In New Hampshire, do you want to launch a business? Before forming your LLC, you must first choose a name for your business that complies with the New Hampshire Naming Guidelines. Make sure your business name can be distinguishable from that of other New Hampshire-registered businesses as well.
Our article today covers the procedures you may use to carry out a name availability search as well as other important factors to take into account when creating a limited liability company.
Why Is Performing a New Hampshire Business Search Important?
One of the best ways for business owners to confirm that their selected name isn’t already taken by another organisation is to conduct a New Hampshire corporate entity search. Entrepreneurs can use the New Hampshire business search to find out whether another company has already registered their desired business name in the state.
The risk that your LLC formation application will be rejected will be significantly reduced if you perform a New Hampshire LLC name search before to submitting it.
New Hampshire Naming Guidelines
According to the guidelines outlined in the section above, each business entity owner is required to choose a company name that fits with the naming standards set forth by the state of New Hampshire. When deciding on a name for your New Hampshire LLC, you should take the following factors into account:
- Company name must include the phrase “limited liability company” or one of its abbreviations (LLC or L.L.C.)
- Company name cannot include words that would confuse your LLC with a government agency (FBI, Treasury, State Department, etc)
- Restricted words such as Bank, Attorney, and University may require additional paperwork and a licensed individual such as a doctor or a lawyer to be part of your LLC.
Using Comma in LLC Name
The state of New Hampshire permits corporations to register their company names with or without commas. You can register your New Hampshire entity with either of the following names, for instance, if you intend to call your New Hampshire LLC “Summer Boutique”:
Summer Boutique LLC
Summer Boutique, LLC
New Hampshire LLC Name Must Be Distinguishable
Business entity owners must always keep in mind that their selected company name must be easily recognisable in the records kept by the New Hampshire Secretary of State.
This means that your company’s name cannot be used by another New Hampshire-registered business. One way to determine whether the name you chose for your company is available is to conduct a New Hampshire LLC name search.
New Hampshire LLC Name Search
The New Hampshire Secretary of State’s corporate entity registration records are open to the public. Therefore, you can use the New Hampshire Business Name Search function to check the availability of the name you select before incorporating your LLC. The following search criteria can be used to find New Hampshire Corporations and LLCs:
- Business Name
- Business ID
- Filing Number
Business Name
The Business Name search option is the one that is most typically used when searching for a New Hampshire business entity online. This technique is also quite easy to use because all you have to do is type the name of the company you want to work for into the search field and click “Search” for the website to produce a list of names that are similar to the one you’ve typed.
With the exception of sole proprietorships and partnerships, the website will extract the names for all entity kinds (aside from LLCs and corporations) listed in its database, so you don’t need to include words like LLC, Corp, or other naming distinctions when conducting a search. Simply adhere to the guidelines below to carry out an entity name search:
- Enter the name of the desired company name in the search bar.
- Click on “Search.”
New Hampshire website also offers additional filter options that allow the public to search by Active vs Inactive businesses.
Business ID / Filling Number
The account number is another way to conduct a New Hampshire business search. Simply type the company account number into the search field and press the “Search” button.
New Hampshire Business Status Search
There are daily business entity registrations in New Hampshire. It is therefore perfectly understandable if you find it challenging to choose a suitable company name that could also help it stand out from other companies. You can find names that have expired that you can use for your company by conducting a search in the New Hampshire Business Entity Database or by looking for suggestions.
If you type the word “flower” into the search box and want to open a flower shop, the website will, for example, produce a list of business organisations having the keyword “flower” in it, along with their status. From there, you can look through each name to find a corporate company that is now open in New Hampshire.
Even a name that has already expired can be perfect for your New Hampshire business entity. However, before filing your LLC, we urge you to call the New Hampshire Secretary of State’s office to double-check the name’s availability if you do find an appropriate business name.
Trademark Search
Another vital action to perform is to run a trademark search on the business name you intend to employ. This is because your proposed company name might already be the subject of a trademark despite being listed in the New Hampshire corporation database. You can save money by avoiding future pricey legal problems by conducting a trademark search for the name of your chosen company.
On the other hand, you are under no obligation to stop using your selected New Hampshire company name merely because another organisation has filed it as a trademark. If you want to prevent unintentionally breaching someone else’s intellectual property rights, you must take into account who is using the LLC name, what kind of business they are in, and where they are located.
Here are a few steps involved in performing a trademark search:
- To search state trademark data, use the New Hampshire Business Entity. Search by entity type to see if another entity in your state is already using the LLC name, slogan, etc. that you have selected.
- By completing a search of the electronic data maintained by the US Patent and Trademark Office, you may make sure that your selected company name, slogan, and other choices are not tied to any federally registered trademarks.
