The following is the fourth in a 12-part series by Fairfield County Venture Mom Holly Hurd. If you have articles you would like to submit, send them to .

Week Two – Name Your Venture

Naming your venture is one of the exciting aspects of getting started, but it can be one of the most difficult. In your VentureMom notebook, start by writing down what you are offering and then below it write down as many related ideas, synonyms, opposites and puns that you can think of. For example, if you are starting a dessert business, you might list: sugar, cupcakes, pies, bundt cakes, cookies, brownies, lemon bars ... anything related. When you can't think of any more, search online using a thesaurus or synonym finder to add to your list. Then add adjectives. In this example, you might add yummy, delicious, tasty, sweet, luscious, delectable, scrumptious and on and on.

Then get personal. Make a list of names or things that mean something to you. It could be your name, your kids' names, your pet's name, a favorite vacation spot, your street name, your school's name, your home state or your team's mascot. Think of a family name, a grandparent's middle name, a cousin's nickname or your nickname. The ideas are endless. What else is related? For example, if you are from the Carolinas and starting a line of girls clothing, it could be "Carolina Girls," which is a play on the song, or "Sweet Caroline" or "Tarheel Togs" — you get the idea. Or in the dessert example, it could be "Tarheel Treats" or "Carolina Sweet Treats."

Now write the purpose of the venture. In our example, you want to provide yummy desserts for parties and special occasions. So here is another list: party, celebration, fete, gala. Go to the synonym finder again. You should now have several long lists that will give you lots of ideas to choose from. How about "Southern Gala Girls" or "Southern Sweets."

You want a name that people will remember, something that describes who you are and what you do. Now you are ready to start combining words from your list. Think about common sayings or clichés. Look at words that start with the same letter for alliteration as in our examples above. Rhyming words are great, too. Your name should clearly tell what you do.

Once you come up with something you like, get feedback from your family and friends. Check the Internet for similar names and see whether the domain is available. Check out the VentureMom names on VentureMom.com to get more ideas.

By now your creative juices should be flowing with ideas for naming your venture. Have fun and get started. I want to hear what you come up with.

Holly Hurd – VentureMom

What are you thinking of naming your venture? Let us know in the comments below.