Today we're revisiting a helpful post, co-written with insight from Incorporating Specialist Curt Sweltz, a 15+ year contributor here at American Incorporators.

Deciding on a business name will be one of the most exciting steps of your incorporation process. Your business name is going to be one of the largest parts of your brand's identity. You can get creative – but try to have the name maintain some relevance to your service or product. You’ll want the name to have a meaning to the customer. At the same time, don’t be too generic. If you use something like “National Service Co.,” chances are it will be less distinguishable from companies with similar names.

After you’ve ironed out the creative details, you’ll have to worry about state level issues. To make things easier, keep these tips in mind when naming a business:

• Your name may be available in one state, but not another.

Corporations and LLCs are “state-level filings.” This means that if a name is available in Iowa, this does not mean it will be available in Kentucky. When a name is submitted to your chosen state of formation, the state checks it only against the incorporated and LLC names in their state records.

• Create 2-3 Distinct options.

Adding “s,” “the,” “and,” or “&” is not enough to distinguish a name and will rarely change the acceptability of a name. For example, if a company is named “Frank’s Lawn Service LLC,” the state will most likely reject a request to form “Frank’s Lawn Service LLC.” 

• An LLC may be able to have the same name as a Corporation.

While this is not the case in all states, California will allow an LLC to have the same name as a Corporation, even if they are not related. So, Joe Jacobs from Arkansas can form “ABC LLC” in California, and Amy Alan in Ohio can in incorporate “ABC Inc.” even though the companies have no relation.

• Decide on a Corporate Ending.

This can be simple. Most states will require your business to have a “corporate ending.” Corporations can typically decide from Incorporated, Inc., Corporation, and Limited. LLCs can use LLC or Limited Liability Company. Keep in mind, these corporate endings do vary by state, and some states will offer more options.

• Take advantage of your resources.

American Incorporators offers a free name search service in all 50 states. Checking the name before submitting your filing will save you time and money. 

So while it may seem like an easy step, naming a business can become complicated. Take a look at these articles with suggestions and stories about naming your business:

                8 Mistakes to Avoid When Naming Your Business.

                Tips on Naming a Product 

Don’t forget, our free name search is always available. If you’d like to do more research, our State Specific Information Section also offers information on state requirements. Please post any questions or share some the business name blunders you’ve encountered!

Editor's Note: This post appeared previously on our blog.

Incorporating your business can give you and the other owners of your business a number of benefits. For the benefits of incorporating you can look HERE. Incorporating your business can be an easy task with your friends at American Incorporators Ltd. to help you. It takes completing these simple tasks and we’ll be there to help you along the way

1)      To be a legal entity you must register your business name with the Secretary of State. If you have already thought of your name check it HERE to make sure it is available in your state.  If you do not already have a name, that’s okay think of a creative name for your business that will be attractive for customers.

2)      Decide what kind of entity you would like to incorporate. LLC, S Corp, C Corp and what state you would like to incorporate in. 

3)      Call Us- 800-421-2661

4)      Depending on your states regulations we could get your documentation and your business up and running in just a few days. 

If you want to download our "How To Incorporate a Business With American Incorporators Ltd" Guide click HERE

From July 15, 2014 until July 25, 2014 for every Facebook Post you share to your friends or every Tweet you retweet to your followers you'll be entered in our contest to win one Free, yes one FREE year of registered agent service in the state of your choice up to $149. Make sure to follow @AmericanIncLTD on twitter and like American Incorporators Ltd on Facebook to stay up do date with us.

For more details about the contest click the link here: http://hub.am/1rqRPK4

There are 5 Different types of entities than can own a business.

• C Corporation
• S Corporation 
• LLCs & LLPs 
• General Partnerships
• Sole Proprietorships

1. Limit the Liability and Protect the Assets of Owners
2. Increase Tax Savings 
3. Raise Capital 
4. Perpetual Existence
5. Simple Estate and Family Planning

 

Business travel can often be a perk of your job, but the events leading up to your departure can sometimes cause stress. In order to help you have a fully enjoyable experience, we’ve compiled this list of business travel tips and tricks to keep you on top of your game.

Plan

• Book your flight and hotel room well in advance. Take into consideration which airlines and hotels have the best frequent customer programs. Forbes rated Delta, Jetblue, and Virgin America as the top airlines for business travel in 2014. 

• Organize your transportation. If you’re planning on using a rental car, confirm your reservation. If you’re going to rely on public transportation or taxis, take note of their schedules. Taxi Magic is available in 60 US cities. It helps you with fare estimates, pick up scheduling, and taxi tracking.

• Create an itinerary so you’ll know when and where your meetings are. 

• Make sure you have proper travel documents, including your ID and passport. To be safe, make a copy to keep with you.

Prepare

• Review the area where you’ll be staying. Take note of any restaurants, convenience stores, coffee shops, or attractions nearby. A great app to help you with this is Yelp. 

