Business name ???

[rmr21]

Okay, one day in the probably very far future I would like to have my own photography business. Most photogs I know that have their own business use their name as the business name. My name just doesn't roll off the toungue nicely. The other day I was thinking about this & came up with what I think is a great name, Asher Wren Photography. Those are my childrens middle names, plus I love the way it sounds together. Sooo my question is, is it a good idea to use something like that, or would it be better to stick with my name?

[Karl Johnston]

Think about it more when it's about to become a reality :D is my suggestion, because chances are you're going to change opinions between the now and the very far future, or tastes, or something will appeal to you later.

A business name should explain what your business is about
It should be easy to say and simple to remember
It should flow or have a beat to it

using myself as an example;

Sa-Tor-E Stu-de-oes
www.satoristudios.carbonmade.com
Hyper-realistic fine art from a couple of taoist photographers.
Easy to remember, sounds good off the tongue and has a flow to how its said.

Depending on your area; you need to pay more for you to have a business license name that is not your own name or related to your own name.

Katie Photography - no fees
Satori Studios - Fees

There's also tax breaks if you're your own company opposed to your personal photography business. That said there's more to do if you are a company rather than just a person offering photography services, etc.

I think you should use your own name, it's simple that way

[S-S]

use something you can invest yourself in, which feels right & which makes sense to you

if it makes sense to you (who is going to be promoting it), and isnt confusing or misleading, then it will work

[rmr21]

Thank you both for responding. Some great stuff to think about!

[TroyRaymond]

You'll also want to make sure a .com is available. A friend of mine near Chicago registered a .net name. He asked me to check out his site updates and I accidentally used .com which ended up being the exact same kind of business in the same area. Since just starting out he changed the name.

There was another large thread with my detailed response here from last year. I'll see if I can find it.

EDIT; I guess it was another forum. It has allot of information from when I was deciding on a name. I will locate it for here.

Troy