Your business
name can become a valuable
asset, especially if you decide
to sell your business in the
future. It's important that your
properly register your business
name not only to secure and
protect its value, but also to
remain compliant with mandatory
business name registration laws.
The public has
the right to know the owner(s)
of every business doing business
in names other than the name of
the owner(s). Public records
should clearly state the owner(s)
of every business. Which records
you need to register for depends
upon your local and state
commercial codes and other laws.
Remember, the laws for
registering a business in
California are different than
all the other 49 states. You
must become informed of the laws
pertaining to the state in which
your business will reside!
Typically all
states support the premise that
the public has the right to know
the owner(s) of every business.
Nearly all sole-proprietor
business owners register their
business name as a "DBA" (doing
business as) by filing a
Fictitious Name Statement (form
name may vary by state) with
their County Government, that
being the county in which the
business will reside. The fees
are generally reasonable, and
while you are there many county
governments have additional info
on other new business
requirements such as licenses.
If the business
is not a sole-proprietorship and
operates in another company
form, such as a corporation or
limited liability company (there
are other forms too) the
registration is likely to be
done with state level government
instead of county government.
One of the best
advisors you can have when
setting up a business is not
only an attorney, but a
reputable local Certified Public
Accountant (CPA). They are
usually well informed on local
and state business name
requirements as well as
attorneys.
Be aware that
you cannot simply choose any
name you want. The name may be
protected at local, state or
federal levels. For example, we
have a corporation called
"Park-A-Pet" and it has Federal
protection, no one can operate
with that business name if they
attempt to do so since the date
we filed and received Federal
protection in all U.S. states.
This level of protection is
generally not necessary for
nearly all grooming businesses
unless you intend to operate a
chain of business locations
usually involved in interstate
commerce.
Most
sole-proprietorship companies
operate with county level
protection, and organizations
like corporations and limited
liability companies operate with
state level protection. You are
required to search records to
see if your desired company name
may be used by you. Start with
your county and state government
offices, or consult an attorney.
The government doesn't check it
out thoroughly, you must do
that. If you register a
protected name owned by someone
else you will eventually face
repercussions when they discover
what you have done. What if you
paid thousands for stationery,
advertising and signs only to
have to "cease and desist" in
addition to potential lawsuits?
Because there are local, state
and federal levels of protection
it can get confusing very
quickly without the assistance
of a professional.
Be aware that
mobile grooming businesses doing
business in more than their
"home" county may have to
register in all other counties
in which they travel to in order
to do business. A DBA filing may
not be necessary in these
outside counties, but don't
forget you may have to secure
business licenses from them. Be
sure to inquire about the
regulations for your area and
again, don't rely on the
guidance of others outside of
these jurisdictions who are not
legal or accounting
professionals unfamiliar with
the laws specific to your
business region.
Thousands of Sample Grooming
Business Names
Notice: We have gleaned
thousands of grooming business
names from public records. These
are presented for entertainment
only. We are not suggesting,
implying or recommending that
you use any one or more of these
names for your business name. In
fact, all business names are the
property of their legal owners.
Consult your attorney to assist
you with determining the
availability of your business
name and measures of name
protection available to you. If you do not agree
with this Notice in its entirety
and our
site disclaimer notice,
please do not access our lists
of business names.
Be patient. Some of the lists
are very long. It may take 1 to
2 minutes for visitors using
dial-up.
You may need to temporarily
disable any pop-up blockers
active in your web browser in
order to view the lists of names
available by clicking the links
below.