Reserving New Hampshire Entity Name
After confirming that the name is still available using the New Hampshire Business Database and Trademark Database, the following step is to reserve the name to prevent it from being taken before you create your LLC.
The Corporate Division of the New Hampshire Secretary of State handles all LLC name-related questions and requests, including LLC name reservations. Your desired LLC name will then be retained for 120 days if you send them an LLC name reservation form. The good news is that New Hampshire LLC name reservations can be renewed.
LLC name reservations can be filed online or by maill.
Fee: $15
Mailing Address:
Corporation Division
NH Department of State
107 N. Main St., Rm 204
Concord, NH 03301
Other Considerations – What To Do Next
After reserving your desired business name, you are ready to proceed with other considerations before officially registering your New Hampshire LLC:
Check Domain Name Availability
Many business owners are starting to realise how crucial it is for companies to have an online presence. As a result, more companies are building their own websites. Most people would actually assume that a business would have a website.
Given the variety of businesses out there and the fact that domain names with six characters or less are frequently already taken, you’ll need to use imagination to come up with a distinctive website name that visitors can quickly search for.
Companies like Namechkr or GoDaddy are trusted resources for business owners to find available domain names. These programmes can even make suggestions if the chosen name is already used.
It’s also crucial to be aware that there are other domain extensions besides.com, despite it being the most popular. As more companies utilise these suffixes, other domain extensions like.co,.net, and.io are gradually gaining prominence. If your preferred name has already been registered with the.com domain extension, you might also think about utilising these domains.
Check Social Media Name Availability
Businesses should think about creating a social media presence for their brand in addition to having a website for their firm. Many clients may instantly look for a business entity on Yelp or Google Reviews to see what other customers are saying about it. It’s essential for firms to have a strong online social media presence because of this.
Here are a few tips to maintain a good New Hampshire business social media:
- Regardless of how little you believe your company to be, you still need to create an account and keep up a robust social media presence. Businesses can improve their organic site traffic, draw in new clients, and even raise brand awareness by keeping a strong social media presence.
- A social media account needs a distinctive social media handle in order to be found online. It is advised that, before deciding on a handle, you check its availability on a number of websites, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, to make sure you can use it on a range of platforms. It could be better for you to open an account straight away if your preferred social network username is still accessible to stop someone else from claiming it.
- You can either use the Namechkr tool to search across all platforms at once to save time, or you can check your preferred social media name on each major website one at a time.
Register Your New Hampshire Entity
You can proceed with registering your firm entity with the state after having your trademark, domain, social media handle, and the New Hampshire business entity database verified. You can create an LLC on your own, but you must be ready for the significant quantity of paperwork that could be required.
Many organisations resort to businesses like ZenBusiness, Incfile, and Northwest Registered Agent for all the paperwork required to set up an LLC.
Register Company Tax ID/EIN with the IRS
After creating your business organisation, the following step is to register your company tax ID with the IRS for tax purposes. You might think of the corporate tax ID, also known as the EIN, as the social security number for a corporation. It has nine digits. EIN registration is a straightforward process that you can carry out alone by going online.
Designing a Company Logo
Company logos are crucial for any commercial entity. A well-designed logo draws attention, creates a positive first impression, strengthens brand recognition, distinguishes you from rivals, and even promotes brand loyalty.
Given that it may accurately express your business philosophies and give people the impression you want them to have of you, it is evident how important it is to design a distinctive logo for your business entity. Of course, not everyone will be creative or imaginative enough to come up with their own design.
Fortunately, this is where online marketplaces like Fiverr come in handy because they allow business owners to get in touch with independent designers and have a logo produced within 24 hours.
Open a Business Bank Account
Registering your company tax ID with the IRS for tax purposes is the next step after founding your business organisation. The corporate tax ID, sometimes referred to as the EIN, can be compared to a company’s social security number. There are nine digits. You can complete the simple EIN registration process on your own by visiting online.
Setup an Email Account
Email accounts are typically required for businesses to communicate. Opening an account on a social networking site also requires having a functional email address. It is imperative for organisations to set up a corporate email account because of this. Fortunately, Google Workspace makes it simple to set up a @yourcompany email address for as little as $6 per month.
Bottom Line
The selection of an appropriate company name is one of the initial steps in forming an LLC. Once you’ve chosen a name, you may use New Hampshire’s Business Entity Search to determine if it’s already been claimed.
To help people locate you online, you might also want to review and secure your domain name and social media usernames. You can now move forward with the next procedures to properly form your LLC after registering your company name.
Starting a business correctly doesn’t have to be difficult. With over 15 years of experience consulting new businesses and start ups, Matthew is probably the best person to help you set a strong foundation for your business.