Why Do You Want To Change The Name Of Your LLC?
There are a myriad of reasons that you may want to change the name of your business, with the most basic being, well, you thought of a better name. Without getting into the weeds on if changing the name of your business is a wise business decision, this is generally as good a reason as any. Another reason would be that you are converting your LLC into a PLLC—maybe when you formed your business you either didn’t know about PLLCs or didn’t think you qualified. Finally, you may be changing the name of the LLC to prevent a lawsuit—Sometimes new businesses can get notification from other similar companies regarding infringement on their own business name such as when your business sells similar products or offers similar services, and the other business thinks your LLC name is too close to their own. Before making this change, it is important to consult with an attorney.
Change can be uncertain and a little scary. Make sure you have an attorney, like Texas LLC Formation Lawyer Nathaniel Gilbert, to help make significant changes to your business and “Bear Proof” your business and documents.
When Should You NOT Change Your Business Name?
If you want to use a different name for your business, make sure you differentiate between “I want to change the entire name of my business” and “I want to use a different name for my business in certain situations.” For the latter, registering a DBA for your business is a much quicker, cleaner, and useful alternative to changing the name of your LLC altogether. A “Doing Business As” registration allows you to conduct business under a different name than the one your LLC is registered as, but keeps the original LLC name intact. For a registered DBA, if anyone needed the business information they could look up the DBA, and it would lead them to the original LLC. We see this done frequently for Series LLCs, where each Series has a DBA registration tied to the original Series LLC.
What Is The Process For Changing Your Business Name
To change your Texas Business name, you’ll be filing an Amendment to your original Certificate of Formation that you submitted to the Texas Secretary of State when you first formed your business. This is done very quickly and easily on the SOS website under your business profile. You can also make other changes at the same time, such as to the name or location of the Registered Agent or the principal place of business of the LLC. Remember that yes, legally, this is all that is required for making changes to the business name (and other details if you so choose), but that in order to remain in compliance with your Operating Agreement and avoid potential liability down the road, you’ll need to amend your Operating Agreement to reflect these changes, and be sure to follow the Operating Agreement rules on amending the Operating Agreement when doing so.
