Recently, I wanted to rebrand my agency DIAP Media to Stealth Media Agency. The idea came about after 7 months of leaving corporate America and using my LLC I created with LegalZoom.com back 2006. At the time, I created this LLC to use for a side business while working full time to buy domain names, cash park them, develop them or resell them. The name of my LLC is Digital Internet Advertising Properties. To learn more about that you can read my blog post. Long story short when I left I working for the man I quickly created diapmedia.com as a home base for an exclusive base of clients I would help with internet media and helping them increase their online brand equity. It was also the home base for all of the web properties I continue to develop. Over time, and being still young at the game with only 11 clients so far I decided to rebrand and instead of creating an entirely different LLC I used a DBA (doing business as) or trade name to easily create a new brand that better reflects my core business.

I know this varies by state but here is the process I used to learn how to create an LLC and save money verse using LegalZoom.com this time around.

Step 1: searched Google “how to create a DBA in Arizona”

Step 2: found on the Arizona Secretary of State website and learned I can mail $10.00 and fill out their form online and mail it in and wait a few weeks.

Step 3. decided to take the 15 minute drive down to the Arizona Secretary of State with the filled in form and found out for $45.00 they would create the DBA “Stealth Media Agency” on the spot vs. $10.00 to wait weeks.

Step 4. being impatient I forked out the $45.00 still about $65.00 less then LegalZoom in this case and Stealth Media Agency was born.

*Remember step 1 will vary based on the state you are in..

** if you don’t mind paying the premium LegalZoom.com will do it all for you after going through their online steps which is very easy too.