self employment company names

[cdodds2004]

hi all and happy new year !!


well a new year and new venture for me,,, self employment

have set my bank account up etc and need a name for my business, was orignally thinking of just using my name, ie C.Dodds gas heating services or something along them lines but im not sure but should i go for a proper name to make it look more like a bigger business or stick with my name so people no i am a sole trader??

any advice apreciated

 

[dontknowitall]

I named myself after the local river.

 

[Bartdude]

I like the name of the plumber in the VW ad on tv.

Lee King Plumbing Services!

 

[cdodds2004]

lol,, thats a good one i never noticed it, well i live in telford and the local council is wreakin housing trust, i did want to call myself wreakin gas and heating but then thought maybe i would get in trouble for having a similar name to the council! not sure on the law

my pal keeps telling me to call myself addigas or PMT for plumbing maintainance team lol

 

[ecowarm]

I bought a van and some tools before I had a company name and the VAT office would not allow me to claim the vat back because I bought them in my own name not the companies?????????????

 

[oldplumber]

I bought a van and some tools before I had a company name and the VAT office would not allow me to claim the vat back because I bought them in my own name not the companies?????????????

makes sense to use your own name in that case, although you must have had a pain of a vat man, my response would have been to sell the company my tools at start up.

 

[joe brown]

professor plumb
pipe dreams
wetdreams
fix a leak

 

[joe brown]

Flaming Drip plumbing

 

[dontknowitall]

Connaught2 ?

 

[metaldust9]

why dont ye just go for cd gas services

 

[cdodds2004]

thats my thinking or C. Dodds gas services! i have soooo much to sort out its quite daunting really 🙁

 

[philtheflush]

theres a plumbing firm by me in caerphilly called stop a leaky

 

[Bartdude]

Cd gas services sounds like"Seedy gas services" when you say it!!

 

[fdph]

'The radiator bleeder' is my favourite local firm name, personally i'd use the last name on its own at the start of the title, says family run business but possibly bigger than just a 1 man band so you'll potentially get more leads

 

[Henno82]

I use my initials but it's each to thier own really

 

[Puddle]

my pal keeps telling me to call myself addigas or PMT for plumbing maintainance team lol

Class !! 😀

Have said before ,within reason it does not matter about the name as much as the service you give,that,s what brings the calls and work in,I find most customers ring and ask for me by name not company name,only time company name comes up is in a contract or payment,that why I kept mine short,just a few letters

 

[capitanpugwash]

Can a sole trader have a company name different from his name and then set up bank accounts/accept payments in the company name? Or do you have to have a limited company to allow this to happen.

 

[Bartdude]

Yes your names can be different. I'm a sole trader and my business title doesn't incorporate my name. The bank,merchants etc use both names on accounts

 

[Puddle]

sole trader can have a name,bank account stays the same,just called joe blogs t/a (trading as) puddles puddle makers,payments can then be made into account under both names,your own and company name

 

[Avatar]

I hatte it when people use their own name - it kind of shows lack of imagination . . .

There is a scaffolding company down here called 'Firm Erections'!

I am not sure if you want proffessional, that taking the pee is the best idea though . . .

It took me ages to think of my name, which I am very happy with - best get it right and think hard though, as you are kind of stuck with it once you start using it!

 

[justlead1]

Hi. When considering your trading name. It may be worth thinking about a name that can be supported via an image for van, stationary etc. As this form of marketing works by informing potencial clients of your services pictorially.

 

[gorbsteruk]

I live in telford and im a trainee plumber , wrekin housing trust is an housing association , telford and wrekin are the council so you would be alright using that name .

 

[dontknowitall]

Round Plumbing Services? As in round the Wrekin ... perhaps not ...

 

[Bartdude]

Wrekin? It's only 2 letters away from wrecking,not a great word to be using when working in peoples houses!

Maybe I'm just being picky now!!

 

[hihowudoin]

Wrekin, how is that pronounced, Reeking? sounds a bit smelly too lol.

