When it comes to running a business, it's important to understand the difference between a business name and a DBA (Doing Business As). A business name is the name that your company is commonly known by or the name you use when advertising or doing business. A good example of this is Walmart, whose legal business name is Wal-Mart Inc. A company name is the real name of the company, while a business name or DBA is a way of doing business with a particular name filed in a state or county. Having a DBA can make it easier to open bank accounts and obtain business credit, instead of doing so in your personal name if you are a sole proprietorship.
As part of protecting your company name and business name, you'll also want to protect your domain name. If you end up with a complicated legal business name, finding a business name that's simpler and more appealing to customers could be the right decision. If you want to set up a specific company, you can create a DBA under a different name so you don't have to create another corporation. Before submitting all the necessary business documentation, you can reserve the name you want by paying a small fee in most states. The fact that, in general, a business name is not unique can cause problems for your company if someone decides to use the same business name. When deciding the name of a company to file legally, make sure you have some backups in case your first option is chosen.
You can do business with whatever name you think is most memorable and catchy, even if you have a different legal business name. This guide provides comprehensive information on the most common legal problems associated with running an online business and how to avoid or manage them. We cover advertising, intellectual property, company formation and other important legal aspects of running an online business.
