Mind Your Business…Registration
Making sure everyone keeps their eyes on their own paper
Keep your home address off business filings using a registered agent
If you’ve ever looked up a business on your state’s corporate filing website, you know how much personal information is exposed — owners’ names, home addresses, mailing addresses, and in some cases, phone numbers. That’s not just…mildly uncomfortable. That level of visibility can be dangerous.
At Brightlines, we believe your privacy shouldn’t depend on how good you are at navigating state bureaucracy. To reduce personal exposure use a registered agent service.
A registered agent allows you to keep your home address and personal name off public records, replacing your information with a professional business address. It’s not just a paperwork convenience, it’s a privacy shield.
How a registered agent protects you
When you form an company, whether an S-corp, a C-Corp, or an LLC, most states require you to list:
A registered agent’s name
A physical street address
A mailing address
If you don’t intentionally provide alternatives, your own name and home address end up on the internet forever. Data brokers scrape that info and pair it with your phone number, property records, relatives, social profiles, etc. Once it’s out there, it spreads.
How to set up a registered agent
We use Northwest Registered Agent. But you can use any RA you prefer.
Select “Registered Agent Service.”
Choose the state your company is registered in (e.g., Florida).
Create an account and complete payment.
Once complete, Northwest will give you a dashboard with your new business address.
Update your existing registration to remove your address
If your business is already registered and your personal address is public, you can either pay the registered agent to amend the state filing or you can do it.
Request registered agent
Log into your registered agent dashboard.
Purchase the service to update the registered agent and business address on file.
Ensure my personal name and home address do not appear on any public fields.They will file the amendment with the state.
Update yourself
Navigate to your state’s security of state online database for business registrations. Look for an option to update - like this, in Florida: https://dos.fl.gov/sunbiz/manage-business/update-information/
Replace your name with the registered agent’s.
Update your addresses wherever the form asks for, such as:
Principal office address
Mailing address
Registered agent address (Do not enter your home address.)
Optional, additional privacy layers
These are not required, but some clients prefer additional separation between personal identity and the business entity.
Option A: Add a DBA (Doing Business As)
You can register a DBA name for your existing company — for example, if your LLC is “Example Holdings LLC,” your DBA could be “Example Consulting.” This allows you to interact publicly under the DBA name while keeping the LLC name more private.
Some states allow you to do this yourself, i.e., Florida: https://efile.sunbiz.org/ficregintro.html
Or you could hire the registered agent to file for you.
>>> THEN change the name on your website and on social media to the fictitious name.
Option B: Form a Parent Company in a Privacy-Friendly State
You can create a new company (ideally formed in a privacy-friendly state like Delaware) and make your current company the DBA or subsidiary. This adds another layer of separation between your personal information and your operating entity.
Once you form the new Delaware company, you’d register it as a “foreign entity” in your home so it can legally do business there.
This separates your name from the public record even further.
>>> You can also file a DBA for the foreign entity in Florida!