 

[SafeGasInstall]

SafeGasInstall - is actually my trading name,but when people call they don't even mention my business name ......they just ask for my name

 

[GQuigley67]

hi all and happy new year !!


well a new year and new venture for me,,, self employment

have set my bank account up etc and need a name for my business, was orignally thinking of just using my name, ie C.Dodds gas heating services or something along them lines but im not sure but should i go for a proper name to make it look more like a bigger business or stick with my name so people no i am a sole trader??

any advice apreciated

what bank did you open a business account with ?

I think I'm going to go with Santander, I've heard they offer free business banking forever and you only get charged if you cash in more than 300 cheques a month ?

 

[REDSAW]

I named myself after the local river.

????what, 'dyke plumbing'?????.lol.

 

[HoodedClaw]

I'm using the free banking with Santander, you get what you pay for! There is no counter service, you have to deposit everything at the cashpoint, can be a pain as the machines don't give envelopes out. I think I've been in complaining at this restriction more than I've used the cashpoint and they end up taking it over the desk, as I say to them, way restrict the money going into the account! Lucky most my customers pay using direct transfer. If I had a larger turnover I'd move to a paid dervice with more features, but for starting out its great.

 

[cdodds2004]

im using hsbc they offerd me 24 months free banking then after 24 months there is still a option to keep it free if you dont cash in over 2k a month in cash and 40 cheques i think the figures were! but tbh 24 months free sounded good i bank with them personally also, so all in the same place for convienience for me,,

and as for wrekin it is pronounced reekin but everybody local knows its the area name like tyne and wear is to newcastle so nobody would think of it as a smell, lol

 

[Dannypipe]

No one has mentioned it yet, but before you choose a name, check it's availabilty as a web address. You will eventually grow and require a website, so it makes sense to incorporate your name into it.

I don't like the name I chose, lacks imagination but I'm stuck with it now. I have a better choice if I were ever to change it, but can't see myself ever doing so...unless I move country which has always been at the back of my mind.

 

[PlumbersMate]

I know this is ancient but can you call yourself something with Gas Safe in your name?

 

[buckley plumb]

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa then your name will be first in yellow pages

 

[850Rick]

hi all and happy new year !!


well a new year and new venture for me,,, self employment

have set my bank account up etc and need a name for my business, was orignally thinking of just using my name, ie C.Dodds gas heating services or something along them lines but im not sure but should i go for a proper name to make it look more like a bigger business or stick with my name so people no i am a sole trader??

any advice apreciated

Hi mate im after seting up a business account as well was it hard to do and what did you need to set it up and do you get charged yearly or is it free

 

[Guest123]

Any major High Street bank will offer you a business account with free banking facilities for the first year. You can either apply online, or call it a local branch of your choosing.

I favour my current bank which is Lloyds TSB.

 

[TBServices]

Santander is still completely free..... But for how long?

 

[850Rick]

Any major High Street bank will offer you a business account with free banking facilities for the first year. You can either apply online, or call it a local branch of your choosing.

I favour my current bank which is Lloyds TSB.

Hi mate what do i need to open the account this is all new to me

 

[Keefy]

Hi mate im after seting up a business account as well was it hard to do and what did you need to set it up and do you get charged yearly or is it free

It's not hard but some likely questions you'll need to answer are:

• What's the name of your business?
• Address of your business (where will you be trading from)?
• What kind of business is it (if it's services then is it domestic, commercial or both)?
• Are you a sole trader or is it a Ltd company?
• Do you have or need a van?
• How many emloyees?
• How much have you spent on the business so far?
• What's your estimated turnover for the next 12 months?
• Will you be accepting payments via cash, cheque or by electronic means?
• Will you be looking for a loan?
• Will you be looking to purchase Liability Insurance?

Off the top of my head that's what I recall being asked.

Oh yeah, and 'Are you qualified?'

 

[Guest123]

Just call in to your local branch and fill out the application form. They'll ask for ID such as pasport/driving license and proof of residence such as a recent utility bill. It's very straight forward and easy to do.

 

[850Rick]

Just call in to your local branch and fill out the application form. They'll ask for ID such as pasport/driving license and proof of residence such as a recent utility bill. It's very straight forward and easy to do.

