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We want to start a single business with a variety of different offerings that have their own identity to the public. We have an overarching business name that we think we would register as an LLC and obtain a tax id#, but then we want to use a different name for our website subscription service and another name for our recording studio, and so on.

Do each of these entities need to be registered as businesses, with different tax id's, etc.? If so, how would this be structured?

Or can we set up the one business and use other names like "doing business as". Or can we consider these simply different "products or services" of the over-arching business name?

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You can just have one LLC and make these different offerings divisions of the parent. This happens all the time with media companies. They have print, Internet, consulting, tv and radio.

The phrase you would use is "ABC, a division of XYZ." or something like that.

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Jarie is right, you can register one LLC and have different businesses operating under different trading names.

The downside to this is that there is no liability protection. If someone sues for something that has happened in one of the divisions, then they are able to claim upon the assets of all the divisions.

A structure that offers more protection is to have a parent LLC which owns other LLCs, one for each division.

I'm not a lawyer however. Dana might be able to give you a better legal perspective.

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To add onto Susans answer, you could register as a "Series LLC" Basically you designate a parent LLC, and register 'series' beneath it. Many landlords, and doctors offices do this to silo their liabilities more concisely.

It's more cost effective then registering separate LLCs (From my understanding) and allows you to split up liability from all of your various business operations.

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