Great question!

I believe the same principals apply on and off the web-the Brand is important. The name could be everything about getting customers interested in your Store Front-trying to build a story around it that is believable. You can go either direction ID'd by the Service or a totally made-up name like Hagen-Daz, Kodak or Nike. You get a lot more bang for your buck advertising on the web then these brands ever did in their beginnings. If you take this path then no one will be able to say they were first in a catagory (he who gets there first wins). Good Luck edit

GIS Venture:

I recommend that you complete your plan before you settle on a name. As you fine tune your plan, you may find that some of the focus changes having an affect on an applicable name.

Once you complete your plan, I recommend that you write a list of potential names.

Go online to do the following:

Check with Register.com if the domain name is already taken.

Check out with one of the keyword tools online what type of response the key word(s) in your name get on the search engines.

Do a search at Google and Yahoo to see what kind of responses you get for businesses with similar names.

Focus on the name that identifies quickly who you are and what you are about, is easy to remember, is easy to spell, and hopefully is available as a domain name, too.

Hope this helps.

Douglas Dolan
The Solopreneurs Guide
http://thesologuide.com edit

Branding is everything. Your name on your site is very important. When people think of a service you want them to think of you. I picked my business name first and then went to work on my business plan and also as important is your mission statement.

This states your goals,obectives, and values. Your business name is worth more than the cost of your equipment or faciities. It is everything.

I have spent a long time on branding and I know the value it holds for your business.

edit

Trademark the name if you can, it adds value to the business. I would stay awya from the Mom&POP style branding, Dave's BBQ, Martha's fabric repair, etc. edit

All good comments. I'll definitely stay away from the mom&pop names. If I can't TM it, I won't use it.
Thesologuide - you are suggesting to reverse engineer the name based upon keywords if possible. Good concept . Thanks edit

Speaking of names, I'm real curious about your last name. Being from Alaska since 1963, I have never seen alaska in someone's name. I think the closet I've seen is Nebraska, the state. If you think it's too personal of a question, that's okay. But if not, just a liitle tidbit would be interesting. I'm wondering about the pronounciation: Gaylaska, Gaulaska, Gauleska, or Galaskay, or maybe the G is silent. The first thing I think of when I see your name is Gold in Alaska. It makes me think of the Gold Rush Days in the 1800s. Anyway, like I said, I was just curious and wondering. You might want to consider using gold pans for your business card. You can find miniature ones in craft stores. I see people up here use gold pans for all sorts of things: Art work, advertisement, and clocks. You can find anything up here. I think the gold pan idea is your best bet. Take care. Thanks for your time in reading this message. Rosella Young, Longaberger Consultant in Anchorage, Alaska - See you at the top! edit

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Hello, Dan. How are you doing? After about three years, how has your website/company name pan out for you? What name did you decide on? I see at the end of my 2009 response I said "See you at the top." Well, here I am. Believe it or not, about a month ago BPW/NTTF (Business & Professional Women's Club/North to the Future Chapter) presented me with their BPW/NTTF Entrepreneur of the Year Award. I was so surprised, grateful and humbled at the same time. I also want to share with you that in the winter of 2010 I changed my company name from Longaberger Baskets to AA-1 Designs. I learned that it wasn't a good idea to use the Longaberger name in my company name. At first I thought what am I going to do? Then I decided to read about who and what the Longaberger Company in Ohio is all about. After doing some research, I came up with the name AA-1 Designs. AA stands for American Made All in One. I like designs because it sounds professional, it's something people identify with, and Longaberger products fit any design, is a designed and artful product, and designs is inclusive with all products not just baskets. I've been having a lot of fun with my business since then. I created an e-zine too. I've done presentations for Board of Directors with non-profits to get approval to do fundraisers for their non-profit, and I do various trade shows during the year. I design my booth to show off the best products of the season. I do a drawing to gather more leads. The best part is I talk with people. So now I'm wondering how has your website/company come along in the past three years? What accomplishments have you done? How has Score helped you? I just recently signed up as a volunteer for Score. I figured now I really do have something to share with other small business owners - mentor and provide insight. So earning an award can really jump start you to another level. Of course, taking Score workshops locally and online, has helped my company a great deal. So I believe I would not be where I'm at without Score and SBDC. So there you go. It all goes hand-in-hand. So volunteering is the best way I know to give back and show my appreciation. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for your time in reading this message. Take care. Happy Spring! Rosella Young, AA-1 Designs, Invest in Yourself - www.longaberger.com/rosellayoung edit