What should I name my lawn care business?

Four tests, in order. Can you say it on the phone without spelling it twice. Does it fit on a trailer and read from the road at 40 miles an hour. Is the .com open — check the registry, not your gut. And is it clear of the state's register, so your filing doesn't get bounced. A name that fails any one of those is a name you'll repaint.

What works around here: your own name, your road, your township, the creek, the county. What doesn't: anything with "Solutions" or "Ventures" in it, cursive nobody can read, or a pun you'll be tired of by August. And don't box yourself in — if you'll be plowing in January, "Anderson Mowing" is a name you'll outgrow by the first snow.

Our naming desk cuts names in exactly that register — plain, local, sounds like it's been here forty years — and checks every .com against the registry live. It's free and there's no sign-up.

Check the state's register too, before you print anything. A trailer decal with a name you can't register is expensive wallpaper.