[oakleyrdc]

I have my masters license. I have insurance. I have been pulling permits and doing side work for years. Now I would like to advertise. Today I'm trying to register a company name. Before I can register, I have to make sure it is not already taken. So I contacted the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. They are like talking to zombies. All they wanted to do was send me to their site and search on it. I ended up some how running into error messages which they didn't want to help with. Now I'm stuck. My goal is to start off as a Sole Proprietor and do some small jobs on my own. But I want to have business cards and a website too. Should I just use my full name that appears on my license rather then creating a new one? Am I going about this all wrong? Is there an easier way? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[DIYer4Life]

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has nothing to do with this so I could see why you came up with dead ends. Go to your state's website and see how you register a business, they should walk you thru it. Also register with the state for paying income tax, collecting sales tax, and all that fun stuff. Then go to the IRS's website and get your company an EIN number.

If you want to be a Sole Proprietor, that is fine. But I would recommend forming an LLC instead. It's basically the same thing only it affords you a bit better personal protection. You also have the option to file as a corp at the end of the year if your accountant thinks it will benefit you, so an LLC is the best of both worlds, IMO.

 

[HARRY304E]

I have my masters license. I have insurance. I have been pulling permits and doing side work for years. Now I would like to advertise. Today I'm trying to register a company name. Before I can register, I have to make sure it is not already taken. So I contacted the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. They are like talking to zombies. All they wanted to do was send me to their site and search on it. I ended up some how running into error messages which they didn't want to help with. Now I'm stuck. My goal is to start off as a Sole Proprietor and do some small jobs on my own. But I want to have business cards and a website too. Should I just use my full name that appears on my license rather then creating a new one? Am I going about this all wrong? Is there an easier way? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Use the name printed on your license,here in mass you can use any business name but you must first contact the board of electricians and file for a name change on your master license and pay the fee,around $300. So I suspect they your states requirments may be the same,you could check with your board first and make sure you know their rules.

 

[oakleyrdc]

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has nothing to do with this so I could see why you came up with dead ends. Go to your state's website and see how you register a business, they should walk you thru it. Also register with the state for paying income tax, collecting sales tax, and all that fun stuff. Then go to the IRS's website and get your company an EIN number.

If you want to be a Sole Proprietor, that is fine. But I would recommend forming an LLC instead. It's basically the same thing only it affords you a bit better personal protection. You also have the option to file as a corp at the end of the year if your accountant thinks it will benefit you, so an LLC is the best of both worlds, IMO.

Thank you for the advise. You answered some of my other questions too. The only reason I was checking with the PTO was because my construction business and law book suggested it before registering with the state.

 

[oakleyrdc]

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has nothing to do with this so I could see why you came up with dead ends. Go to your state's website and see how you register a business, they should walk you thru it. Also register with the state for paying income tax, collecting sales tax, and all that fun stuff. Then go to the IRS's website and get your company an EIN number.

If you want to be a Sole Proprietor, that is fine. But I would recommend forming an LLC instead. It's basically the same thing only it affords you a bit better personal protection. You also have the option to file as a corp at the end of the year if your accountant thinks it will benefit you, so an LLC is the best of both worlds, IMO.

Does your accountant handle everything for you? I'm only asking because I know 941 form that needs to be filled out quarterly. I only use my accountant once a year.

 

[HARRY304E]

Does your accountant handle everything for you? I'm only asking because I know 941 form that needs to be filled out quarterly. I only use my accountant once a year.

Accountant , have them set it up,so you won't have to waste all of your time with the taxes.

 

[DIYer4Life]

Does your accountant handle everything for you? I'm only asking because I know 941 form that needs to be filled out quarterly. I only use my accountant once a year.

No, I only use my accountant for year end tax return. I'll call him a few times during the year to ask various questions.

 

[carryyourbooks]

here in tx, we have a county dept that handles all the "assumed names". I had to get a dba (doing business as) before I did anything else.