But before you go out and get some business cards printed, you will need to decide on the name of your company.

Naming your business may be even harder than naming a child. In business, unique names are highly valued for establishing brand identity and for standing out from the crowd. While you may have a unique name in the state you incorporate, it can be stressful to discover that someone else has the same business name as you in another state.

When researching names for your business, you can search your state's government sites for incorporations and see what names are taken or not. Keep in mind that many people will incorporate with one name for their business entity and then use a D.B.A. (Doing Business As) name which is different.

Creating a unique business name that describes your business and is unique at the same can be quite a challenge. For example, a business name like “Baker + Associates” as a business name doesn't tell the reader anything about the type of business. However, “Baker Creative” tells a little more, but what sort of creative? Advertising, design, interior decorating?

“Baker Web Design” tells us exactly what the business is about, whereas a name like “IntelliLogic” will need a descriptive tag line after the logo to explain what the business is about.

Your business name does not have to be totally descriptive, and some people believe some mystery or intrigue about a name can be a great opening when exchanging business cards at networking events.

Whatever direction you go with your business name, spend the time to make sure you have exactly what you want and need. Once you start creating a logo and getting marketing materials printed, it will get expensive quickly.

Assuming you've settled on a name and you're ready to go over to the local copy shop and get a thousand business cards printed.

Not so fast, before you have a business card, you will need a logo.

I'm not talking about picking out a symbol to go with your name from a business card sample book at Office Depot or a local print shop. I'm talking about creating a unique logo that captures your business' style and professionalism, in a creative, appealing look.

It's always best to work with a professional designer to create a logo for your business. While there are “do it yourself” web sites out there where you can create your own logo online—you have to make all the make all the design decisions and unless you have a design background, you may not make make the best choices.

A designer can not only apply his or her creative skills to create a unique look for your business, they can listen to your vision of your business, your target market and give you an outsider's perspective.

Having a professionally designed logo is the first step in presenting a professional image of your business.

A designer can also help you with the design and layout of your letterhead and assist with printing your business cards and other marketing materials. This is important in that all your marketing materials need to belong to the same “family” in design and layout.

Designers can also help you with the design of ads, web sites and can handle all “pre-press” work, and can make sure anything the public sees always presents the best possible image for your company.

While almost every printer now is working with digital files, some printers want PDF files to print from and others want .EPS or .JPG files. Four color printing requires that all files be converted to CMYK and a designer can bridge the gap between your marketing needs and the printed product.