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Talk with others about the cottage food industry in Florida
Help, please!
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Cottage Oven 3 years, 4 months ago.
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First of all, I’d like to say thanks for a great space to learn and grow our business! So much great info!
I’m looking for some help, bc I’m tired of calling and emailing and getting no where. I just formed an LLC and I’m wondering if I HAVE to have a DBA. I’d like to use my business name without LLC, so from what I can tell, I’ll need a DBA. Also, can you use a DBA that’s already registered? (Someone is using the same name, different county)
I’m in Hillsborough county, I’m all ears to any info or insight anyone may have here. I’m getting so lost and frustrated.
Thank you! Gina
You should probably check with a lawyer or someone in Tallahassee, just in case, but, as far as I know, when you register the name of your LLC on Sunbiz, it’s already done, but a DBA is a separate thing if you are using a name other than your own without having an LLC (or Inc).
I don’t know if there’s any rule against using your LLC’s name without the actual “LLC” after it.
It’s probably unlikely that you could use a DBA (or LLC) name that’s already registered, even if it’s in a different county, since I believe that’s done at the state level, not just within a county. Then again, since you would want your business to stand out and NOT be mistaken for another, it would probably be a good idea not to use another company’s name, even if it would be allowed in a different county. After all, what would happen if you expand? For that matter, with the new change to the cottage-food law that now allows us to ship our products, it would be better to have as little potential for confusion as possible.
Good luck with your endeavor.
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