At some point in your business, you may find a reason to change your business name. There could be many reasons for wanting to change the name of your LLC but that could actually be a topic of its own. While it can be easy to arrive at a decision to change the name of your LLC, the most challenging and time-consuming part about it is updating the new name on all your business accounts, contracts and marketing materials.
The process of changing your LLC’s name can be simple if you follow these steps;
- Decide to change the name
The first step towards changing the name of your LLC is for its members to approve a resolution to change the name. You may decide to have a formal meeting to discuss the name change or act in accordance with what is stated in your operating agreement. Whatever the case, you must write up a resolution to approve this name change and keep it with your official records.
- Amend your articles of organization
Before creating your own LLC, you definitely filed articles of organization with your state. You must therefore amend those articles to include clauses regarding changing names before you proceed with actually changing your LLC’s name. Each state has its own amendment requirements so you will need to find out your state’s specific requirements from your secretary of state.
- Find out if the new name you have chosen is still available in your state
Before changing your LLC name, you need to choose a new name and find out if it’s still available in your state. Note that it’s impossible to use a name that has already been officially used by another business within your state. The best way to find out the availability of your chosen name is by conducting an LLC name search on the secretary of state’s website.
- Modify your operating agreement
It is also crucial to modify your LLC’s internal operating agreement in such a manner that reflects its new name.
- Notify tax and licensing agencies
Another important step when changing the name of your LLC is to notify all the agencies that issued your business licenses so they can in turn update their records. Depending on the agency, your LLC might need to show a state certificate approving the name change.
- Include the new name on your business accounts
It is also of the utmost importance to change your business name on important business accounts including bank accounts. You will also need to order new checks and credit cards. Moreover, you will need to inform all your vendors, suppliers lenders, insurance agents and possibly landlords about your name change.
- Update everything else with your new name
Once your new name has been officially approved, you can start informing the general public about the change. To this effect, you can start changing all your branding materials such as forms, brochures, business cards and website to include your new business name. You could also decide to invest money in advertising your new name to your existing clients.