Yesterday, I was inspected by the dept of ag. and I am officially on my way to becoming legal. He said I could start yesterday but wanted to wait until I had my tax ID and a name. The name is something that I"m having a hard time coming up with. The Ag guy told me that I'm the only licensed/legal home baker in my county and the next one over. Believe me I know several people in the counties that bake and are not licensed. But that's neither here nor there. ANyway, I live in a small southern town. Very cozy and homey. I love it. I was hoping to get some ideas about a name. If you guys could help, I'd appreciate it. Remember I can only bake things that do not require refridgaration.

Steph

congratulations

Hmmm... I'll try...

Cozy Cakes
Cozy Confections
Batter than the rest
Northern comfort confections

Good luck ~ and keep us posted on your chosen name.

I will keep you posted. I like Just Deserts. Still not sure. Confections?
I also like Cozy Cakes. It very cute.
I just don't know. HELP!!!!! LOL

Thanks for the reply!
Stephanie

Just deserts is already taken by a California company that markets nationwide - so I don't recommend using that name.

I'm still waiting for someone to take my suggestion of "the cake whisperer". I thought I was so clever when I came up with that one. LOL!

So, when I fianlly come up with a name, how will I know if someone else in this country has it or not? Any suggestions on where to find out.

Stephanie
I don't know if this helps but I'm from NC to, and when I picked out my name I went to the register of deeds office to see if any one else had the name and when I found out they didn't I took it registered it and now its mine. I forgot what the charge was but it wasn't much. Like I said hope that helps.Oh yea I like the name cozy cakes!

Thanks for the help. I know i have to register the name with the RD but I wasn't sure if they only had info on names in NC or the whole country. I will call them on Monday. Thanks again!

Steph

Oooh, I like Cozy Confections!! So cute!!

Good luck ~

I called our state office and they did a quick on the phone "assumed name search" for the name I'm going to register. The lady laughed when I asked her if mine was taken yet... saying: "That's an odd name... I doubt it". Then I laughed and said, "It's my daughter's middle name". DEAD SILENCE...
Can you see a person's face turn red over the phone?

Have you tried Googling names you are interested in?

Then go to a site where you can buy domain names (such as godaddy.com) and see if the domain name is available... that will tell you if someone purchased the name but doesn't have a site up yet.

You don't want to name your business something you can't also purchase the domain name for.

I think those are the first two steps - and your local offices would be last.

One way to ensure that you do not take a name that is already in use in is to go to uspto.gov and type in the name you are considering. It will bring up a list of businesses that are using that name. If you are really set on a name that someone else is using, a small business lawyer can help you determine if it will be a problem for you to use the same name. If a business with the same name is not in your state, and does not market nationwide, you can probably still use it. This is where a good lawyer can help you.

When I named my business, I spoke with a local lawyer who handles nothing but small businesses. For a very small fee, he was able to walk me through the likely problems with naming, etc. Fortunately, I live in a state that does not require home bakeries to be licensed, so I was saved that headache.

Good luck to you. I hope some of this is helpful.

Beth

To avoid trademark infringement trouble, definitely contact an attorney. If you do a thorough search, you can apply for federal trademark protection. You can start your own nationwide name search by check the TESS website. For help, the Dummies series of books has a good guide to Patents, Copyrights & Trademarks. It's a good overview of what can and cannot be protected.

There are more good reasons to consult an attorney before starting up--especially liability issues and insurance coverage to protect your assets.

Good luck! If you have any questions, just ask.

Cozy Cake Creations ? then you still have the cozy cake part, but its different

How about "A Little Slice of Heaven"?

I've had some really good help from JammJenks. SHe came up with some awesome names. She thought a business with my town/county name would be a good idea. I agree. The name of the town is EURE. Pronunced (your). I was leaning toward Eure Sweet Shop. OR Eure little sweet shop. What do you think??

Stephanie

Oh I love those!

I think I liked the Cozy names best...Cozy Cakes, Cozy Goodness, Cozy Comfort (though, maybe too close to 'Southern Comfort'??).

If I did incorporate the town name, maybe 'Eure Gonna Love Cake', 'Eure Welcome Cake Shoppe'...

Man, it'd be hard to all of a sudden have to have a name, bam! I wish you lots of luck to find the funnest (?) choice to represent you.