Metro Atlanta CPA on Asks Should Your Newly Incorporated Business Use a DBA (Doing Business As)?

Metro Atlanta CPA Asks Should Your Newly Incorporated Business Use a DBA (Doing Business As)?

Determining if You Should Trademark the Name of Your Business

Recently I received an inquiry off of our website for a new business owner seeking to know how best name and market their firm:

I am the owner of a business that you helped me set up last January. I have a few questions regarding the changing the name of my business or rather setting up a "Doing Business As." It is my understanding that filing a DBA is a better option than attempting to change the name of the corporation. It is also my understanding that setting up a DBA is a $30 fee and is to be set up when the corporation's annual registration is filed. Is the annual registration included in your yearly tax service fees or is this an additional fee? If this is included, can you add a DBA? Would you include any additional charges to add a DBA, other than the required $30, since you are already filing the annual registration? Please let me know.

With the world getting smaller as the Internet helps both broaden your business marketplace and visibility, protecting your business name is becoming more and more important. Below is my response to the above inquiry:

I would always suggest changing the corporate name rather than the DBA. To do so might I suggest you have an attorney handle this for you. Changing the corporate name will be one less name for you to be sure to protect. To have better protection it would be prudent to consider and evaluate getting a trademark for your corporate name. Please be reminded to contemplate if your company needs an international, national or state trademark.

John Dillard is an Christian Speaker/Author and Certified Public Accountant in Duluth, GA. To See how he takes Christ along with him to work visit http://www.hiscpa.com/  and for his latest book Overcoming Life's 9/11's: Job's Journey and a Voice of One: Nehemiah's Prayer visit http://www.john-dillard.com/  or call John Dillard CPA today at 770.814.9304 (All Rights Reserved) Dare to Attempt Something so Great for the Kingdom of God that it is doomed to failure, lest Christ be in it!