Frequently Asked Questions and Other Information

The following is a list of commonly asked questions but is by far not an all-inclusive list.  For more specific information, please send an e-mail to: info@bexardbareport.com and we will certainly follow up.

Q:  What are Assumed Names? / a.k.a. “Doing Business As” / a.k.a. “DBA”

A:  Assumed Names are the business names that a person or group of people register with local authorities (in our case Bexar County) to put on public file their intention to “do business as” the name specified.  DBAs are required to accept payments in the name of your business and also to obtain sales tax permits and business banking accounts.  Usually the filing of a DBA is the first step in starting your own business.

Q:  Why would businesses want to subscribe to a list of newly filed Assumed Names?

A:  The Bexar County DBA Report is a list of newly registered businesses, for the most part, in and around the San Antonio area.  Many of these businesses are actively shopping for products and services that our subscribers sell or provide.  Many of these newly formed businesses will be acting on sales calls or direct mailings from companies using the Assumed Name list to contact them.  If you have a marketing campaign together already, simply include these newly registered businesses in your mailing lists to start generating more business.  If you don't have a marketing campaign in place, the DBA Report is a great place to start - with fresh addresses and business owners.

Q:  How do I receive my DBA Report every day?

A:  You as our subscriber have a number of options that you can opt-in for when subscribing or by updating your service.  First, you may receive daily faxes, usually delivered before 9:00am, with the newly registered DBA records from 2 days before.  Or, you may login to our self-serve member services page to download your own DBA list in a comma-delimited text file for merging into your sales letter or in an Adobe Acrobat format for printing.  Another option is to request inclusion on our e-mail list server that will send you a new list every business day with a comma-delimited text file attached.

Q:  How can I create labels or form letters from my DBA report list?

A:  Most word processing programs include a "mail merge" feature that allows you to create a standard form letter, envelope or label and 'merge' into it your list of names & addresses.  We will be including some standard procedures for Word and WordPerfect in upcoming Marketing and Sales Tips.

Q:  What prevents me from just going to the Bexar County Information Systems website and creating my own list?

A:  Nothing!  The Bexar County Information System website is free to the public and easily searched for accessing the DBA records.  But, (and you knew there was a 'but' coming):
1. The website requires you to click every DBA record see it, making it a time-intensive process
2. You have to copy and past multiple fields into your document or database program to compile each record
3. You have to learn the common patterns to DBA filings to accurately ascertain valid new businesses from existing ones making changes to their records.
Try visiting their website and you'll see what we mean.

Q:  What if I already get this information from the Daily Commercial Recorder?

A:  Good for you.  The Daily Commercial Recorder is an excellent source for receiving many kinds of public records.  Unfortunately, what you don't get is the quick turnaround of new filings from the day before yesterday in your e-mail inbox or fax machine today!  Typically, the Daily Commercial Recorder is publishing DBA records from as much as 5 days ago.  As you know, in sales, timing is vital and the first one in the door has a better chance of making that sale.

Hope these frequently asked questions address any questions you may have.  If they don't, please feel free to email us at info@bexardbareport.com to learn more about how our subscription services can help your company make more sales!  Thanks for visiting.