• Check your destination’s weather to make sure you’re packing the right items.

• If you’re going out of the country, you may want consider checking your cell phone costs with your provider.

• Download the WiFi Finder app to help you locate wireless spots when you’ve reached your destination

Pack

• Invest in a lightweight, easy-to-move carry on. Checking bags will cost you time and on some airlines, money. 

• Plan your wardrobe. Taking neutral colors that work well together will give you more outfit options without over packing. Make sure you take a pair of shoes that will be comfortable for any leisure time you may have. 

• Consider placement. If you keep things you’ll want during the flight in outside compartments on your bag, it will be easier to reach. Purchasing a cord organizer can save you time if you’re traveling with many devices.

• Take backups. Having a backup cell phone charger can come in handy if you misplace your own. 

• If you must check a bag, make sure you take a carryon with essential items, including a change of clothes.

It’s important for business owners to be cognizant of how their current and potential customers feel about the services they’re providing. One simple, effective way to maintain an understanding of your customers is through distributing and analyzing customer surveys.  Customer surveys allow you to expand your relationship with customers while discovering ways for your business to improve. If you’ve never written a customer survey before, you may not know where to start. To help you out, we’ve created these 5 tips to help you create a customer survey:

1. Define your goals. Once you have a clear, concise objective, creating your survey will become much easier. Each step of the process will always tie into your initial goal. Find your goal by asking yourself these questions:

What am I trying to learn?

Why am I trying to learn this information?

How will I analyze the results?

A few topics you may want to consider include customer loyalty research, new product development, and customer service reviews.

2. Choose Your Audience

After you’ve identified your objective, this step should be easy. Do you want to hear from current customers? Potential customers? Or a mix of both?

If your survey is going to be based on past experiences with your company, you’d be wasting time and resources if you send it to potential customers. Always keep your goal in mind.

3. Create Your Questions

You should start your survey with a brief introduction and include a simple set of directions. If you plan on using responses as testimonials, include a brief disclaimer explaining so.

Each question should be as specific as possible. Make sure you only ask about one point per question. Varying the format of questions can make the survey seem less monotonous and hold the survey taker’s interest. Always include at least one open-ended question, which will give the customer the chance to share their opinion and offer suggestions.

Conclude the survey by thanking the survey taker. Often, surveys will include incentives as a way of thanking that individual for taking their personal time to help your business, but this is optional.

4. Distribute Your Survey

When distributing your survey, keep your audience in mind. Three main types of surveys are phone surveys, direct mail surveys, and online surveys.

Today, you’ll find many free resources to help distribute your survey online. Some of these websites also include tracking data.  Sites such as Survey Monkey or Survey Builder are great places to start if you’ve never worked with online survey distribution. You can link the surveys on your Facebook page, send it out via Twitter, or include it in an email.

5. Analyze Your Results

Make sure you’ve planned how you’ll interpret and track the data you receive from the surveys. Create a timeframe for when you’d like the survey to start and finish, schedule showing how frequently you’ll check the results.

After the survey has concluded, it is important that you do not ignore your results. Don’t keep them sitting in a spreadsheet. Share them with fellow employees and don’t ignore negative feedback. Hopefully, you’ll be receiving positive feedback, but negative feedback deserves a follow up email or call.

This article from Inc provides insight on how you can make the most of your customer feedback.

We hope this article helps  you create a fantastic customer survey! Surveys will always be a simple way to stay in touch with your customers while learning how your business can grow. If you’d like to read more about surveys, Mashable has created a great article with a few more tips, tricks, and suggestions. 

As always, please let us know if there's anything you'd like us to address in our blog! Our Incorporation Specialists are always available for assistance by dialing 800.421.2661.

When opening a small business, it’s important to research any business license and permit requirements that may apply to your industry. Not having proper licensure can be extremely detrimental to your business. It can cause unnecessary stress, confusion, and potential fines.

To help you avoid this and better understand the basics of business licenses, we’ve answered these 4 common questions. 

1. Why Do I Need a Business License?

Obtaining proper business licenses and permits ensures that your business is maintaining compliance with federal, state, and local laws. Keeping your business license up to date is just as important as paying your taxes and annual state fees.

When applying for a bank account, you will most likely be asked to present your business license. Your business license can also help you with business financing, and may make things smoother when filing your taxes.  

2. What Are the Different Types of Business Licenses?

Keep in mind that license types and requirements can vary from federal, state, county, and city levels. The following are a few common types of business licenses and permits to help you gain a general understanding of what you may need.

Basic Business License: This is typically issued by the city or county in which you’ll be operating.

Health Department Permits: If you prepare, serve, or sell food products, this will most likely be required,

Sales Tax License: This license is typically required for the sales of products and services.

Zoning Permits: This permit states authority to use a certain area of land for a certain purpose.

