What happens when you put your complete trust in a web-based business registration service? You end up changing the business name you so passionately set your heart on.
Here's what really happened. And I admit, the Department of Trade and Industry isn't entirely at fault here. Because of my excitement, I kept putting off getting my business registered and working instead on the goods to sell, the packaging, and of course, the logo. Silly me. I was confident that the name I wanted was not yet taken because when I checked it online, records did not show a business registered under the same name. I knew I had to register it eventually, but for the life of me, I don't know why I didn't do it sooner rather than later.
When I finally had the money and the time to have it duly registered at a DTI office, I had my heart set on the name Sweet Addictions. To say that I was extremely frustrated to find out that there was a bakeshop outside Manila registered under the same name is an understatement. The only difference is that they used the singular form of the noun. I sat there at the officer's desk, wasting his time while trying to think for an alternative name, only to get turned down every time because every name I mentioned was already taken. I even called Charo for rescue but she insisted that I abort the registration because I might settle for a name I wasn't happy with. I went home feeling defeated and tired. It was a good thing that Lyn invited me for drinks at her house that night because I badly needed one. As much as I was frustrated at the flaws of the online services of DTI, I couldn't put the blame entirely on them. So that evening, I just blamed it on the ah-ah-ah-ah-a-alcohol!
I really hate to change it, but given the circumstance, I really have no choice. So if you happen to visit my online shop, expect a major change soon in the name and possibly, in the look of the site. *SAAAD FACE*
The lesson here? Simple. Get your business registered before anything else. Or at least before you even begin working on a name or a logo design. And don't put your complete trust on the web-based DTI registration service because it won't always tell you if another business is registered in the name you're intending to use. It is best to first register online and then verify the name with a DTI officer.
The most important lesson of all? It takes less drinks than you think to turn a bad day around when you are in good company. =)
