I run a small handmade jewelry shop called "Bramblefox Threads" but my LLC is "Fernhill Creek Holdings LLC" because I formed it years before I started this business. Now I'm worried that having two completely different names looks sketchy or confuses customers. Do I need to do a DBA or am I overthinking it? Anyone dealt with this?
LLC Naming
My online store name and LLC name are completely different
I don't think customers care as long as the invoice matches what they paid. But if you ever get a chargeback they might flag it.
Fernhill Creek Holdings sounds like a gardening supply company. Bramblefox Threads sounds like a jewelry shop. That's your whole problem right there. Just file a DBA under the LLC (like $20-$50 depending on state) and move on. It's not sketchy, it's just lazy paperwork.
You're overthinking it. Half the Etsy sellers out there have LLC names that have nothing to do with their shop. Nobody's checking.
Wait, which state are you in? In some states you can just operate under any trade name without a DBA as long as it's not misleading. But in others you really do need to register. Don't listen to the "nobody cares" crowd until they tell you where they live.
Fair point. I'm assuming they're in the US. If not, ignore my $20 thing.
I have a totally different setup: my LLC is "Yellow Wagon LLC" and my store is "Moth & Maple." I just put "Moth & Maple is a brand of Yellow Wagon LLC" in the footer of my site and on the packing slip. No DBA. No issues in three years.
See? Moth & Maple is a great name btw. That's how you do it.
Actually that footer thing is not a legal DBA. It just makes customers feel better. If your state requires registration for trade names and you don't do it, you can get fined. Not saying you will, but let's not mix up "works so far" with "compliant."
Never said it was a DBA. I said it's what I do. Everyone gets to choose their own risk tolerance.
This is the most polite argument I've seen all week.
OP, if you're on Shopify you can also just rename the LLC eventually. But that costs more than a DBA usually. I looked into it once.
Yes, renaming an LLC can be a few hundred bucks plus you have to update your EIN and bank. DBA is the cheap path if you're keeping the LLC.
I switched my LLC name to match my store last year. Honestly should've just done the DBA. Live and learn.
Also check your business bank account. Some banks get weird if the deposit name doesn't match the LLC on file. Mine did for about a week.
That's actually the real headache. Customers don't care, but banks and payment processors absolutely do. Good luck OP.