How do you check if a business name is taken?

[Jay_Bunny]

I posted earlier about figuring out a new name for my hobby/business. I plan on having both a reptile/herp breeding business AND having a feeder business. My fiancé and I came up with a name we like but have no idea if it's taken.

Since our two dogs are named Thor and Loki we thought Odin's Exotics would be a nice name and exotics doesn't limit us to just reptiles if we want to expand into other species. With the feeder part we would simply call it Odins Natural Pet Food or Odins Feast (as I plan to expand the feeder business to include raw food for dogs, cats, etc.

[danielwilu2525]

Generally you just do a quick google search. I did it and nothing really came up as a business. That's a nice name! Especially for a guy whose In love with Marvel comics.

[bcr229]

Look up the Secretary of State web site for your state on Google. From there you can do a business entity name search.

[Jay_Bunny]

Well I checked in this state and no such business exists with that name so I'm free to use it. So what are my next steps? I'm looking on the website and there are so many things and I'm lost. Something was talking about a "fictitious name" registration that's good for 5 years. Its for a "DBA" (doing business as) which apparently is required if I'm doing business as something other than my legal name. So I'm assuming I need this.

What else? I saw something about registering an "online presence". I guess I'm lost. I haven't been able to take business classes yet (not getting a degree, but plan to take a few classes). Any guidance?

[DennisM]

I don't think you need a DBA, you need to create either an s-corp or LLC. Talk to an accountant.

[DennisM]

as for the online presence, it would be helpful to have a website for a retail company, though not required. FB seems to work for a lot of people. Even if you decide against a site, you should purchase the appropriate domain names to prevent others from using them.

[PitOnTheProwl]

Google is the easiest.
My DBA, State an Federal tax all are registered to PitOnTheProwl.

[bcr229]

Well I checked in this state and no such business exists with that name so I'm free to use it. So what are my next steps? I'm looking on the website and there are so many things and I'm lost. Something was talking about a "fictitious name" registration that's good for 5 years. Its for a "DBA" (doing business as) which apparently is required if I'm doing business as something other than my legal name. So I'm assuming I need this.

What else? I saw something about registering an "online presence". I guess I'm lost. I haven't been able to take business classes yet (not getting a degree, but plan to take a few classes). Any guidance?

How many people are going to be involved in the business? For example, my husband and I both run the gun business so we have an LLC, we're both active members of it, and we can "run" the business (though I own 51% to his 49%).

If you're the only person involved you don't need a corp, you can run as a sole proprietor d/b/a "Odin's Exotics" and just file a Sched C with your tax return each year.

An LLC/corp is nice for the liability shield, especially if you have assets like a home or investments, but as a single-person LLC you don't get much protection as it's not that difficult to pierce the corporate veil of a single-person LLC if the business ends up in a lawsuit.

[DennisM]

I've never been involved in a DBA, so I'm not sure about the tax benefits. I have been involved in a s-corp (which under present federal tax law doesn't really differ from LLC) for many years and there are significant deductions available to them. full disclosure: my company is not reptile or retail related at all.

Did I mention you should talk to an accountant? Why are you getting financial advice from a bunch of people on an internet snake forum?

[BFE Pets]

Well I checked in this state and no such business exists with that name so I'm free to use it. So what are my next steps? I'm looking on the website and there are so many things and I'm lost. Something was talking about a "fictitious name" registration that's good for 5 years. Its for a "DBA" (doing business as) which apparently is required if I'm doing business as something other than my legal name. So I'm assuming I need this.

What else? I saw something about registering an "online presence". I guess I'm lost. I haven't been able to take business classes yet (not getting a degree, but plan to take a few classes). Any guidance?

You are where I was a few years ago. Check out your local colleges business department. Our local branch of Kent state has a Ohio small business development center. they pretty much had a packet of info that laid it out step by step for us. they also had free consultation services to help get you started on the right path.