I want to start a small business, but need to protect my ideas/name?

[Jo]

I have no idea where to start as far as that goes. I have a small product and know how to market. Now, say for instance, I started a company called organixbeauty and I sold organic make up that I make home-made.

Let's pretend I want to protect that name and reserve it all over the web. So I do what I can...I sign up on myspace, twitter, youtube...make the email accounts, etc. But how do I protect that and keep others from copying/stealing/or using my formulas/ingredients?

I'm just a nursing student who wants to make a few extra bucks to help pay tuition, so it's nothing serious..but I would hate for the idea to fly and someone pulls the rug beneath me. What can I do? How much will it cost? How do I go about this?

I hear about LLC, Trademark, Copyright, etc....it makes my head spin haha

[abdulkhadermillion]

contact alawyer or a ca accountant.

[DeonaZog]

You should really make live contact with an attorney for this.

HOWEVER... do your homework online 1st or you will pay someone for the time that it takes to explain everything to you. And its not that easy to comprehend all at once, unless you connect with someone that gives it to you in plain english, without leaving out pertinent things you may need to know, but also not boring you with things that will not pertain to you, which is rare... and remember you are still paying for the time, whether its on the phone or in the office.

As you schedule an appointment, it is best to befriend the receptionist as they can usually help you by answering simple questions and giving you cues as to what to expect.

When you walk in the attorney's office you should have a pen and pad in front of you with all the questions you need to ask AND all the things the attorney will need to know about you. (Ask if you can fax this list, or drop it by their office ahead of time... the attorney will have a minute to go over it just before you walk into the office, therefore making things go much smoother and faster) Such as: Will you be owning the company alone or is it a joint venture? (This determines whether you are looking into a sole proprietorship, joint venture LLC, etc) About how much do you plan to gross a year (You are selling balloons and you are selling them for $1 each. You think you will sell about 12,000 in a year... thus your gross would be $12,000) Will it be something that would mean you want to leave your personal property out of the equation? (So you cannot be sued for anything other than what is used for your company, thus a corporation)

I do know that you can get a patent to protect your rights. For now, write everything down (take pictures if necessary) and conceal this list with any pictures needed, in an envelope addressed to yourself. Seal the package with tape and X's to make it tamper proof (the X should start above the tape and run all the way to the bottom of the tape with a small overlap onto the envelope above and below the tape). Mail it to yourself through the US Post Office to get the date postmarked on the envelope. DO NOT OPEN IT! The sealed envelope will give a starting date for when you protected your products!

I hope this helps!