Verify Your Business Name With an Arkansas Business Name Search

There are many details to think about when starting a new business. One of the primary considerations is choosing the perfect business name. After all, the name is the first thing your future customers will learn about your business. So, your business entity name should do an excellent job of reflecting your business and staying in your customers’ minds.

Although there are countless names you could think of, many may be unsuitable for your Arkansas (AR) business. By unsuitable, we don’t mean not catchy enough or too confusing (although this can be the case too). What we mean is already taken by another Arkansas LLC, corporation, or non-profit.

If you choose one of these taken names, the Arkansas Secretary of State will deny your request for incorporation. The good news is that you can avoid this unfortunate scenario. Perform an Arkansas business name search, and you’ll quickly know which names are out of the question.

This handy tool is straightforward and can give you valuable information when starting your Arkansas corporation, limited liability company (LLC), partnership, or sole proprietorship. To use this tool, follow these three simple steps:

1. Fill out a brief form (your desired business name, Arkansas as the location, your name and email address).

2. Wait for the results (one hour max).

3. Take swift action (start an LLC immediately, reserve the name, or try again).

Name availability is an essential factor when naming your new business, but it’s far from the only one. Your business can still get rejected even if no other Arkansas company of the same name exists. Rejection could occur if your desired name doesn’t follow Arkansas’s business name conventions.

Fortunately, this article contains all the necessary information regarding these conventions. We’ve also included a step-by-step guide on what to do after ensuring your desired business name is available.

Key Takeaways

• Business owners must perform an Arkansas business name search before starting a new business to check their desired name availability.

• Swyft Filings’ free Business Name Search tool is an excellent way to perform a name search in the state of Arkansas.

• There are several conventions to follow when choosing the name for an Arkansas business.

• After finding an available name, business owners can launch a company immediately or reserve the name for 120 days.

Arkansas’s Business Name Conventions

The Arkansas Secretary of State can deny any business name that contains a previously registered or trademarked name in the state of Arkansas. However, if a new business name clashes with the existing business name conventions, its outcome is no different.

If you like an unavailable name, you might find a loophole by putting a slight spin on it. Unfortunately, this won’t help your case. Any of the following factors aren’t enough to distinguish a name:[2]

• A different designator at the end (Harmony Consulting LLC can’t exist if there’s a Harmony Consulting Inc.)

• The word “Arkansas” (Arkansas Harmony Consulting LLC vs. Harmony Consulting LLC)

• Punctuation and similar signs (Harmony Consulting vs. Harmony-Consulting)

• Articles, prepositions, and contractions (The Harmony Consulting vs. Harmony Consulting)

• Unique spelling (Harmony Consulting vs. Harmoni Consulting)

For a complete list of non-distinguishable factors, check out the Name Availability Guidelines by the Arkansas Secretary of State.

There are also elements you can’t use in your business name, even if there aren’t any similar instances in Arkansas. These elements include:

• Duplicate words

• Non-descriptive numbers

• Inappropriate or vulgar words

Finally, you can only use some words with explicit approval by the appropriate agency (designated in parentheses).

• Bank, trust, etc. (Arkansas State Bank Department)

• Engineer, engineering, surveyor, surveying, etc. (State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors)

• Clinic, medical center, etc. (Arkansas State Medical Board)

• Insurance, bond, etc. (Arkansas Insurance Department)

• Razorback(s) (University of Arkansas System)

Benefits of an Arkansas SOS Entity Search

Performing an Arkansas Secretary of State (SOS) entity search has numerous short- and long-term benefits. Check out just some of them.

• Dispelling any doubts about name availability. A Google search isn’t enough to tell you whether your desired name is free to use. The only way to be 100% sure is to perform an advanced search using your intended business name as a subject.

• Uncovering essential business information. An Arkansas business entity search isn’t only beneficial for new business owners. Any business owner can use it to find necessary information about a business. The entity number, business license status, registered agent, agent address, phone number — you name it, and an advanced search can uncover it.

• Obtaining the Certificate of Good Standing. With an Arkansas business entity search, you can purchase the Certificate of Good Standing for any business entity (so long as it is in good standing).

• Paying franchise tax. An Arkansas business entity search is a one-stop shop for multiple business services, including paying the franchise tax.

• Avoiding copyright infringement. Knowing that your desired business name is 100% available, you can consult the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to ensure nothing stands in your way. It also means you won’t have to change your business name after heavily investing in marketing the old one.

Next Steps

Hopefully, reaching this stage has taken you only a few tries and a little time with the AR SOS search, finding an available name you’re happy with, and getting ready to move forward. But where exactly are you moving to? This section discusses the necessary steps to incorporate your business.

