DBA Definition

Doing Business As

DBA Information

DBA stands for “Doing Business As,” which is a company name, also commonly called a “fictitious business name”, “trade name” or “assumed name”. A DBA is a secondary name for your business, an officially licensed “alias” if you will.

When a sole proprietor operates a company using any name except his or her own given name, then the DBA or ficticious business name registration establishes the legal ownership to satisfy banks, local authorities, customers, etc.

DBA State Information

DBA Questions

For example, Anita Cantor runs a salsa dance business and marries Scott Beckenbauer. After being wed she takes her husband’s last name, but to keep her business’s branding in tact, she files a DBA name to operate under her original name. Thus, her DBA filing allows her to continue doing business as “Anita Cantor”, while still keeping Beckenbauer as her legal last name. Great branding strategy!

Even established corporations benefit from filing DBA’s if they want to change their business name or operate under a different name. For example, MTS Inc. has a registered DBA under the name Tower Records.

LLC’s: Overview

One of the choices available to persons who wish to conduct business is to operate as a limited liability company (LLC). Compared to corporations and partnerships, the LLC is a relatively new business entity.

Incorporation: Benefits

What do General Motors, Microsoft, AT&T and many other major businesses in America have in common? They’re corporations.

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Please note that DBAform.com and LegalZoom’s legal documentation service is not a law firm, does not act as your attorney and is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Rather, it helps you represent yourself in your own legal matters. If you seek representation, are involved in litigation or have complex legal issues that cannot be resolved on your own, we recommend that you hire an attorney.