I agree with hostingdiva. A big mistake that people make is to get a domain name such as bobshoes.com (Bob's Hoes or Bob Shoes) or do something like joesbizschool.com rather than using 'business'. Assuming you intend to incorporate no matter what (and don't consider starting a business as a sole proprietor) and your question is whether you use your own name as or in the company name vs. making up a name, I think that it often comes down to your reputation. If you already have a personal reputation and people relate your name to what you do, then your own name can be best, otherwise there is no good reason to include your name. Good luck!

Hi Deb: In picking your business name, you should pick something that is easy. You should also consider your website name when picking your name. Given that you are just starting, you can pick a name that is the same as your domain name (or very close). That way, when people know your business name, they also know about your website. Keep it short, simple, and get a .com if you can. Make sure you spell the words correctly - if you start getting too fancy, people will just remember that the name was fancy :) Regarding the DBA - if you are getting incorporated you do not need a separate DBA. If your business name, for example, is Sullivan Answers, Inc. but you also want to do business as Sullivan Phone Services, then your corporation would get a dba to do business as Sullivan Phone Services. It's really up to you :) Best of luck! ;) ~~~~~~~~

you definitely did the right thing by using a business name and not your personal name so that way you wont ever have to personally gaurantee any business loans or financing once you have strong business credit.

Deb, Congrats on starting up your business! There is a section on Business.gov specifically devoted to DBA registration and provides the filing requirements for each state. Please take a look and let us know if you have any questions.

When you register your corporation you will also be registering your business name. You need to file a separate DBA only if you will be a sole proprietorship.