Quote Originally Posted by Jay_Bunny View Post
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.