Your client is interested in starting a small business but perhaps the common choices of an LLC or corporation are not the right fit. For financial and legal reasons, your client needs to choose a business entity to form his or her new business under. Hence, the “Doing Business As” or DBA. A DBA name is a business name that is different from your client’s personal name, the names of your client’s partners, or if your client is looking to expand a current company, the officially registered name of your client’s LLC or corporation. DBAs can also be called trade names or assumed names.
As you likely know, and your client may not, in most states, a business cannot operate a business under a different name without registering with the appropriate government agency. Each state has its own specific rules surrounding new business formation, including the filing of a DBA. More information about a state’s specification rules and regulations can be found here on the SBA.gov website.
When is a DBA the best business entity choice for your client? Here are a few scenarios:
- Sole Proprietors or Partnerships – If your client wishes to start a business under any name other than his real one, you’ll need to register a DBA name so that he can do business under the DBA name.
- Existing Corporations or LLCs – If your client’s business is already incorporated and he wants to do business under a different name, you will need to register a DBA.
- Cost – If your client does not want to pay the fees and costs associated with incorporating and/or forming an LLC, a DBA might be the way to go.
DBAs can be registered in every state and no matter where your client’s business is located, or where he / she is interested in setting up the new business, Attorneys Corporation Service, Inc. can help. Let us save you time and money by filing your client’s DBA in the proper county and publishing it in the required newspaper — all in one easy process.
For more information on the DBA process, or to start registering your client’s DBA, click here.
Attorneys Corporation Service, Inc. provides fast, reliable formation services and quality products. For customized Estate Plan Organizers and Corporate Supplies, your premier source is Attorneys Corporation Service. We also provide solutions for tough filing assignments. Call us at 800.462.5487 or check us out online at www.AttorneysCorpService.com.
