Follow On TwitterHow to Obtain Your DBA (Doing Business As) or FIC (Fictitious Business Name)
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DBA,or doing business as, is a legal term that is used when your business is operating under a fictitious business name instead of the owner’s name. For example, “The Gap” is a fictitious business name because the name of the business does not include the names of the store owners.
Because it is impossible to know who is actually responsible for the business from a fictitious business name, the government requires you to file a DBA statement in the interests of consumer protection. It’s different in every state, but in the state of California, not only do you have to file a statement with the county, but you also have to publish your fictitious business name in a local newspaper for a set period of time as well. Why does California force you to do this? It’s because publishing your DBA in the newspaper cements your name and your business name together in the public record. If you were to ever commit fraud, law enforcement could easily look up your business and track you down.
Why Get a DBA?
Besides the fact that its illegal to operate your business without one in most states, a DBA also offers you the following benefits.
- Other people will not be able to steal your business name.
- You will be able to open a bank account under your business name.
- You will be able to accept checks written out to your business
How do I get one?
First of all, you don’t need a DBA if you are running the business under your own name. If you’re not, you need to follow these steps. Keep in mind that it’s different in every state so make sure you do your own homework where you live.
- Visit your county clerk’s office to obtain the necessary forms, requirements and fees.
- Check to see if your business name is already taken
- Publish your association with your business name in a local paper for the amount of time required by your state
If all of this seems a bit overwhelming, there are plenty of online services that do everything for you albeit at an additional cost. For our online store, we used www.legalzoom.com and we highly recommend them.
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How to Obtain Your DBA (Doing Business As) or FIC (Fictitious Business Name) | MyWifeQuitHerJob.com…
The article is a tutorial which will show you how to obtain your DBA or FIC. This is required whenever you start a business using a name other than your own….
[...] absolutely no idea what to do during the first month. We didn’t know the first thing about getting a DBA or getting a business license. We knew nothing about C Corporations, S corporations, LLCs or saving [...]
[...] If you plan on using a name for your business that doesn’t contain your name or the legal name of your business entity, you need to file for a ficititious business name. The term FBN (fictitious business name) is used interchangably with DBA(Doing business as) so don’t get confused if you hear both terms as they are both the same thing. The government makes you file for an FBN in order to allow customers to locate the owner of a company without too much effort. This requirement really only exists to protect the consumer. If a customer needs to file a complaint or file a lawsuit, they can find out the owner of the business easily. Registering your FBN immediately is important for two reasons. For one thing, most banks won’t let you open a business account without one and two, registering your business name will lay the groundwork to protect your trademark. Remember, you only need to file a fictitious business name if you plan on using a business name that does not contain your own name. For example, if I wanted to start Steve Chou’s House of Linens, I wouldn’t have to register an FBN. For more information on how to file an FBN, please check out my article on How to Obtain Your DBA (Doing Business As) or FIC (Fictitious Business Name) [...]