There are a lot of reasons you may want to change your business name. Maybe you started your business young and your business name just doesn’t vibe with you anymore. Or maybe you’ve pivoted your product and service offerings and the name no longer fits.  Whatever the reason may be, there may come a time where you feel it’s necessary to change your business name.

So how do you go about doing so?

A word of warning: Every state is different. The laws, procedures, and terminology used will vary from state to state. So just be aware that the information provided here is generally true for all businesses, but specifics may look different for you.

If you’re operating as a sole proprietor this is a usually very easy thing to do. Let’s say you’re a sole proprietor doing business under your legal name. If you want to pivot and do business under a different name or brand, it’s simply a matter of registering a trade name or DBA for the sole proprietorship. You would do this by filing the appropriate form with the Secretary of State’s office in your state.

Here’s an example of how things may be different. Colorado uses the term “trade name” whereas many other states use the term “DBA” or “doing business as.” The form to adopt a trade name in Colorado is called a “Statement of Trade Name.” The name of the form will vary by state.

If you are operating a business as an LLC or corporation, then you will first need to look at the company’s operating agreement or by-laws to determine the necessary vote and documentation required for a name change.

Check out this episode of All Up In Yo’ Business to learn more about the steps involved. And be sure to subscribe to our channel for more All Up in Yo’ Business content.

Want more information for your business? Check out: Business Identity Theft.