Name Change when Buying a New Business?

May 13, 2025

by a searcher from Bowling Green State University - College of Business Administration in Columbus, OH, USA

What are the thoughts of changing the name once buying a new business. I am in the middle of SBA approval of a business that I am buying.. Not sure if I like the name but the company has been in business since 1992 Thank you for all of the feedback....not going to change the name...

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Reply by a searcher
from University of California, Los Angeles in Palm Springs, CA, USA

Don't do it immediately, please transition and then you can evaluate it. Too early to make that move.

Reply by a searcher
from Northwestern University in Chicago, IL, USA

Agree with others that a name change is a big decision and you should wait until after you close and start managing the business to make any major changes. There will likely be implications to employee and customer relationships in addition to hidden costs that you might not be fully aware of pre-acquisition. I would give it time to marinate, and if you later find there is a strategic reason to change the name, 1) you'll be better equipped to assess the costs once you are inside, 2) you could use it as an opportunity to engage your new employees and get them excited about the next chapter, perhaps even involve them in the process and 3) timing-wise, you may find that there's a natural inflection point for the business where a rebrand would make sense (maybe around a big new product launch?) and help launch the company into the next new growth phase. I don't think it's impossible, but if you give yourself time to really get to know the company from the inside, you'll be able to better think through the pros and cons and make a plan for the change that minimizes costs and disruptions to the business.

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