- [Narrator] A DBA, or a Doing Business As,
is essentially a nickname for your company.
In Georgia, a DBA is also called a Trade 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 will go over the steps you need to take
in order to form a DBA in Georgia.
(soft piano music)
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 Georgia 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
Georgia naming requirements.
For more details, check out our video,
How to Name Your Business in Georgia,
or our naming guides linked below.
Next, you want to make sure
the name is available in Georgia.
The first and most important search
is the Georgia Corporations Division business search.
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 Georgia in howtostartanllc.com, linked below.
Searching is free, to learn more visit Georgia naming guides
linked in the description below.
After confirming your name is available in Georgia,
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 name
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 Georgia,
you're required to submit a trade name application
with the County Clerk of Superior Court
where your principle place of business is located.
DBA regulations are very similar from county to county,
but they do vary.
You'll need to contact the correct
County Clerk of Superior Court for instructions.
Check out the links below for a complete list
of county contact information.
And with that, you'll have a DBA in Georgia.
Keep in mind that your Georgia DBA
needs to be renewed every five years.
You can either renew online
or complete the business name renewal form.
Three: publish a notice for your DBA.
You must publish a legal notice in a newspaper in the county
where your principle place of business is located.
Within 30 days of registering your trade name,
contact an approved newspaper from the county list
in the county where your principle
place of business is located.
Request that the newspaper run a legal notice
of trade name registration once a week for two weeks.
Publication is easy,
and when you call the newspaper to run your legal notice,
they will be familiar with the process
and will have a legal notice template for new trade names.
You should direct any questions about publication
to the County Clerk of Superior Court office
that you registered your trade name with.
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 dollars.
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.
Informal 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
and subscribe if you'd like to see more.
And if you have questions or encounter any roadblocks
leave a comment below.
Good luck in starting your small business.