Guides

Plain answers on starting and running a company.

• What is an LLC?What an LLC is, how it protects your personal assets, how it's taxed, and what it takes to form and keep one in your state.
• How to start an LLCThe five steps to start an LLC: pick a state, check the name, name a registered agent, file your articles and set up the company.
• What are articles of organization?What articles of organization are, what the form asks for, what it costs in your state, and how it differs from an operating agreement.
• What is a registered agent?What a registered agent does, who can serve, whether you can be your own, and what happens to your LLC or corporation if you don't have one.
• What is an LLC operating agreement?What an LLC operating agreement is, which states require one, what to put in it, and why a single-member LLC should still have one.
• What does doing business as (DBA) mean?What doing business as means, when you need a DBA, where to file one, and what it doesn't do for your liability or your brand.
• How to check if a business name is availableCheck a business name in three places: your state's records, the USPTO trademark database and domain names. What each one tells you.
• How to get an EIN for your businessHow to get an EIN from the IRS for free, who can apply online, the current hours, and what to do if you don't have an SSN or ITIN.
• Can you form an LLC for free?Every state charges to form an LLC. What you can do for free, which fees you can't skip, and where veterans can get the fee waived.
• How to find out who owns an LLCHow to look up who owns an LLC using state business records, annual reports and other public sources, and why owners often aren't listed.
• LLC advantages and disadvantagesThe real advantages and disadvantages of a limited liability company, how the taxes work, what it costs each year, and when one is worth it.
• Types of LLCsThe types of LLCs explained: single-member, multi-member, member-managed, manager-managed, series, professional and low-profit LLCs.
• What is a managing member of an LLC?What a managing member does, how the role differs from a member or a manager, who can sign for the LLC, and how to name one.
• What is the best state to form an LLC?Why your home state is usually the best place to form an LLC, what Delaware, Wyoming and Nevada really cost, and when another state fits.
• How to trademark a nameHow to trademark a business or product name: search first, pick a class, file with the USPTO, what it costs and how long it takes.
• TM vs ®: what's the difference?What the TM and ® symbols mean, when you can use each one, why ® before registration is a problem, and what the SM symbol is for.
• How to get a business licenseHow to get a business license: which ones you need, where to apply at the city, county, state and federal level, and what an LLC changes.
• What is an LLC holding company?What an LLC holding company is, how it separates assets from risk, how it's taxed, what it costs, and when the extra setup is worth it.