Should I just name the business after myself?

It works, and around here it often works better than anything clever. Miller Lawn & Snow tells a neighbor everything: who's responsible, that a real person answers, and that the name has something to lose. In a county where your family's been for three generations, that's not a name — it's collateral.

Two catches. First, it ties the business's reputation to your household — which is a feature right up until you want to sell it or hand it to somebody who isn't a Miller. Second, common surnames get crowded fast: check that the .com is open and that the state's register doesn't already have your twin, before you letter the trailer.

A middle path a lot of good shops take: your name plus the work or the place — the surname with the trade, the road, or the township on it. Still yours, still personal, easier to own on the internet.

The naming desk will cut you a set either way, .com checked, free.