Wham, bam, Boomvang

Call me immature, but I still enjoy getting mail as much as I did when I was 11, making the long walk down the driveway to grab the new issue of Sports Illustrated or Ranger Rick. As a grownup, getting a FedEx is even more of a thrill, because it usually delivers my latest splurge from Amazon.

But not always.

In December, my daughter brought an unexpected FedEx to me that had been left at our front door. Excitement turned to anguish: It was a cease and desist on using Ellipsis Communications LLC as my business name. After 9-plus years, registered with the Arizona Corporation Commission but not the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, no more three dots. Period.

Long story short, a trademark lawyer told me I had no case. The other entity had federal protection, and I did not. I immediately set to brainstorming a new name. I didn't love anything I was coming up with, when my wife suggested that I kick around some sailing and navigation terms.

The result, with a website ready to launch on or before January 31, 2009, is Boomvang^SM Creative Group LLC. A boom vang (two words) is a pulley or piston system found on larger boats, attached from the base of the mast to a point on the boom, enabling you to control the shape of your mainsail. Which seems as good a metaphor as any for heading into my second decade of business as a freelance writer, editor, marketer and entrepreneur.