Business 101: Top 3 Websites to visit if you are thinking of starting a business

This is a great starting point if you are thinking of staring a business. You can get answers to some of the questions you have been asking yourself. business. You can get answers to some of the questions you have been asking yourself.

1st: Website to visit is your states Secretary of State online website:

On this website you will finding out if name you are considering for your company is available.

• Look up your states Secretary of State(SOS) online website
• Look for the business name search section
• Enter the business name you are interested in searching into the Secretary Of State Business Name Search
• Here you can look up Business Names that are similar to yours and see:
  Status: Are they actively doing business? Have they Surrendered the name?
  Entity Type: What kind of entity are they operating under?
  Agent for Service of Process: Who is the companies contact person?
  Address: Where is the business location?
  Jurisdiction: What state are they in?

Californias SOS Website: https://businesssearch.sos.ca.gov

2nd: Website to Visit is the United States Patent and Trademark Office: Are you considering a trademark in the form of a logo or phrase?

Here you can search for existing trademarks in the form of Design Mark or Basic Word Mark Search.

• Go to United States Patent and Trademark Office Website https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks-application-process/search-trademark-database
• Click on Search Trademarks: This will direct you to the right page
• On this page you can navigate to find:
  Status: Is the Trademark Live or Dead?
  Description of Logo: Describes the Design Mark or Word Mark
  Industry: What industry do they belong to?
  Filing & Abandonment Date: When was it filed and is it still active?

3rd: Website to Visit is Go Daddy:

Here you will find out if will be able to get the domain name you want.

This is very important as you will try to tie a domain name as close as possible to your companies name to make it easier for your audience to look you up.

• Type the companies name and see if the domain name is available
• If not available it will list similar domain names to choose from
• You can also purchase emails and web hosting through here

https://www.godaddy.com/

These searches literally take minutes to do and in my opinion are one of the first steps to take before choosing your companies name and before submitting your articles of incorporation.

If you have any questions please leave it in the comments section.

If you have any suggestions for future business related posts please leave a comment in the comments section.

Thank you and a have a great day.