Cheers mate

 

[PlumbBobBob]

even when you start paying fees, unless you keep moving banks, you can claim it all back on your tax bill anyway

 

[Keefy]

As for naming your business - try to keep it relevant to the area you wish to find work in. Say, if you're planning to offer gas fitting services in Dingdong Town then call it Dingdong Gas Services, even if a spark in the same area is called Dingdong Electrics you won't have a problem with copyright or trademark infringement because although working the same area they'd be offering completely different services.

Dunno where I got 'Dingdong' from but whatever. Avon calling!

 

[stevetheplumber]

I'm using the free banking with Santander, you get what you pay for! There is no counter service, you have to deposit everything at the cashpoint, can be a pain as the machines don't give envelopes out. I think I've been in complaining at this restriction more than I've used the cashpoint and they end up taking it over the desk, as I say to them, way restrict the money going into the account! Lucky most my customers pay using direct transfer. If I had a larger turnover I'd move to a paid dervice with more features, but for starting out its great.

just get the envelopes and post cheques in i just ring customer services and get prepaids sent to me

 

[stevetheplumber]

ive been with alliance and leicester which is now santander for several years and it free provided you deposit a grand a month any less and they charge you a fiver easy to use there online stuff my personal acc is with barclays and finding anything on that is a nightmare

 

[petercj]

hi all and happy new year !!


well a new year and new venture for me,,, self employment

have set my bank account up etc and need a name for my business, was orignally thinking of just using my name, ie C.Dodds gas heating services or something along them lines but im not sure but should i go for a proper name to make it look more like a bigger business or stick with my name so people no i am a sole trader??

any advice apreciated

As already mentioned, it's worth checking out the availability of a suitable domain name as part of the decision making process.

I have checked and: CDodds.co.uk is available ... you can register it here for 2.49 (first year).

1&1 Internet - Home

It's good practice to get your business domain registered in your own name - it can remained parked up at 1&1 until you need it, e.g. if you get a website designed by a company they can access it once you have given them the passwords. But it will remain registered in your name, and it will stay in your name. You will need to renew the registration every few years, so don't miss out on that. If you register it and don't use it, it's only cost you a few quid anyway.

Once you have decided on a business name you need to make it memorable to the public, and the best way to do that is to use it in the same form on all of your business materials, the van, your jumper, the wife's nightie, the kid's lunch boxes, etc.

The best way to make your company name memorable is to turn it into a logo, such as...

 

[wigz]

My initials are wc so i went with wc plumbing .

 

[Keefy]

My initials are wc so i went with wc plumbing .

I was going to use my surname name but most people pronounce it wrong so it probably wouldn't catch on. Thought about using the Irish spelling of it but that would have been even worse.

 

[PlumbBobBob]

I was going to use my surname name but most people pronounce it wrong so it probably wouldn't catch on. Thought about using the Irish spelling of it but that would have been even worse.

you have gotta tell us what it is now :smile:

 

[Mike Jackson]

I thought about all sorts of different names but ended up sticking with my own as I couldn't think of anything more memorable.

 

[Ray Stafford]

A couple of odd anecdotes about this.

According to some analysis I did a few years ago, companies that traded as a persons name were half as likely to go bust than companies with a set of initials.

So "Joe Bloggs Plumbing & Heating Ltd" is less likely to end up as a bad debt than "JB Plumbing & Heating Ltd".

I can't believe that this is because they are less likely to get into financial difficulty, so I can only assume that people are more likely to choose a route other than bankruptcy when their name is the same as the company name. Personal pride maybe?

A customer of ours who has a mixed contracting/domestic plumbing business recently decided to separate the two sides of the business. He left the contracting side name the same, (which was "his name" plumbing & heating ltd) and created a new trading style called "name-of-his-town plumbing & heating". All the advertising stayed the same, except for the name change.

He reckons he gets loads more calls on the domestic side, now his name reflects the geographical area, rather than his own name.

So there you go. Make of that what you will.

 

[erpkid]

A couple of odd anecdotes about this.

