Secure Your Business' Name

Please note that terminology, laws and regulations often vary based on several factors, including industry, location, and more. It’s important you check your local guidelines before taking action. If you have questions, please contact us.

Every business needs a name – something that accurately represents what you have to offer to the world. Properly registering your business name ensures others can’t use your name and confuse your customers. The first step is to make sure the name you want is available. Do a quick Google search and visit your state’s Department of Corporations or Commerce. Once you’ve found an available name that fits your business, register it in one of three ways. In most cases, you won’t need to do all three, but you will likely have to complete at least two.

Entity Name

Your business entity name is your company’s legal name. It traditionally ends with something like “LLC, Inc,” or “Company,” and needs to be used on your formal documents. Registering an entity name gives you state-level protection, which means if you decide to operate in another state you may need to register your business’ name in that state as well. If this happens, ensure again the name is not already taken in that state.

Trademark

Obtaining a trademark is much more complicated and intensive than registering an entity name or DBA. The main difference between an entity name and a trademark is the level of protection it provides. If you only register your entity name, your business’ name is only protected at a state level. If you register a trademark your business name is protected at a federal level.

Doing Business As (DBA)

Using your legal name does not lend itself to marketing or using catchy slogans. To drop the “Inc.” and use a less formal version of your name, create a DBA – or fictional name. When you’re setting this up, it will look like “Communication Service for the Deaf Inc. doing business as CSD.” In many states, you will need a DBA to open a business account and operate.

Two other things to keep in mind when setting up your business’ name is your business’ website and email. While you may not start using these right away, you should look into securing and email and registering a domain name that fits your business to make sure they are available when the time comes.

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