If you are considering starting a business in Pennsylvania, this advice alone could save you a significant amount of money: include your surname in your new business name. You will save yourself the time and money required to
file for a DBA (doing business as) name. [Note: I am not a lawyer, so this is not legal counsel, nor do I know all the jurisdictions where this may apply.]

Have some fun with the naming process while you’re at it. Create a play on words like I have done with E-Content Butler (this Butler helps people manage online content). Use alliteration (Butler’s Buttery Breads Bakery) or humor (Murphy’s Paw, from the people who also created Murphy’s Blawg). You can always go with the tried-and-true Yoursurname and Sons and Daughters, although this often leaves people wondering what you actually do for a living.

Here’s to your success in business.