There are many steps you should consider prior to starting your own business and key among them is to form the appropriate legal entity that best matches your current needs as well as allows for eventual expansion should you wish to do so.

If you are working with an existing attorney who has expertise in this area by all means continue this relationship, but many have found it is both appropriate and cost effective to deal with attorneys who specialize in working with small start-ups.

We have researched this field and located attorneys whose expertise matches the needs of small business entrepreneurs.

 

CorpNet™ provides document filing services for a variety of business needs such as forming your own Corporation or Limited Liability Company (LLC), filing a DBA/Fictitious Business Name, Foreign Qualification Filings, Registered Agent Representations, Corporate Compliance services, etc. and they do so in all 50 states and internationally.

 

Their experienced U.S. based customer support team is available to provide the personal assistance needed in processing document filing request quickly and efficiently, before, during, and after a corporate entity is formed.

Once you have decided on a name, you should determine the best form of legal entity for your business. There are many choices, including forming a C or S corporation, forming a partnership of limited liability company, or operating as a sole proprietorship.

 

We have several tools to assist you in making that decision and once you decide, we can help you form your entity with minimal investment of time and money. If you have a complex or unusual business, you will be
best served by retaining a good attorney and tax accountant at the outset.

 

If you are a sole proprietor or general partnership conducting business using a special name that is different from your own name, then you must file a DBA. The same is true if you have incorporated or formed a limited liability company (LLC) and are operating the business under a name that is different from the name of the company or LLC. DBAs are filed at the state or county level.

There is no real difference between them and they all serve the same purpose: to provide notice to the public of the true owner of a business when the identity would not otherwise be known from the name of the business itself. To accomplish this, many jurisdictions require that the FBN be published in the legal notices section of a newspaper meeting specific requirements over a specified time period.

Since exact filing and publication requirements vary from state to state and county to county, you may wish to have us handle your DBA filing, including checking to see if the name you want to use is already in use (where that is a requirement to making a filing). We can also fill out the forms based on information you provide, file the form, and publishing the name in the right newspaper for the right length of time (where required).

 

Once you have decided to start a new business, you will need to select a name. Before you invest
too much in name, you should do a search to make sure it is not already in use in a way that could create a conflict between another business and your own. For a free Corporate Name search for your state, click here.

 

We can help you with a name check and name reservation to verify whether the name you want is available. If you are forming a corporation or limited liability company, your legal entity may be the same name as the business name. If it is a different name, or if you are a sole proprietor and using a fictitious name for your business (that is, a name other than your own), you will need to register a Doing Business As name with the state or county in which you intend to operate.

 

We can also help prepare and file your DBA application. It is also a good time to obtain a URL for your web site with your name (or something close that customers can use to find you). You should also take additional steps to protect your name, including possibly filing for trademark protection.