Just Getting Started Questions

[justgoforit]

Hello, I hope to be able to gain some insight on this forum.

I have already begun the researching process on how to start a small business and I have many questions running through my head.

First and foremost, I want to make sure that I start off on the right foot and follow all necessary rules!

I have composed a list of questions that I hope can be answered (or if you could at least point me in the right direction), but first, here are the specifics about my business:

* Location: Florida/out of my home/via the web & to eventually travel to events
* Products: home goods, gifts, accessories (homemade & wholesale)

My Questions
- What is a Certified Copy of fictitious name registration and a Certificate of Status of fictitious name registration? Are they both necessary to have for your business?
- What does registering your fictitious name protect?
- What if someone registers a trademark identical to my fictitious name? What are the consequences?
- The State of Florida requires that once a fictitious name has been registered it must be advertised in a newspaper at least once. Why do I have to do this? What if I don't have anything to advertise yet? What is the time frame?
- What is the standard procedure for registering your fictitious name if you would like to list multiple locations other than your county? Are there additional fees? Additional forms? Etc? Again, I would like to be able to legally travel to other counties within the state to sell my products.
- What is the difference between an FEI number and EIN number? Do I need both?
- What about a tax identification number?

I know that I'll have more questions to come.

Thank you for your time.

[vangogh]

Welcome to the forum justgoforit. You may already know this, but in case you don't, you can usually find a lot of answers at the website for the department of state for your state. Florida has two sites.

Florida Department of State (http://dos.myflorida.com/)
Florida Department of State Division of Corporations (http://www.sunbiz.org/)

The idea for registering your name with the state is so another business in the same industry can't also use the name. Businesses in other states can still use it. If you want more protection of the name you'd want to get it trademarked. I have no idea why you'd have to advertise the name. My guess is you can find something like a college paper or local community paper that wouldn't cost much. It does seem strange to me that they require advertising.

The second link I posted above will take you to where you can register your fictitious name. Look under the e-filing services at the top. The cost is $50. The certificate of status is an extra $10 and the certified copy costs an additional $30. I have no idea what the differences are. They sound like extra proof the name is yours or maybe it's smoking of protection. Just guessing though.

FEI number, EIN, Tax Identification number are all the same thing. You can get one through the IRS site (http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self-Employed/Apply-for-an-Employer-Identification-Number-%28EIN%29-Online). The link to apply is at the bottom of the page. It's quick and doesn't cost much. You only need one if you have employees, but you can still get one if you don't have employees. I have one just so I can use it instead of my social security number in some places.

Hope that helps.