super easy for all of us.
[Visual: The ONECheck logo appears on the left-hand side of the presenter and disappears after a few seconds.]
Their online tool ONECheck, lets you check if a business name, trade mark, web domain or social media handle is usable.
[Visual: The screen changes to show the ONECheck tool start page and the name suggestion “tanactives” being typed into the search box. The screen changes to show the search results for “tanactives” in the ONECheck tool.]
Simply head to their website and insert the name into the box. And within seconds you'll know whether it's in use or something similar is, how original it is, which web domains, if any, are free to use and which social media platforms have a free handle with that title.
[Visual: The screen changes to show the in-depth information for the search results “tanactives” in the categories “BUSINESS NAME”, “TRADE MARK”, “WEB DOMAINS” and “SOCIAL MEDIA”. The screen changes to show the results of the “Check your trade mark” button in the “TRADE MARK” category.]
Click through to each of these categories and you'll be presented with more in-depth information allowing you to judge whether you will be at risk of any legal action if you use your chosen business name. If the name is being used by a business in the same or related industry, it's a real risk that you could be.
[Visual: The screen changes to show the presenter in the centre of the screen. A graphic of a computer screen with the word “Register” and a mouse icon inside an orange circle appears on the left-hand side of the presenter and stays in place. A graphic of a trade mark registration inside a pink circle appears in the centre of the screen and stays in place. A graphic of a laptop screen with the Facebook “Like”, a “#” and “@” inside a green circle appears on the right-hand side of the presenter and all three graphics disappear after a few seconds.]
But if you're in the clear, click through further, then ONECheck links you through to the sites, where you can reserve your business name, register your domain name, your trademark or something and claim that social media username you're needing.
Wow, jeepers. How easy was that?
[Audio/Visual: The music intensifies. The blue outro screen appears with the words “Make your move to digital” in white text in the centre of the screen. Under the words is the white Digital Boost logo and the URL “digitalboost.co.nz”. The screen changes to show the words “Brought to you by” in white text and The Mind Lab logo in the centre of the screen.]
[Video ends.]
Start your search with ONECheck
Check to see if your business name, web domain and trade mark are available.
Your registered business name can be different to your trading name.
If you use the same name as a registered company, especially one in the same field as you, they might have a case against you under the Fair Trading Act if they believe you are passing your business off as theirs. It’s best to use a name that hasn’t been registered with the NZ Companies Office if possible.
Intellectual property
Intellectual property (IP) protects the expression of your ideas. Those ideas worth protecting could include your company brand or slogan.
Your IP can be a huge part of the value of your business to a buyer, so it’s important to protect your business’s IP.
Some IP types apply automatically, for example, copyright and trade secrets. Other types need to be registered with the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (IPONZ), for example, trade marks, patents and designs.
Ways to protect your name, brand and ideas
Here are examples of ways you can protect your IP. Use several forms of protection to keep your IP even safer. Contact IPONZ if you have any questions.
Trade mark
Protection level: High
Registration effort: Low
Registration cost: Low
A registered trade mark is the best way to protect your name and brand. The protection can last forever if you renew every 10 years.
A registered trade mark:
- protects your brands in the marketplace
- is most commonly a word or a logo
- must be registered with IPONZ.
Helpful hint: You can’t register a word that is common in your industry. You could register the name ‘Milk’ as an architecture firm, but not for a milk product.
Trade marks(external link) — IPONZ
Helpful hint: Use ONECheck to check the availability of business names, web domains and trade marks in one search.
Trade secret
Protection level: Medium
Best practice is to not tell anyone about your secret recipe or process.
Helpful hint: Have good measures in place, such as confidentiality agreements and limiting staff access.
Copyright and other IP(external link) — Employment Agreement Builder
Copyright
Protection level: High
Copyright applies to original works, including images, song lyrics and digital content.
- You don’t have to register for copyright.
- It can protect for up to 50 years after your death, depending on the type of work.
Helpful hint: Keep records when you create the work. Use the copyright symbol ©, the name of the owner and the year the work was created.
Copyright(external link) — IPONZ
Copyright and other IP(external link) — Employment Agreement Builder
Company name registration
Protection level: Low
Registration effort: Low
Registration cost: Low
Your brand name is a big asset. Think about using it as your registered company name.
- Register with Companies Office.
- Renew annually.
Helpful hint: Use ONECheck to check the availability of business names, web domains and trade marks in one search.
Design
Protection level: Medium
Registration effort: Medium
Registration cost: Medium
A design registration protects the unique features of a shape, configuration, or pattern of an object.
Design registrations:
- apply to how things look
- must be registered with IPONZ
- can protect your design for up to 15 years.
Helpful hint: You can’t register a design if you’ve already gone public with your product, so watch your timing.
Designs(external link) — IPONZ
Patent
Protection level: High
Registration effort: High
Registration cost: High
A patent protects an invention, process, device or how something works.
A patent:
- applies to what things do, how they do it, or how they’re made
- must be registered with IPONZ
- can protect for up to 20 years.
Helpful hint: You can’t get a patent if you’ve already gone public with your invention, so watch your timing.
Patents(external link) — IPONZ
Web domain and social media
Protection level: Low
Registration effort: Low
Registration cost: Low
Your name is a big asset.
- Use it in a web address and on social media platforms so people can easily find you.
- License through a private web domain supplier.
Helpful hint: Use ONECheck to check the availability of business names, web domains and trade marks in one search.
Plant variety rights (PVR)
Protection level: High
Registration effort: High
Registration cost: High
For new types of plant.
Plant variety rights:
- must be registered with IPONZ
- can protect for up to 23 years.