If your home business incorporates a particular brand — even if it is you — and you want to control that brand and your image, a trademark can be a valuable tool. The trademark basically says that you are the only one to have the right to use a particular name brand. Spelling isn't important with a trademark; violation of the trademark comes when customers are confused, thinking that something is yours when it isn't.
You can apply for a trademark at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The cost is a non-refundable $325 fee. But if you want to be able to protect yourself from other claiming your home business brand — and maybe offering products and services of dubious quality — it might be worth it to trademark your brand.
The Street offers one more piece of advice regarding getting a trademark:
And keep detailed records regarding the date the mark is first used in
commerce; this is of critical importance when filing the trademark
application paperwork.
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