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Naming My LLC

woodsy424woodsy424 subscriber Posts: 3
edited February 2007 in Business Planning
Perhaps this is a silly question, but I hope someone can help me out.  In registering my LLC in Connecticut, I want to call it Such and such LLC (for example) as far as the company name but have something different as the store name.  For example, it may be Joe`s Hardware Store to the customer, but the LLC might be Superdooper LLC.  Is it foolish to have a seperate name for the store and the LLC and am I setting myself up for trouble in the future, or does it make sense to work it out this way?  I only ask because in my previous experience working for a franchise, the franchise owner has a business name LLC operating said franchise of a different name.  In addition I often spot restaurant chains that operate under one name but are owned by different companies.  Am I getting in over my head here?  Any advice would be appreciated.
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Comments

  • stevesteve subscriber Posts: 14
    What you`re describing is a DBA. An individual or corporate entity can
    do business using a fictitious name. It`s not foolish to do this. The
    question is what are you trying to accomplish?
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  • patentandtrademarkpatentandtrademark subscriber Posts: 103
    Whether you have one name or two, you should look into the trademark ramifications for the business name(s) you select.
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  • woodsy424woodsy424 subscriber Posts: 3
    Thanks for the help, but I fear I may still be a bit confused.  I have heard the term DBA (Doing business as, correct?) and I basically want to be sure that whatever I end up with, it is all protected legally and so forth.  Also, I want the LLC to act as a company that may someday operate a business seperate from the initial store I would like to run.  For example, let`s say I open a hardware store under one name and a shoe store under another, but both would be owned by the LLC.  Am I on the right path here?  And if so, would the store operating under the LLC name be protected in the same fashion of an LLC.  I want to file the appropriate forms with the State of Connecticut sometime in the near future, and I want to be sure it`s all done right the first time so I don`t find myself accidentally in violation of some tax law or something of that nature.  Forgive me for being overly cautious, but I really want to avoid any mistakes here.  Thank you for being patient with me.
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  • stevesteve subscriber Posts: 14
    Sounds like it might be worth consulting an attorney to make sure you`re comfortable with the set-up.
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  • patentandtrademarkpatentandtrademark subscriber Posts: 103
    just to clarify, my point was about the possibility of having a designation [name, logo, etc] that is confusing to consumers - which is separate from the questions of business structure.
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  • infinique1infinique1 subscriber Posts: 0 Member
    When you name a company, make sure people could guess what kind of services you are providing instinctively. Otherwise, it defeats the purpose.
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