How You Can Register a Business Name for Free

Starting a new business?

Congratulations!

So, you’re curious to know how to register a business name for free? Well, registering a business name does require some legal fees. And since you’re starting a new business, having a legal business name can prove helpful.

Let us tell you how to register a business name for free (almost) and start your business journey on a positive note.

Come, let’s dive in and discover the correct way to register a business name for free!

What is a Business Name?

First, let’s understand what a business name is and how it is different than usual names that you and I have before discussing the steps to register a business name for free.

A business name is basically a legal name under which a company or business conducts its affairs. Having a business name not only helps you in legal matters but also proves helpful for creating a brand identity of your business that your customers can remember.

Whenever a customer wants to buy an iPhone, they’d refer to Apple, a company that makes those iPhones. And having a business name helps your customers to remember you as a company.

Why Registering Business Name is Important?

You may be thinking why having a business name is so important when you can do just fine without having one, right?

Absolutely wrong!

And here are the reasons why you must register a business name for free (almost):

• Having a registered business name adds professionalism and credibility in your brand’s image and makes you more trustworthy than businesses without a registered name.
• Secondly, your registered business name offers you protection against legal claims of your business whenever someone sends you a lawsuit to claim your business name that has a market worth now.
• When you register a business name for free (though), you double your chances of business expansion due to the goodwill this act brings to your business.
• People would be quick to recognize your company when you’ve a registered business name contributing to your brand recognition a solid foundation.
• With a registered business name, you can confidently market your products while creating a strong brand presence that people can trust and relate with.

Business Types You Should Know

Now that you’ve decided to register a business name for free (almost), let’s discuss the steps required to do so. But before that, it is important that you familiarize yourself with a few legal business types that are explained below:

Sole Proprietorship:

This type of business is the ownership of a single individual who operates the company. In sole proprietorship, the owner’s name is used as business name e.g. Edward Nolan or Jackson Smith etc.

General Partnership:

This type of business is owned and operated by two or more than two partners who share the responsibilities of the business. In general partnership, the business name can be a combination of first (or last) name of the partners.

Limited Liability Company (LLC):

The LLC business structure includes some elements of general partnership and a combination of corporation rules. In this business structure, the business name must include “Limited Liability Company” or the abbreviation “LLC” at the end of the name.

Corporation:

Unlike former business types, the corporation business structure acts separately from its owners as a business which means a corporation offers the owners a limited liability protection against lawsuits or legal matters. This business type must have “Corp.” or “Inc.” at the end of business name.

Nonprofit Organization:

This business type is established for charitable or educational works to serve the society rather than generating revenue unlike the former business types. The business name should reflect the element of nonprofit organization.

Steps to Register a Business Name

We’ve discussed business name’s definition, why it’s important to register a business name and the business types so far. Now’s the time to share the steps to register a business name for free (though) with you. Here are the steps involved in registering a business name:

• In order to register a business name for free (almost), you need to conduct a business name research and decide what kind of name you want to have for your company. Is it your own name, first letters, or acronym of every partner’s name?
• Secondly, you need to decide what type of business you’re going to start for naming your company. Will it be a sole proprietorship, a general partnership, or a corporation maybe?
• Then, you need to check the availability of the business name you want to register and for this, you’ll have to visit the website of relevant department in your state.
• In our fourth step, to register a business name for free, you must discover the legal fee that is required by the law and pay that along with the application at the state’s relevant department.
• You’ll have to wait for a few days (or weeks maybe) until you get the status of your business name registration application from the relevant organization.

Finally, you’ll have your business name registered and it’s time to operate under this new legal name.

Feel free to connect with one of our business registration experts to register a business name for free (almost), today.