LLC required for "official" business name?

[Ryan Sanders]

I want to make the name of my business official in my state of Colorado, and it looks like I might need to set up an LLC first so the business is actually a business. Does that sound right? Or could I be missing something?

[Mira J.]

I'm not sure how it works in Colorado. However, here in Illinois I acquired an assumed business name certificate from city hall and was able to open a business bank account with that. From what I understand about real estate so far, some lenders require your articles of incorporation showing that you formed an LLC.