When you meet someone new, what’s the first thing you want to know about them? Their name. Your name is unique—it’s how people remember you.
The same goes for your Ohio business: choosing your name is the most important step of forming your company. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as just picking the name you like best from a list. That works for babies, but not businesses. Ohio has several requirements that you’ll need to follow as you pick a name.
Fortunately, this five-step guide will help you pick a name that is both perfect for your business and compliant with state laws. We’ll also cover how to reserve your name once you’ve picked it. Let’s get started.
NOTE: If you have found the perfect business name and would like to begin the process of registering your business with the state, there are a lot of online services — like LegalZoom and Zen Business — that can do it for you.
1) Review Ohio Name Requirements
Ohio has three primary requirements for naming your business. First, your name must include a designation of the type of company you’re forming. For example, if you’re forming a Limited Liability Company, you’ll need to include “LLC,” “Limited Liability Company,” or an abbreviation of those terms. Corporations must include “Inc.,” “Incorporated,” “Corporation,” etc. Regardless of what kind of entity you make, your name should reflect your business type.
Second, your name must be distinguishable from other business entities in Ohio. If it’s too similar to another name, your filings could get mixed up with the paperwork for the wrong entity. And worse, a super-similar business name could confuse your customers.
For example, “Ohio Lawn Care Bros, LLC” and “Ohio Lawn Care Bros, Inc” are too close. An entity type identifier cannot be the only aspect which makes your name distinct. “Ohio Lawn Care Bro” wouldn’t work, either; making a word singular or plural or changing the tense of a verb usually don’t make the name different enough to use. That said, if you use a foreign language in your name and its translation matches the name of another entity, yours is still distinct.
Finally, the state restricts the use of certain wording in your business name. Your name cannot wrongly imply that you are affiliated with a government agency, bank, insurance agency, or similar group unless you are actually a part of that group (and have the appropriate licenses to prove it). In addition, your name cannot include profanity or offensive slurs.
For a full list of naming requirements, you can consult Ohio’s Guide to Name Availability.
2) Create the Perfect Name for Your Ohio Business
Now that we’ve covered all the things you can’t do with your business name, let’s focus on what you can do. Here’s where you can let your creativity shine. As long as you meet Ohio’s requirements, you can pick just about anything you like.
However, to make your business name perfect, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Pick a name that represents your business: Your business name is the first impression you’ll send to potential customers; you want to make sure it’s the right impression. So, be sure to include important aspects of your business in your name. For example, if you’re starting a restaurant that specializes in vegan fare, you’ll want that to be clear by your business name.
- Write it down and say it aloud: Your business name appears everywhere—business cards, your website, company signage, and more. A good name will look good on paper. But you’ll also say your name a lot, too, so make sure it sounds as good as it looks.
- Choose a name that you’re proud of: Do you like the name you’ve come up with? You love your business, and you should love the name that goes with it. If you love the name, then you’re good to move on to step three.
3) Search Your Chosen Name with the Ohio Secretary of State
Now it’s time to check that your business name is available in the state of Ohio. To do so, you’ll want to run a Business Name Search.
Here’s how it works: input the business name you developed in Step 2. If the state’s search tool doesn’t find any results, then good news! Your name is available for you to use in Ohio. However, if it does find a match, you’ll want to start over or tweak your name a little to make sure it’s different from what’s currently in use in the state.
To make the most of the search, we recommend that you use the “Exact Business Name” option to start. This search type will help you quickly rule out whether or not your name is available to use. If any exact matches exist, you’ll need to tweak your name.
If you want to do a little digging to learn about names used by your competition, you can run a second search. Use the “Business Name” option and then type in a keyword from your name. The tool will give you a list of any business names that contain that keyword. As a result, you’ll be able to make your name stand out.
While this step may seem like a hassle, it can save you time in the long run. You’ll need to put your business name on your formation documents; if you put down a name that’s already in use, the state will send it back to you, request a change, and you’ll need to file all over again. This could potentially slow down your start-up process by several days or even weeks. Searching your name ahead of time prevents that slow-down.
4) Reserve Your Business Name with Ohio
You’ve done the legwork to make sure your business name is free to use in Ohio. Now, let’s ensure that none of that work goes to waste by reserving your business name with the state.
In Ohio, you can reserve a business name by filing a Name Reservation.You can file this form by mail or online with the Secretary of State. This form includes some information about your business, including the name, address, and signature of the applicant. You can also list your top three choices of names. If you’ve done your research, your first choice should be available, but this form also gives you some back-ups, too.
Ohio requires a fee of $39 for this name reservation. Ohio also offers expediting options at a range of prices and speeds. You can pay by check or credit card.
Reserving your name will protect your business name for 180 days. While it’s unlikely that another person will come up with the exact name you’ve chosen, this process prevents anyone else from using your name. The 180-day-long reservation gives you plenty of time to get all your affairs in order and file your formation documents.
5) File Your Ohio Formation Documents
Even though filing a reservation gives you 180 days of exclusive rights to the name you’ve created, you’ll need to file your formation documents to make everything official. The document you need to use varies depending on the type of business you’re forming, but it’s often called the Articles of Incorporation or the Articles of Organization.
The Business Services Division of the Ohio Secretary of State serves as a helpful starting point for forming your business. Here you’ll find the forms you need to start your business, including the Ohio Articles of Incorporation. You’ll also find easy access to forms such as name reservations, amendments, registered agent changes, and more.
Conclusion
Conducting a business name search is an important part of forming your business in Ohio. The search saves you time and helps you set up a name that makes your business stand out. We hope this guide made it simple to name your business.