- [Instructor] A DBA, or doing business as,
is essentially a nickname for your company.
In California, a DBA is also called
a fictitious business name.
DBAs are a great way to rebrand your company name,
to add new brands to your company,
or to change your company name completely.
For sole proprietors and partnerships,
DBAs offer the ability to operate under a name
that isn't the business owner's surname.
For more information on the specifics
of what a DBA is and how it can be used,
check out our other video linked below.
In this video, we'll go over the steps you need to take
in order to form a DBA in California.
There are two ways to form a DBA.
You can do it yourself
or you can hire a service to do it for you.
Let's take a look at both options
and help you decide how to go about forming your own DBA.
One, do it yourself.
If you want to save money, you can form a DBA on your own.
Let's take a look at the steps
to forming a DBA in California on your own.
One, complete name searches.
When determining what you want your DBA name to be,
you'll want to make sure
you follow California naming requirements.
For more details, check out our video,
"How to Name Your Business in California",
or our naming guides linked below.
Next you'll want to make sure
the name is available in California.
The first and most important searches
with California's county records for the county you're in.
If the name is not available,
you'll have to adjust your name or use a different one.
We provide instructions to search your business name
in California on howtostartanllc.com, linked below.
Searching is free.
To learn more, visit California Naming Guides
linked in the description below.
After confirming your name is available in California,
we recommend doing a domain search
to see if your name is available as a URL.
Even if you don't plan on making a website today,
we recommend buying your domain
in order to prevent others from acquiring it.
Two, register your DBA.
After you've chosen an available name,
you'll want to register your DBA.
For all business structures in California,
registration is done through the county
where your principle place of business is located.
If your principle place of business
is outside the state of California,
you are required to file with the Sacramento County Clerk.
DBA regulations are managed by the state of California,
which means the steps for getting a DBA
are very similar from county to county.
However, you'll need to contact
the correct county clerk for instructions.
Filing fees and specific registration processes vary,
so check out our pages linked below
for more detailed information for your county.
Three, publish a California
fictitious business name statement.
Within 30 days of registering your fictitious business name,
California requires you to publish
a fictitious business name statement in a newspaper
in the county where your principle place of business is.
You must publish once a week for four weeks.
Publication is easy,
and when you call the newspaper to run your ad,
they will be familiar with the process
and they will have the template
for the fictitious business name statement.
Publication requirements are explained in detail
on the california.gov website linked below.
If refiling your fictitious business name is required,
the original expired, you must publish again.
You must file an affidavit proving publication
within 30 days of the completion of publication.
And with that, you'll have a DBA in California.
Keep in mind that your California DBA
needs to be renewed every five years on the county level.
Option two.
The second way to form a DBA is to hire
a professional service to create your DBA for you.
Hiring a professional service to file your forms
and do name searches will cost you an additional 50 to $150.
However, there are several benefits to working with a pro.
A hired professional files your DBA for you,
keeps you up to date with renewals,
and assists with publications.
DBAs, or doing business as, are also known as trade names,
assumed names, or fictitious names of a business.
And formal business structures
like sole proprietorships and partnerships
can use DBAs as their business name
instead of their surnames.
Formal business structures like LLCs and corporations
can use DBAs as a means to rebrand their name,
add new brands, or change the name they are using
as their business name.
DBAs are not a business structure
and are not separate legal entities.
They also do not provide asset protection
or liability protection to informal business structures.
For state-specific guides on how to form a DBA,
check out the pages linked below
and for a more detailed guide, visit StartupSavant.com.
Give the video a like if you found it useful
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And if you have questions or encounter any roadblocks,
leave a comment below.
Good luck in starting your small business.