- [Presenter] A DBA, or Doing Business As,
is essentially a nickname for your company.
In Nebraska, 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 Nebraska.
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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 Nebraska 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
Nebraska naming requirements.
For more details, check out our video
How to Name Your Business in Nebraska,
or our naming guides linked below.
Next, you'll want to make sure
the name is available in Nebraska.
The first and most important search
is with Nebraska Secretary of State.
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 Nebraska
on howtostartanllc.com linked below.
Searching is free.
To learn more, visit Nebraska naming guides
linked in the description below.
After confirming your name as available in Nebraska,
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.
In Nebraska, you register your DBA
with the Secretary of State.
You can file online at the Secretary of State's
Corporate Document eDelivery website,
or you can complete the application
for registration of trade name form, and mail it in.
The application will ask for your new DBA name,
and information about your business,
such as the type of applicant,
individual, corporation, LLC, et cetera,
the state under whose laws the entity was formed,
if not an individual,
the date that the name was first used in Nebraska,
and the general nature of the business.
Filing these varies,
so check out our pages linked below
for more detailed information.
Three, publish a notice for your Nebraska DBA.
Nebraska requires that you publish a notice
of your trade name registration on a local newspaper
within 45 days of registration.
Here are some of the basic guidelines for publication.
The newspaper must have general circulation in the city
or a village where the business is to be located,
the information in the notice must exactly match
the information on the trade name application,
and if there isn't a newspaper in the city or village,
a newspaper in the county is acceptable.
After publication,
the newspaper will provide an affidavit of publication,
which must be filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State
within 45 days of the trade name's registration date.
It is up to you to decide
whether the newspaper will send the affidavit to you
or directly to the Secretary of State.
And with that, you'll have a DBA in Nebraska.
Keep in mind that your Nebraska DBA
needs to be renewed every 10 years.
You must call the State of Nebraska
to receive a renewal form.
You cannot renew online.
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.
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're 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.
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