Complete Your Name Reservation

No matter how long it takes to develop the perfect available business name, you’ll probably want to secure it immediately. One way to do this is to file for incorporation once your desired name gets cleared. This officially claims the name and creates a legal foundation for your business.

If, however, you’re still not ready to take this step, a name reservation is your safest bet. When you reserve a business name, no one can register it for 120 days. Naturally, that’s also how long you have to make it your own officially.

Reserving a name in the state of Arkansas is relatively simple.[3]

1. Fill out the Application for Reservation of Entity Name form.

2. Pay a $25 filing fee.

3. Send the form to the following address:

Arkansas Secretary of State

Business and Commercial Services Division

1401 W. Capitol, Suite 250

Little Rock, Arkansas 72201

Business homeowners intending to use a unique name, including unusual spelling or a family name, can skip this step to save money and time. However, you never know who can get the same idea as you, so reserving your desired business name is the only way to call “dibs” on it legally.

Choose a Domain Name

A solid online presence is no longer a nice-to-have. This is a must-have if you want your business to succeed in the digital age. Name uniformity is a crucial factor in this online presence. This entails having the same or similar name across all your digital channels, from your website to each social media platform.

Say your business is called Harmony Consulting. That’s precisely the first thing a potential customer will search for on Google after hearing about your services. Your business might lose credibility if there’s no website similar to harmonyconsulting.com or a social media handle @harmonyconsulting.

Squarespace’s easy-to-use domain search tool can help you quickly find and register a domain name that matches your Arkansas business. You can then choose from Squarespace’s flexible website templates, pre-designed layouts, and curated design elements to build a website — no coding required. Start your business with Swyft Filings and receive a free domain from SquareSpace for one year.

For instance, if you were to type in “harmonyconsulting.com,” you’d see “unavailable” written next to it. However, you’d also see that domain names like harmonyconsulting.org and harmonyconsulting.digital are up for grabs, both excellent replacements.

Consider a DBA

In the state of Arkansas, businesses can also operate under a fictitious name.[4] This name is known as a DBA (Doing Business As) or a trade name and can benefit business owners in numerous ways.

• With a DBA, you don’t have to register a new company each time you launch a new service. (Harmony Consulting LLC can launch an event-planning agency called Harmony Events.)

• Sole proprietorships or partnerships only need a DBA to operate.

• Business owners stuck with overly complicated business names can choose a simpler DBA, making their brand more memorable for customers.

• With a DBA, rebranding is possible without ceasing operations and launching a new company.

• A DBA allows business owners to try a name before officially incorporating a business under it.

Given how busy new business owners are, needing help is perfectly understandable. Swyft Filings can help you file a DBA registration in under 10 minutes, along with our many other business services.

File Your LLC Online

Once you’ve checked off all the steps above, the only thing left to do is to incorporate. Of course, you can deal with the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), filing fees, and forms independently. Or, you can rely on Swyft Filings to do it for you.

Let’s say that your chosen business structure is an LLC. Once you’ve found the perfect LLC name using the Business Name Search tool, Swyft Filings can file your LLC online in minutes. Beyond starting your LLC, you can count on the same company to manage it. Whether filing the yearly annual report or obtaining business licenses, Swyft Filings has got you covered throughout your business’s journey.

FAQs

How do I find out if a business name is available in Arkansas?

To find out if a business name is available in Arkansas, do a business entity search on the Arkansas Secretary of State website or use Swyft Filings’ handy Business Name Search tool.

What is the Arkansas Secretary of State Business Entity Search?

The Arkansas Secretary of State Business Entity Search is a registry containing information about all businesses in the state of Arkansas. You can use this search to check business name availability or get information about a specific business.

How do I find a business entity in Arkansas?

To find a business entity in Arkansas, enter its name, filing number, or another recognizable element in the Arkansas Secretary of State Business Entity Search or Swyft Filings’ free tool.

How much does an Arkansas business entity search cost?

An Arkansas business entity search is free using Swyft Filings’ Business Name Search tool.

What are some of the benefits of a business entity search?

A business entity search allows business owners to quickly find valuable information that will help them save time and money, obtain crucial legal documentation, and scope out their competition.

How can I find a person’s address for a business in Arkansas?

To find a business address in Arkansas, check the Arkansas SOS entity search. Check either the “Principal Address” or “Agent Address” fields, depending on your needs.

Bibliography

1. Arkansas Secretary of State. “Search Incorporations, Cooperatives, Banks and Insurance Companies.” Accessed May 23, 2023.

2. Arkansas Secretary of State. “Name Availability Guidelines.” Accessed May 23, 2023.

3. Arkansas Secretary of State. “Application for Reservation of Entity Name.” Accessed May 23, 2023.

4. Arkansas Secretary of State. “Business Services FAQ.” Accessed May 23, 2023.