Choosing a name for your Virtual Assistant Business

Choosing the name of your Virtual Assistant business is undoubtedly the fun part of setting up – the world is your oyster, and the choices are endless. However, there are a few things you need to think about in order to get it right and to avoid some common pitfalls.

So, in this guide, we’ll walk you through the key things to think about, the common pitfalls to avoid, and give you a step-by-step process to choose the right name for your VA business. Whether you’re a sole trader or registering with Companies House, this will help you on your way.

Why Does Your Business Name Matter?

• A business name is the first thing people come across when they interact with your business. A good name builds trust, it makes it clear what you offer at a glance, and it helps to make you look professional and credible from day one.

• It helps marketing. A memorable, relevant name makes it easier to find you and recommend you. So, for example, if you offer social media management, what would a potential client type into Google to find a social media manager? Can you build that into your business name?

• A good business name helps to set expectations. It signals the type of work you do, your values, or something you specialise in. For example, names like The Property VA, The Bookkeeping Bee, PA and Admin Services, etc.

• A business name will need to grow with you, so if you can (and this is not always easy because plans can change), try to choose something that can grow with your business. A name like “Jane Smith Virtual Assistant” might work well if you are a solo VA, but could feel restrictive if you grow a team.

Common Naming Pitfalls to Avoid

• We would always encourage you to research a name when you choose it, it can save an awful lot of problems further down the line, so think about the following things and be prepared to do some research on it!
  
• Please search your name extensively to ensure that nobody else is using it. Simple checks are easy to do on Companies House, Google and directories. Just because a name isn’t registered with Companies House doesn’t mean it’s free to use – someone else might hold the trademark. Even if they don’t hold the name legally, ethically, it isn’t nice to steal someone else’s name when they’ve worked really hard to build up their business and brand.

• Unintentional meanings. Please always check how your name looks as a domain (A very real case of this happened around five or six years ago when a lady called Gina wanted to name her business VA Gina. It was fine until somebody pointed out her domain name….. www.vagina.co.uk!)

• Make it easy for people. Is your business name easy to say and spell? If people can’t find you online or refer you easily, you may lose out on business.

• Buzzwords that date. Names with terms like “ninja,” “guru,” or “rockstar” can age quickly.

7 Steps to Naming Your VA Business (with Examples!)

Step 1: Know Who You’re Talking To

Think about your ideal clients. Are they creatives, legal firms, wellness coaches or tech startups? Your name should appeal to them. If you are struggling to find your ideal client, download our eBook here.

Step 2: Decide on the Style

For example, do you want your name to be:

Personal (e.g. Laura Shaw Virtual Assistant Services)

Descriptive (e.g. Precision Call Handling)

Brandable (e.g. BrightDesk)

Corporate (e.g. Elevate Solutions Ltd)

Step 3: Brainstorm and Shortlist

Refine your ideas down and think about:

• Keywords related to your services (e.g. calm, efficient, clarity, digital)

• Your values (e.g. trust, freedom, growth)

• Word combinations or metaphors

Step 4: Check Availability

• Companies House: Check if the name is registered as a company. You can do that here: https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/

• UKIPO: Optional – search the UK Intellectual Property Office for trademarks. You can do that here: https://www.gov.uk/search-for-trademark

• Use domain name providers such as 123-reg or GoDaddy to check available .co.uk and .com domains, or search https://www.whois.com/whois/

• Have a good hunt around on social media channels such as Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter for availability.

Step 5: Say It Out Loud

• Say your name out loud just to make sure it sounds natural and is easy to pronounce.

Step 6: Get Feedback

• Ask business friends, mentors, or VA groups for input. Don’t rely on just friends and family.

Step 7: Think Ahead

• Will this name still work if you scale up, niche down, or sell the business? Avoid boxing yourself in.

A Note on Legal Protection

Registering with Companies House does not give you exclusive rights to your business name. If it is core to your brand identity, consider registering a trademark with the UK IPO. This protects you from others using your name – or worse, forcing you to rebrand if someone else comes along and trademarks it after you have set up and have been using it for some time.

Real-Life Examples

This real-life example comes from Caroline Wylie (former owner of the Society of Virtual Assistants) and happend in 2004.

“Back in 2004 when I set up I scouted around for a memorable name that described what I did. I spent weeks toying with descriptions of what I did, job titles, colours, positive words, a thesaurus full of “online” variations, and I tried them all in different combinations to come up with a company name. My best friend Sharon and I wrote them all on tiny bits of paper and mixed them together whilst drinking several bottles of wine. (Hey, who said business couldn’t be fun?). The one which eventually stuck was “Virtually Sorted”. Hooray! I have a business and it’s called Virtually Sorted.”

About six months after the business launched my web designer, Website Tom, came upstairs and showed me a new website.

“Why have you done that Tom? I like our website”, I said.

“I didn’t.” replied Website Tom.

“But it’s called Virtually Sorted. And that’s not our phone number. You got our phone number wrong.”

“I didn’t do it. That’s another company.”

When we’d looked for the domain name, we hadn’t been able to get virtuallysorted.com because someone had bought it, not done anything with it and it was due for expiry pretty soon. We wait-listed it and bought it as soon as it became available. Meanwhile, we bought virtuallysorted.net and put our website there. Virtuallysorted.co.uk was being used as an online training website, and although we have offered to buy it many, many times they have always refused. Since they weren’t offering VA services we figured it probably wouldn’t become too much of an issue though.

The VA business had bought virtually-sorted.com. They also appeared to have registered it just before we set up, although the site had only been made live very recently. There was a huge question mark over who had been trading first.

Off I went to see my long-suffering lawyer, Andrew, king of all intellectual property. He sighed (a lot!). The issue is, if they register a trademark they could theoretically stop me from using the name “Virtually Sorted”. I’d already had my logo designed round the name, I’d had a fair amount of press exposure, I had printed all my business cards and stationery. If I had to change the name it would mean several thousand pounds and another six months work. I was horrified! All that work and money going to waste. And I really didn’t want to be seen as a copycat or to have clients getting confused about who they were working with.

Thankfully, Andrew did some further digging and realised that they hadn’t registered a trademark yet so advised me to get in there first. (He really is a wonderful lawyer – get one at the earliest opportunity!)

Trademark registration is not a failsafe method of protecting your brand, but it certainly helps get you with the law on your side of the argument. We registered under “Business Class” and we’ve not had any issues so far. Had the other Virtually Sorted been encroaching on our market, or if they had the better domain name, I would have pushed harder to have their site removed.

But it could have turned out so much worse. My advice? Do your research properly before deciding on a name!”

Bonus: Name Brainstorming Ideas

• What do you want clients to feel when they see your name?

• What values do you want your name to reflect?

• Are there metaphors that suit your work? (e.g. clarity, foundation, connection)

• Does it leave room for growth?

FREE Download: VA Business Name Checklist

Download your checklist here.

Use this checklist to:

• Brainstorm and shortlist names
• Check availability (domain, socials, Companies House)
• Run basic trademark checks
• Get structured feedback
• Choose with confidence

Choosing a name can feel overwhelming, but it’s also an opportunity to define your identity and stand out in a growing industry. With a little research and creativity, you can pick a name that feels right, looks professional, and grows with your business.