According to some analysis I did a few years ago, companies that traded as a persons name were half as likely to go bust than companies with a set of initials.

So "Joe Bloggs Plumbing & Heating Ltd" is less likely to end up as a bad debt than "JB Plumbing & Heating Ltd".

I can't believe that this is because they are less likely to get into financial difficulty, so I can only assume that people are more likely to choose a route other than bankruptcy when their name is the same as the company name. Personal pride maybe?

A customer of ours who has a mixed contracting/domestic plumbing business recently decided to separate the two sides of the business. He left the contracting side name the same, (which was "his name" plumbing & heating ltd) and created a new trading style called "name-of-his-town plumbing & heating". All the advertising stayed the same, except for the name change.

He reckons he gets loads more calls on the domestic side, now his name reflects the geographical area, rather than his own name.

So there you go. Make of that what you will.

Interesting, we trade as the Bumpstead Building Co-operative. We do great business in the two Bumpsteads - Steeple and Helions but very little elsewhere. Fortunately we don't like to travel far......

 

[R1CKY]

I went with RM Plumbing & Heating, as I hate my first name and there are loads of companies set up with my surname.

Didn't want to use a place name, as I'm willing to travel quite far to work, so didn't want potential customers to dismiss me thinking I wouldn't work in their area.

 

[Keefy]

you have gotta tell us what it is now :smile:

It's O'Feck.

 

[petercj]

It's O'Feck.

Just as well you didn't go into IT then!

 

[michael c]

Been having the same issue myself but then there is a builder in my area called A. Cowboy and sons and he seems to do quite well. Because i have tourettes i considered mr twitch to try spark interest, however i have been advised against it incase i end up doing 100s of pointless qoutes.

Would the place name not work out better due to the ease of people to remember it?

 

[petercj]

Been having the same issue myself but then there is a builder in my area called A. Cowboy and sons and he seems to do quite well. Because i have tourettes i considered mr twitch to try spark interest, however i have been advised against it incase i end up doing 100s of pointless qoutes.

Would the place name not work out better due to the ease of people to remember it?

As long as you don't live in Puddletown!

 

[850Rick]

I just plan to do the plumbing side of things.I though of RK Plumbing

 

[Keefy]

Just a pointer, try to keep any serious considerations for business names to yourself while on a publicly viewable forum until you've claimed the domain name. Not only could someone else decide it's a good name and instantly register it for themselves, they could also put a huge price tag on it. I bought 3 domains while deciding which to settle on, the .com version of one of them suddenly appeared for sale at $30,000.

 

[850Rick]

Just a pointer, try to keep any serious considerations for business names to yourself while on a publicly viewable forum until you've claimed the domain name. Not only could someone else decide it's a good name and instantly register it for themselves, they could also put a huge price tag on it. I bought 3 domains while deciding which to settle on, the .com version of one of them suddenly appeared for sale at $30,000.

eek thats not good

 

[Ray Stafford]

Just a pointer, try to keep any serious considerations for business names to yourself while on a publicly viewable forum until you've claimed the domain name. Not only could someone else decide it's a good name and instantly register it for themselves, they could also put a huge price tag on it. I bought 3 domains while deciding which to settle on, the .com version of one of them suddenly appeared for sale at $30,000.

True. I would love to have the .co.uk version of our name, but for some reason the well known formula 1 racing team don't want to part with it. Miserable gits.

 

[PlumbBobBob]

True. I would love to have the .co.uk version of our name, but for some reason the well known formula 1 racing team don't want to part with it. Miserable gits.

couldn't you get them to swap?

 

[Keefy]

I check this site DomRescue.co.uk now and again for the latest dropped domains, if you're quick you can sometimes find a good one. This domain dropped a few weeks ago and if I hadn't already begun setting my business up I'd have probably taken it. I reckon it's a good name anyway, thought it well would have been snapped up by now.

I thought it would be good to build a website around which would go something like:

1. Click the service you require
2. Fill in the enquiry form
3. Wait for our call back

Something along those lines.

AquasurePlumbing.co.uk has just become available. I could list a load here but if anyone is after a name/domain make that DomRescue site your first port of call.