Last week I had the pleasure of taking my high school senior #daughter to visit #Auburn. During the trip we talked about her plans to go into #PR and compared it to my use of LinkedIn. She wrote this for me, which I also posted on LinkedIn:

A #trademark infringement can throw a wrench in the plans of any business. Even a well-established business can suffer huge financial and time- consuming consequences from being found liable.

When a business is created, the first step is to get their name out there. The hope is that people- once knowing the business exists- will chose to go there the next time the business can fulfill their needs. Once a business successfully gets their name into the marketplace, changing it can be catastrophic.

To protect your small business from the financial consequences of a rebranding, a simple step can be taken. Conducting a trademark search can save major amounts of time and money.

Protecting your small business isn’t difficult if you take the right steps to ensure you are legally protected even before opening your doors.

While it may seem like an optional and unnecessary cost, it could possibly help you save thousands in legal fees and total rebranding later. Everyone starting a business should consider a trademark search and registration before even settling on a name.