Using a DBA as a separate "investment branch" of my company
Hi there! Just to prepare people - this is a long, detailed post. If you don't want to read everything below, the shortened summary is this: I am planning to start acquiring homes and renting them out to tenants. I have a company name and website that currently markets towards tenants. I want to make a different website with a different business name that caters towards investors. Can I use a DBA with my LLC to be able to operate under that business name?
If you care for more detail, please read below:
I'm a newbie buy and hold investor in Indiana and I've recently gone through the process of setting up the (single-member) LLC that'll own the assets that I plan to start purchasing in the near future. I'm happy with the way that everything is set up so far, including my website, which currently caters more towards my future tenants than investors. I want to continue to use my website to market towards tenants and post content there that will be relevant for people looking for a new place to rent.
Recently, I've been looking very closely into investing with a partner and/or private money. For my situation, that makes the most sense, and I'd like to continue to invest that way in the future as well. I can see this growing into a private equity investment firm (over a long period of time) that will in turn provide all of the financing I need to pursue real estate deals in the future. It's a big dream but I know that it's worth pursuing and I'm captivated by the idea. I want to start to put some material online, starting out with simple things such as investor information packets and F.A.Q.'s about investing with me to get a high rate of return on investment accounts. This would also give me a good place to post material relevant to people looking to invest in real estate without actually doing any of the day-to-day work involved. None of this material would be relevant for my tenants, and if possible, I'd like to have it completely separated from my existing website as well as my existing company name.
This, however, poses a bit of a problem for me. I already like the way that my business has been set up and I want my current name of <Company Name> Housing to continue to market towards tenants. Could I set up a DBA under my current LLC that's something like <Company Name> Investments and then work with investors through there? Would it be smart to start a separate LLC for the investment "branch" of my company since it'll be dealing with the investors and my housing "branch" will actually own the assets? I know this is thinking way into the future, but I'd like to set it up correctly from the start and avoid the headache down the road.
Let me know of any and all ideas that you may have. I love reading different opinions and ideas, so fire away. Even if it's not directly related to my question, if you have any alternative recommendations I'd be happy to read into them and expand my knowledge. Also, I do see that this is pretty in depth, and I plan to consult an attorney before proceeding but I thought I'd start here to get some ideas.
Thanks in advance!
-Chad