Professional & Occupational Permits : These may be required for services that are regulated by the state. These services may include, but are not limited to:

Medical Services                Legal Services

Tax Servoces                    Real Estate Services

Be sure to review your state laws if you are in an industry that may require an occupational license.

Federal Permits: if your business involves any of the following, it is best to contact federal departments for specific requirements.

Alcohol, Tobacco, or Firearms  Ground Transportation

Drug Manufacturing                Broadcasting

This is a sample of industries that may require federal licensure. Please check with federal agencies for your specific requirements. 

3. Are There Penalties for Not Having a Business License?

If you do not obtain required business licenses and permits, you are highly jeopardizing the security of your company. Not having a business license can leave you legally vulnerable, result in high financial penalties, and in some cases may lead to imprisonment. Aside from this, it negatively impacts your credibility as a business owner and will cause long term negative effects for your business. 

4. How Do I Get a Business License?

Since business licenses are handled on many levels, we suggest doing research with your state to find out exactly what you may need. You may find that your local city hall, state’s government websites, or www.sba.gov are great resources.

As you can see, knowing exactly what business licenses and permits you may need can be difficult. American Incorproators Ltd. offers a service that researches, details, and lists all of the licenses and permits you will need. The only thing you would need to do is answer a few quick questions about your business. If you’d like to learn more, visit our Business License section.

Having the proper business licenses and permits is just as important as being incorporated. Do not leave this process out of your business plan. We hope that this eases your business license research process! If you have any questions, feel free to post below or contact one of our Incorporation Specialists by dialing 800.421.2661. 

Trade shows are rebounding as industry networking events that help promote brands and products. They can be valuable experiences for meeting new clients, as well as developing market positioning and learning about other dealers within your industry. While the key to effective trade show marketing is presenting an attractive booth represented by friendly communicators, budget concerns and planning should also be taken into account. To help you get the most out of your trade show marketing, we’ve compiled 7 key things to remember while planning:

1. Plan Far in Advance
   
   Research upcoming trade shows you would like to attend in the next year. Since booth space is usually limited, try to secure the best possible booth location as early as possible. Locations near the front of the hall, corners, food vendors, and restrooms will help give your booth high visibility. In the event you cannot afford a booth, you can still attend trade shows to network and market your business.
2. Distribute a Press Release
   
   One of the best ways to get attention from media, potential clients and other trade show attendees is to send press releases about your booth in advance. Postcards also make excellent vehicles for press releases because they can be read quickly and stored easily. PRWeb  is a great resource for creating, distributing, and tracking press releases.
3. Create Marketing Materials
   
   Prepare and order handouts that attendees can take home well in advance. Keep your trade show marketing messages simple and be sure to include contact information. Business cards and flyers are low cost, yet effective marketing tools. Try to make your business cards stand out in some way, so that they don’t get lost in a pile. Get inspired by this article featuring creative, intelligent business cards.
4. Invest in Portable Exhibits 
   
   Keep exhibits as small and as portable as possible without sacrificing appearance. Some of the most affordable yet presentable booths are lightweight and can fold into shippable tabletop units.
5. Design Attractive Signage
   
   Create an eye-catching banner of your logo to display at the top of the booth. Use another sign that summarizes your mission or positioning statement in six words or less. Messages will be most memorable if they are quick and easy to read. Skyline Exhibits is one resource that can help with both signage and exhibits, and also offer frequent webinars for trade show education.
6. Practice Presentation
   
   The most important aspect of any trade show presentation is more about the presenter than the booth. Aim to send outgoing representatives with adequate product knowledge that can capture and engage your prospects. If part of your goal is to book sales, keep in mind that you will probably want to send someone with sufficient sales experience.
7. Follow Up
   
   Collect as many business cards and details as possible at the event so that you can follow up with potential clients and resources. An app like Card Munch can help organize these cards without the mess. Taking notes on relevant trade show contacts can help accelerate the process of developing relationships and meeting individual needs in the future.  Keep in mind that email may be a way to save time, but calling individuals on the phone will likely have a more dramatic impact on sales or building relationships. 

Good luck and we hope that you’ll find these tips useful at your next trade show. Remember to review the trade show and see if it was worth your investment before considering reserving a spot for the next year. If you’re interested in reading more about trade show strategies and the best ways to follow up, take a glance at these articles:

• 10 Tips for Working a Trade Show
• 4 Steps For Judging the ROI of a Trade Show

 If you have any strategies that you’ve found to be successful, please share them below! 

Our New Online Client Dashboard is Live!

Click Here to Login!

We are excited to announce our new Online Client Dashboard! This new feature will make it easier to maintain your business records. Inside, you’ll have convenient and immediate access to:

If you are a client, you should have received an email including your login username and password. If you did not receive this email, please visit the live chat on our website or call 800.421.2661 to receive your credentials!

We look forward to hearing your feedback and hope that this helps maintaining your business much easier!