Comments on: What You Might Not Know About DBAs

By: Dennis Edell

Dennis Edell — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 19:43:33 +0000

Being both Direct sales and Internet marketing, I do a little of each. Any of my e-commerce stuff gets a DBA (blah blah products for example), for the Internet…blogging and so forth….I’m branding ME for the most part, so I use my real name everywhere.

However, I am setting it up in such a way, that I will indeed be able to sell if need or want be.

In regards to $100 dollar DBA’s – look at is as equal to shopping in your local 7-11 as apposed to the supermarket.

it’s all about “convenience” folks, and they know it. Is it scam? Not if you get what you pay for. Is it unethical? Depending on how high in price you go……….

Lots of good comments here, I’ll be saving this one

Dennis Edells last blog post..7 Turbo Writing Tips

By: JK Swopes

JK Swopes — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 16:52:24 +0000

Hey Mark, it’s an honor, I’m just trying to surround myself with the proper people that I can trust….once in my circle….I stay loyal! I know that not all people can be trusted, so when I find the genuine people, I get involved with them….looking forward to building our friendship.

shoot me some IM info, so I can bother you when you’re trying to work!

JK Swopess last blog post..IMwithJoe this week

By: Mark

Mark — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 16:16:17 +0000

Hey Joe!
What a pleasure it is to have you comment on MeAndMyDrum! Woo-hoo!

Glad to have been of help to you with this post. I’ve been watching your blog as well. Good stuff!

By: JK Swopes

JK Swopes — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 15:57:14 +0000

nice post! I have been considering this for a while, but wasn't sure where to start, this post has helped and I will also go over and read Kyle's post. thanks Mark. JK Swopess last blog post..IMwithJoe this week

By: Mark

Mark — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 15:10:16 +0000

@Kyle
Okay, that makes sense now. And it was just the other night that I discovered the free search for trademarks. The site I was using though (a government) was SO bad, both in layout and in just understanding the results. But still going to dig a little more to understand it.

If you don’t mind, I’m thinking about sending you some thoughts I have for names.

By: Kyle Eslick

Kyle Eslick — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:18:51 +0000

@ Mark - Yes, they are the same. And trademark searches are free (to verify something isn't trademarked). It will cost you a small fee to trademark an item, but you have to have a built up business I believe before it will be approved. Kyle Eslicks last blog post..How To: Finding a Good Business Name

By: Mark

Mark — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 04:07:10 +0000

@Kyle
Thanks for that informative response, Kyle. When you said “Once you find a name you are happy with and have it in your possession (has to be dot com), then go out and get your trade name.” I”m assuming that you’re saying they can be one and the same, right? I mean, I can’t think of any reason why I would find a domain name I’m happy with, but find another name for my business. Maybe there is, but I can’t see it now.

And yes, doing a trademark search is interesting to me. Being the low budget guy I am, I have this preconceived notion that that takes a lot of money to do a search like that. But will definitely be looking for your post about that.

By: How To: Finding a Good Business Name [Slick Affiliate]

How To: Finding a Good Business Name [Slick Affiliate] — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:41:11 +0000

[...] as well as a few questions. My friend Mark of MeAndMyDrum wrote a great followup post about what you might not know about DBAs and also asked the question about how I came up with the name for my new DBA business, Apricot [...]

By: Kyle Eslick

Kyle Eslick — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:50:53 +0000

@ Mark – Another great question, though I can’t probably do it justice within a comment. I think I’ll go write a post about it, so look for that!

The first step is to find a good name that is available. Odds are, most good names are gone, so rather than scanning the registry, I would take your list of names and do a WhoIS and contact the owners (if the domain is parked or not being used). You can often get these names for under $50.00 and it never hurts to try!

I personally decided I wanted a name with “Media” at the end of the domain. A domain name doesn’t have to make sense, especially when you are talking about a company name. It just needs to be brandable. When looking for brandable domains, it should be a common word that is both easily spelled, easily pronounced, and have no alternative spellings. If you find that, you are golden.

I went with Apricot Media because I saw it for sale at auction for a reasonable price and it met or exceeded my criteria. There is only way to say it, one way to spell it, and if someone hears the name verbally they won’t have trouble spelling it in their web browser or at the search engines. This is a large part of “the secret”, as people in the domain industry refer to it as, that many people don’t realize. I also did a quick trademark search to ensure there were no trademark conflictions.

Again, for me this was about finding a name that I wouldn’t outgrow someday, was not something I was tied to (ie didn’t use my first or last name), etc. Once you find a name you are happy with and have it in your possession (has to be dot com), then go out and get your trade name. To many people pick a business name, then can’t find a decent domain name. It is 2008 and people are starting to learn to secure the dot com, then name your company.

As always mark, you have my contact info so feel free to email me or instant message me with questions and I’ll do my best to help anyway I can. If you have certain criteria, I can help you research names, track down names, or find alternate names as well.

Kyle Eslicks last blog post..Make Money Online with E-Junkie

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:26:28 +0000

@Bobby
Sounds like you’re on the right track. Looks like Kyle already answered your question — it’s just a good thing to do. But to let you in on a little insight, there’s another reason my lawyer told me. If people started to run a business with another name, then it makes it harder to track down the person behind that business should it become necessary to do so. Registering a DBA, at least, shows responsibility.

@Kyle
Thank you! You’ve inspired me to create a list of company names. How far did you go to ensure the name you picked, Apricot Media, was unique? All I’ve been doing is coming up with interesting names, then running the ideas by GoDaddy. If the URL is available, then I feel that I’m 95 percent certain it’s a viable option. But it’s that remaining 5 percent that I’m worried about. I figured the next step is to Google the name, but any other places I should consider?