# Help me set up my business and sub-businesses



## josa (Jan 24, 2008)

Hi I am getting ready to start multiple websites selling different genre of t-shirts aimed at different markets. I was wondering how best to set up my business. I am going to try to explain, these are not real company names there just for referece. 

So lets say I want to have a main business along the lines of "Ultimate Sales". This would be my main business name however it wont even have its own website. I will then have 5 to 10 websites operating under "Ultimate Sales". Lets say "Cooltees.com" "glitterytees.com" "babytees.com" and "seniortees.com".

What kind of set up would I need? 

Would Ultimate sales need to be a LLC? or could it be a DBA?

I am assuming that "Ultimate Sales" would have to be a LLC or S-Corp and then the other websites would be DBA's of "Ultimate Sales". 

So would I need to first create "Ultimate Sales" and then start registering DBA's?

Thanks for your info in advance~!!!!


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## josa (Jan 24, 2008)

anyone have any ideas?


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## txmxikn (Jan 16, 2007)

That is a good question and there is a similiar discussion that I'll have to search for.


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## badalou (Mar 19, 2006)

I own L J Robin Marketing. I have 6 websites under different names. All sales come to L J Robin and I get paid under that banner with my paypal shopping carts. My websites state that this website is owned by L J robin Marketing.


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## josa (Jan 24, 2008)

Ok Badalou how do you have your businesses set up? is the main one a llc? are the sub businesses registered dba's? thanks again!!


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## txmxikn (Jan 16, 2007)

Here's the link 
http://www.t-shirtforums.com/business-finance/t31020.html


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## badalou (Mar 19, 2006)

josa said:


> Ok Badalou how do you have your businesses set up? is the main one a llc? are the sub businesses registered dba's? thanks again!!


The websites are basically catalogs of what my companies offer.I am a sole prop. all the websites state that the real name of my busines and any money I collect is under my main name.


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## Wombat (Sep 5, 2007)

Hi guys even with the link provided, i'm still alittle confused...I want to start a DBA as my main business and then run other DBA's(websites etc) off it...If i'm reading all this right, I can run as many DBA's as i want to and all i need to do is file for each one with my state and pay bills and collect money with my main DBA? Is that all there is to it?


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## badalou (Mar 19, 2006)

Wombat said:


> Hi guys even with the link provided, i'm still alittle confused...I want to start a DBA as my main business and then run other DBA's(websites etc) off it...If i'm reading all this right, I can run as many DBA's as i want to and all i need to do is file for each one with my state and pay bills and collect money with my main DBA? Is that all there is to it?


First they are not DBA's they are web names. I use several but the payments come to my main business which is my DBA, L J Robin Marketing. A DBA means that you actually have different business names that you registered in your state. You do not need to file a DBA for a website name only register it as domain name. You place on the website as I do the name of the company on the bottom of the page. 
This website is owned and copyrighted by LJ Robin marketing.


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## SeasonEnds (Sep 9, 2007)

Would it be different with a brand? Say your company has two seperate brands. One brand that they own, and a completely different brand that they own (with a different website). Seems to me like it would be necessary to register something for both of the brands. Is this wrong?


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## Wombat (Sep 5, 2007)

badalou said:


> First they are not DBA's they are web names. I use several but the payments come to my main business which is my DBA, L J Robin Marketing. A DBA means that you actually have different business names that you registered in your state. You do not need to file a DBA for a website name only register it as domain name. You place on the website as I do the name of the company on the bottom of the page.
> This website is owned and copyrighted by LJ Robin marketing.


 
yes i understand that you can have as many domain names as you want, but are you saying that you can use those domain names as your business say in a brick and mortor type store or even advertising to the general public offline without registering them as a business? This is where i'm confused...I understand that you could have a million domain names connected to your main site if you want and don't have to register those domain names but to go to the general public, don't the laws differ?


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## badalou (Mar 19, 2006)

Wombat said:


> yes i understand that you can have as many domain names as you want, but are you saying that you can use those domain names as your business say in a brick and mortor type store or even advertising to the general public offline without registering them as a business? This is where i'm confused...I understand that you could have a million domain names connected to your main site if you want and don't have to register those domain names but to go to the general public, don't the laws differ?


No you can use web names as web names. If you have a business called mybusiness and you set that business up as your DBA with your state.
Then you can run websites under what ever names you wish. However when someone pays you for a product and your website is called "ourshirtsXX.com" they make payment to "mybusiness". the website is just a website. You can have it as your DBA and they could make payment to your website name. But like me I have 7 websites and that could get expensive. So I have my gateway shopping cart set up to receive payments as my DBA L J Robin marketing. Which is at the top of my invoices. Don't confuse website with actual brick and mortor.


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## Jeepwidow (Feb 12, 2008)

Ok folks, think of it as a tree. The trunk, your main company, Apple LLC is your company name WHICH you filed in your state as a DBA because your business name is not your real name. You do not have to file DBA if you are a sole proprietor 

You go and buy the website Apple.com (IE: GoDaddy, Network Solutions). You sell T-shirts with pretty trees on them. But now, it comes to you that you really like the domain name of Grass.com. So your main company (who now has money ) Apple LLC goes and buys the domain name of Grass.com. You set up a website as Grass.com BUT it's really Apple LLC who owns the website and manufacture of grass t-shirts. 

You can operate many web sites, but it's your company that own the sites. 

Make sense??

Barbara


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## SeasonEnds (Sep 9, 2007)

I think it goes deeper than that. Say, I have two brands. My company name is Sweet Clothing Retail. One of my brands is BigTree Clothing and I sell shirts that I have designed at bigtreeclothing.com. Sweet Clothing Retail (my main company) also owns LittleBird Clothing and sells shirts that they have designed at littlebirdclothing.com. What happens if someone in your state registers Little Bird Clothing as their business name? Or trademarks one of your brand names? It would be hard to prove if you didn't have some sort of paperwork that you were really operating as that company. Then you would likely be out of luck. This has happened to someone on this forum. So, it makes sense to me to register with the state and protect yourself. Am I on the right track?


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## Jeepwidow (Feb 12, 2008)

Very true. DBA means nothing if you don't trademark names as well. Terribly confusing. But I've learned my lesson by first looking at USPTO to see if the name is available. If yes, then see if the domain name is available. Proof of ownership-ownership-ownership.


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## mann662 (Dec 2, 2007)

I Work out of California and have the same operation method. What I did was File my LLC "PFS ENTERPRISES" With the Sec of State then added the Other company Names as Fictitious Business Names under my LLC. I believe the first name was like 20 dollars and the extras were 5 dollars each. After you turn that in the state has that on file as business names that your LLC is operating under. You would also need to trademark all of them after but this will get you on your way.


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