Chappy 138 Report post Posted September 29, 2006 ive been thinking of adding a DBA for different services, so my advertizing is more targeted. The corp name of Chapman Property Services, LLC. doesnt do it for me anymore. I have Roof Cleaning, Pressure washing, window cleaning, deck refinishing, paver and pool deck sealing all under this heading and when Im targeting say pavers, Id like a name to reflect that. Who uses dba's and how do you feel about them.? Do you stick with one kind of advertizing or target different areas with different dba's? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thad 135 Report post Posted September 29, 2006 I'll be paying close attention to this thread- I have some of the same questions. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ron Musgraves 240 Report post Posted September 30, 2006 I have a few and have used them, i have never thought about using the marketing just because i believe my name is regonized. I do hav other businesses under dba. nothing to do with washing... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RCBill 14 Report post Posted September 30, 2006 Jon, IMO the name is fine. If you are uneasy about communicating with prospects, it may be that you partially understand that people aren't interested in 'Chapman Property Services', they want clean houses. The name of your company doesn't need to be 'Jon's Clean Houses'. But all your marketing and advertisings needs to say 'You will be proud of the clean house Chapman will deliver'. If your name is prominent in your advertising, well... this isn't a good thing. Big companies with big brands can advertise with their names. Little guys need to be telling people how they can help them. It may be that the only time the name of your company comes up in conversation is when the homeowner asks you who to make the check out to. On the other hand, the name of my company pigeonholes me. My Painter, Inc. is breathing it's last breaths. But even the new name will occupy a small space in my marketing/advertising. Oh yeah, one more thing. Marketing gurus tell us that our being bored with our message, doesn't mean the market isn't listening. RC Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beth n Rod 1,279 Report post Posted September 30, 2006 Our company name is a DBA. See Dirt Run! It encompasses many angles for cleaning of all sorts and many people just love the name. There are companies who have different names for divisions of their company that perform different services that don't necessarily have much to do with the original. All in all, it is the bookkeeping part that will be the challenge and when using a CPA, they charge you separately for each as it is like it's own account or entity. What name are you thinking of changing to? Have you thought of adding a slogan to convey the other services? Rod!~ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chappy 138 Report post Posted September 30, 2006 I want to push Deck sealing, mostly pavers and pool decks, but would also like to get more wood refinishing. Im thinking along the lines of "Pinellas Deck Pros" or "Deck seal pros" the whole advertizing thing makes my head spin. Should you do as RC says and convey in your advertizing what you do, or should you rely on name of business to convey that. you only have so many words to use in any add. air conditioning companies have "air" or "mecanical" in their names. painters obviously use 'Paint" somewhere in their name. When you see the adds they dont need to spend time telling you what they do. other companies, you have no idea by looking at their names what it is they do. Im just trying to hash it out in my head and get some ideas. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RCBill 14 Report post Posted September 30, 2006 If it were easy there wouldn't be any money in it. This is very important. If I were you I'd be reading stuff written by pros. When I want to learn something I go to Amazon, select a few top sellers in the subject, and order them all. When I get them I scan them, keep one or two, and return the rest. Hell Jon, you don't know me from Adam. Making an important decision like this, based on my advice, is a bit questionable. Sometimes I can't stop myself when faced with an opportunity to opine. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chappy 138 Report post Posted October 1, 2006 my decision isnt based on what you shlubs (affectionate term,) say. but for the most part I value the opinions I get here. Isnt that why we come here. Its just one part in the decision making process. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HotShot 34 Report post Posted October 1, 2006 Hey Jon, my company is under a DBA. You could have different DBA's under you umbrella LLC couldn't you? For instance: Pinella's Deck Pros, subdivision of Chapman Property Services. right under it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
