A great name is the beginning of a great brand. It should be memorable and create a certain feeling when heard. Here's a quick how-to on creating one and making sure it's not already used.

　　不同凡响的名称是伟大品牌诞生的开始。在人们听到你公司名称的时候应该容易记住，带来一定的冲击感。

　　Difficulty: Average

　　难度：中等

　　Time Required: A few hours

　　要求时间:几个小时

　　Here's How:

　　步骤如下：

　　1. Brainstorm. Think about how you want people to feel when they hear the name. Write down the words on paper and then categorize them by primary meaning.

　　头脑风暴。考虑一下你想要人们在听到你公司名称的时候怎么想。在纸上记下这些词汇，然后按其原意进行分类。

　　2. Relate. Think about related words and phrases that evoke the feelings you want. Hit the thesaurus and find all the synonyms for your words and phrases.

　　相关性。想一想能够唤起你想要的感觉的相关词汇。去查词典，并找出你想要的词汇和短语的所有的同义词。

　　3. Relate more. Find out the Greek and Latin translations of your words. Figure out what colors, gemstones, plants, animals, etc., relate to your words.

　　更多的同义词。找出所有词汇的希腊和拉丁语翻译。找出和你想要的词汇相关的颜色，宝石，植物，动物等。

　　4. Experiment. Start playing with combinations of your various words and partial words. Don't be judgmental now - just make a list.

　　实验。开始将不同的词组合起来。现在只是做个清单，先不要评判。

　　5. Reflect. Review your list and just give some thought to each name. How does it make you feel when you hear it?

　　仔细考虑。重新审查你的清单，想一想每个名字，当你看到每个名字的时候感觉如何？

　　6. Communicate. Go over the list with someone you trust. Have them tell you how each name makes them feel, and how memorable they think it is.

　　交流。和你信任的某人共同探讨这份清单。让他们告诉你对每个名字的感觉，还有他们认为可记忆度怎么样。

　　7. Prioritize. Throw out any that just don't fit and make a prioritized list of the rest.

　　挑选。剔除那些不符合的，然后将剩下的名字排列出先后顺序。

　　8. Check trademarks. Make sure no one is using that name in your line of business. You may be able to use the name in a completely different business, but be aware that it may create confusion for both you and them.

　　检查商标。要确保在你的行业内没有人用这个名字。你可以在不同的领域采用相同的名称，但是要注意会引起你和别人的混淆。

　　9. Check domain names. You want to make sure that an appropriate domain name is available. You want YourCompanyName.com, of course. If that's not available, you may want to reconsider.

　　检查域名。要确保一个合适的域名是否可用。你会想要"公司名词。com"这样的域名。但是如果这个不可用的话，也可以考虑其他的域名。

　　10. Search the internet. Even if someone doesn't have the domain, you still want to see what else is out there that has the same name. That doesn't mean you don't use it if you find something, but you need to know.

　　在网络上搜索。即使别人没有占用该域名，你也要查出用同一个域名搜索会出来什么样的结果。但是这并不是说，如果你搜出了一些结果你就不能用该域名，仅仅是你要做到心中有数罢了。

　　11. Check company names. If you're planning to incorporate, check with the Secretary of State (or other appropriate office outside the U.S.) of the state you're planning to incorporate in.

　　检查公司名称。如果你计划创办公司，要先咨询公司所在地的州部长。

　　12. Check assumed names. For sole proprietors, check for local assumed names (also known as DBA). In the U.S., you check this with the County Clerk.

　　检查营业代理名。对个体户来说，需要核查以什么样的公司名义营业。在美国，可以向郡政府咨询这一事宜。

　　13. Stake your claim! Register your assumed name or file your incorporation papers right away. Also, start using either TM (trademark) or SM (service mark). You do NOT have to register them to use them.

　　坚持你的梦想。马上注册你的营业名称或者将公司资料备档。另外，开始使用商标或服务商标。不用等到注册后才能使用。

　　14. Get the domain(s). Find an inexpensive registrar and register your domain. You shouldn't be paying more than $10 a year for each, and at that, it pays to prevent poachers.

　　获取域名。找一家便宜的注册公司，注册你的域名。你每年支付的该项费用应该不超过10美元，而这笔费的用途是为了防止入侵者。

　　15. Protect your brand. A U.S. trademark or service mark costs $325. It's a drop in the bucket compared to trying to defend it later. It's not really necessary, though, for a small local business.

　　保护你的商标。一个美国商标或服务商标要花325美元。和以后需要花费的维护费用相比，这简直是杯水车薪。但是对小地方的小企业来说，这笔钱其实是没必要花的。

　　Tips:

　　小贴士：

　　1. Avoid generic names based on names, such as Joe's Bar, Sam's Hardware, etc. They're not memorable and are nearly impossible to trademark.

　　要避免使用如"Joe's Bar， Sam's Hardware"等普通的名称。这些名字都容易忘记，并且几乎都不能用来作为商标。

　　2. Avoid generic names that literally describe the product or service, like Computer Consulting Company, Appliance Sales and Service, Inc., etc.

　　避免使用按字面意思描叙你的产品或服务的普通的名称，如电脑咨询公司，电器销售服务公司等。

　　3. Generally, avoid geographical names. Besides not generally being very memorable, what happens if you decide to move or expand? The exception is if you're trying to create a strong local affinity like, say, a neighborhood bar.

　　一般来说，要避免地名。地名不容易记不说，如果你打算搬迁或扩张怎么办？唯一的特例是如果你想创建一个有强烈的地区亲和力的公司，比如，邻家酒吧等。

　　4. Preferably, don't restrict future product or service lines. Be broad enough to include your wildest long-term vision for the business.

　　公司名称最好不要限制未来的产品和服务项目。要广泛到能够囊括你对未来事业发展的最大的野心。

　　5. Try to keep the name short and easy to pronounce.

　　要保证名字简短易读.。

　　What You Need:

　　你所需要的：

　　1. A thesaurus

　　一本词典

　　2. A writing pad and pen

　　写字台和笔

　　3. Friends for feedback

　　为你提意见的朋友