Start Something Entrepreneurs Toolkit Series | Make It Legit: Naming to Trademarking

It’s really happening! Time to make it official. Learn more about registering your business, copyrights and trademarks, and business licenses.

We collected a few cliff notes from our “Make It Legit: Naming to Trademarking” session just in case you couldn’t make it, but we’ve linked the recording below for your viewing pleasure as well.

  1. Choose a creative name reflective of your brand identity.
  2. Secure a domain for your business. It doesn’t have to be exactly your business name, but something recognizable.
  3. Register your business name with the Secretary of State or County Recorder, this protects your business and prevents anyone in the state from operating under the same name.
  4. Trademarking prevents others in the same (or similar) industry in the US from using your trademarked names.
  5. Choose a business structure (LLC, sole proprietor, C corp, S corp, etc.) before registering your business with the state.
  6. Consult with business counselors, attorneys and accountants!