Help me come up with a name 4

[nmerr]

I'm at a point in my career where I have moved out of the residential / small commercial design realm for my 9-5 day job. I've obtained my PE and would like to get back into the smaller project design, inspection and consulting arena on the side. I have the contacts, experience, and the confidence to do this, however I have met my nemesis, unstructured creativity. I can't come up with a name for my LLC. It seems whenever I am faced with a toally open ended choice I can't even think of where to start.

Anyone have any ideas? I need some sort of inspiration to at least give me a direction.

Thanks!

 

[phamENG]

Really? That's what doomed it? I think you should remove the 't' from your username... (just kidding, of course)

 

[KootK]

Our antipodean friends here have previously informed me that, in some parts of the world, a "Koot" is actually nearly synonymous with a "Kook". So no change required.

 

[nmerr]

Thanks everyone for your help.

Ive already bought the book so I'll do some reading over the next couple days.

 

[Tomfh]

I think it helps to have what you do in the name. Eg if you are structural consultant then put structural Engineering in the name.

I don’t understand they “XYZ consulting” trend. The public simply doesn’t have a clue what you are.

Our local engineering consulting body recently rebranded as “Consult Australia”, which is such a stupid name for who they represent. I attended their awards night after the rebrand, and they had a local Sydney comedian doing a skit which included roasting the crowd. The problem was the comedian thought we were business/management consultants, so the jokes just fell flat.

 

[Aesur]

We shared the same troubles in picking our company name. The best advice I can give is make sure no matter what options you pick, run them by friends and family; we almost named ourselves something that when said fast sounds similar to a body part....

Additionally, we found that keeping the word engineering out of the name makes filing your paperwork much easier as some states require you to prove you are an engineer, lawyer, etc.. to have a reference to either in your name. I also recommend not including the specific discipline in the name as that locks you into that discipline (from a naming perspective), and what happens if you decide to expand into other disciplines in the future.

 

[LittleInch]

Also remember to look at what the initials spell.

Also couldn't believe how much is out there e.g.

https://killianbranding.com/whitepaper/the-curse-of-the-three-initial-company-name/

https://www.tungstenbranding.com/20...ew-business-five-steps-branding-your-startup/

Much of this is about public perception and brands selling things or services.

No one seems to like initials of the owners....

Think about who you are trying to reach with a name - other engineers or a small set of businesses? or the wider public who are just googling for a particular service.

Of course lots of people want to take your dollars to give you a "brand". Some are better than others.

Myself I just went for the initial option but then I'm not looking to create a large company, just creating one so that I can work for a handful of people as a company, not an individual. All work comes from who i am so I don't really need a "brand", just an official registered name.

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

 

[BigH]

Designs for You Ltd

 

[Agent666]

You can try an online name generator, it might inspire some ideas or throw something out there 5hat sounds good.

https://www.google.com/search?clien...&cshid=1583514438584&biw=412&bih=652&dpr=2.63

 

[KootK]

Additionally, we found that keeping the word engineering out of the name makes filing your paperwork much easier as some states require you to prove you are an engineer, lawyer, etc.. to have a reference to either in your name.

That's a good point to consider as I encountered similar difficulties.

 

[phamENG]

How difficult is that, generally? Do they need something more than a copy of your license? Or do you have to pay for a certified copy to be sent to the business licensing board from the professional licensing board?

 

[Aesur]

If I recall correctly, it requires you proving you are a registered PE, your firm must be registered with the state board (which is typically required anyways) and a certain percent of ownership must be said registered PE's. Basically more paperwork and more time spent obtaining company registration. I suspect the ownership requirements are why many ESOP's don't have engineering in their names. Please note that this varies significantly by state.

 

[minorchord2000]

Since I am older in my 70s, my name would be OME Engineering, LLC. "Old Man Engineering".

 

[ldeem]

Check the states you are looking to practice in. Some will allow you to avoid getting a firm permit if you practice in your name and don't have employees. Registering a company in a state you are not a resident is big pain which you might be able to avoid.

 

[nmerr]

Oh no my state is a bigger pain than anything, I might as well make an LLC for the protection if I already have a bunch of hoops to jump through getting a license on top of my PE even if it's just me with no company and no employees.

 

[Aesur]

On top of the LLC, I would recommend getting your paperwork in for S-Corp status early as well, I believe the deadline is 60 days. We filed late based on bad advice from a lawyer and didn't get the notice until well into the tax season that we were approved. If you are not familiar with the different types of LLC, I suggest reading up on them.

 

[countervail]

Just make sure people can pronounce it. We are Crucis Designs (thanks the wife) and I have to listen to new clients struggle with it every day on the phone. Bonus is we get both eclesitacal and astromical design in at random.

 

[RWW0002]

OME Engineering, LLC. "Old Man Engineering". Old Man Engineering Engineering LLC seems a bit redundant don't you think...

Kind of like SCUBA apparatus.. (i.e. Self-contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus apparatus)

 

[minorchord2000]

RWW0002

I could amend OME Engineering to OLD MAN EMERITUS ENGINEERING.

 

[NOLAscience]

We are Crucis Designs

Make sure you use a font that separates the c from the i. Looked like CRUDS Designs in my browser! (Ask lots of over 55 people to test this for you!)

Aging sucks.

 

[BigH]

An Italian Contractor, Salini Impregilo S.p.A just changed their name to Webuild S.p.A. Along this line of thought why not "WeDesign" or "WeDesign4U". It's a Friday!