Small business is not the only reason why someone would file for a corporation or LLC. Another big reason for filing is to protect personal assets as a property owner. Many individuals own real property which they rent out. If there happens to be an accident at your rental property, which is in your name, you are personally liable for the property and any accidents at the property. If you form an LLC or a corporation and place your property under that entity, the entity is only responsible for the claims filed against it. If an entity is in place and being run correctly, you are not at risk for being responsible for the property personally. If you're interested in filing for an LLC or corporation please give us a call at 866-999-8200.

One big mistake that many new business make is thinking in the short term. For example, you've already got a business, the business might be mildly successful when another company approaches you to work on a project together, the terms are granting you a majority of the profits. Because the project seems to be a no-brainer, you might take the offer for the project. Fast forward 1 year and the other company goes out of business, this may not be an immediate concern to you, but if the terms of the project you worked on collectively hold the two companies responsible for the work, you are now the only company left being responsible. Although this is an unlikely situation, it is nevertheless a situation that can arise. Now you might have got a big paycheck upfront for what you thought was a good business deal, but a few years from now if a problem occurs in regards to the project, your company has to deal with it. If you're thinking a few years in advance, there might not be a problem to solve, because back when you agreed to do the project, instead of seeing a paycheck near, you might see a possible problem down the road. That does not mean you do not have to take on projects that you want to be involved in, but you should look to the future to make sure that you've taken care of all the loose ends regarding the long term problems that could occur.

It's important to think about looking into the future of your business rather than just the present. If you're making sure that your company moves forward by making choices that will not only benefit them now, but also later on, your business should run a little smother. If you've been wondering about starting your own business or forming an LLC give us a call at 866-999-8200.

When you look at photos of international locations, it's easy to see how big US corporations have made their impact all over the world. From McDonald's to Starbucks and one of the originators, Coca-Cola, it's hard to find a country that doesn't have some sort of presence of these big US businesses. While this may be discouraging to some wanting to start their own business, it's important to realize, that these big corporations, were at one time just like you, a few people with a dream to make it. Since they've made it they've also made it difficult to compete with, but it's important to realize that you can make it too, and that the big businesses are just obstacles that can be overcome by hard work and determination.

Although big businesses have the financial advantage, small businesses have the advantage of having personality. When you walk into a mom & pop shop, it's nice to see how your business affects the proprietors in a positive way. When you do business with a small business, for the most part you feel like you're important to the business, which is a feeling you can't get from walking into a big store like Target. Some big businesses do make an effort to train their associates to treat the clientele like gold, but it often doesn't come off as genuine, though there are some exceptions.

Though big business may always have higher profits in the long run, small businesses often have a higher profit margin. So it in many ways small businesses are not a bad idea. If you're interested in starting a business, whether it be filing for a DBA, forming a corporation, or forming an LLC, give us a call at 866-999-8200.

The Small Business Administration finalized a rule today that allows 5 percent of federal contracts to be awarded to small businesses owned by women. There are some stipulations to the rule, such as the contract prices, they are not to exceed $5 million for manufacturing or $3 million for other services. In order to qualify to take advantage of this rule, the company must be 51% owned by one or more women who are United States citizens. This new rule is a great asset not only to women-owned businesses, but for the economy, as it helps create new jobs. If you're thinking of starting a women-owned business, give us a call at 866-999-8200.

The Huffington Post has a great article on why it's a great time to start a business. Though many might think that the current state of the economy is not ideal for the start of a new business, many forget that if you have a good idea for a business, anytime is great time to start. The article mentions FedEx and Intel which both started as small businesses, during an economic decline. The reason why a lot of these Fortune 500 companies are able to start their companies during harder times is because the Small Business Administration is still working to help individuals and small businesses get off their feet off the ground or expand their companies. The SBA doesn't just help when it comes to lending money to small business, their site also has ample information and advice for those wanting to start their own business. It's important to not only research as much as you can about business, before dipping into an area you're unfamiliar with, but also talk to people or read about other successful businesses that you respect and admire. If you have any questions on starting your own business, forming a corporation or an LLC, give us a call at 866-999-8200.

FastCompany has a great post about 5 steps to getting your business credit up and running. For the article they interviewed Mancha Sims of Corporate Cash, who helps new businesses obtain business credit. Sims had 5 tips, and here is a summary of the key topics:

1. Establish your credit profile

Sims says it's important to establish your business credit as soon as possible. Some people wait too long before they request any type of business credit and in the end it just ends up with higher interest rate when they really need it.

2. Use current accounts

If you're doing business with stores or companies already, you can use those to your advantage. If you have a corporate account with a company like Staples, make sure that the account is being reported to the credit bureau under your business name. This will help establish your credit quicker than if you keep paying these corporate accounts from your pocket.

3. Keep business and personal credit separate

It's important to keep your business and personal credit lines separate. When starting a business set up a separate checking account and be sure to pay all business expenses from that account. This will help you stay organized as well as contribute to your business credit profile.

4. Only request what you need

When you go into a bank to request a business loan, only request what you need, and have a detailed plan on where the money will go to show the bank. Banks want to know where their money is going, and they're hesitant to lend money to anyone who gives them a vague answer in regards to that.

5. Using community banks

Establish a relationship with your community bank, many times people only think that big banks like Wells Fargo and Bank of America are the only ways to go, but if you establish a relationship with a community bank, it's easier to ask them to for a loan later on down the road.

If you have any questions about business filings give us a call at 866-999-8200.

The reasons people are driven to try their hand at starting their own business are broad. Many people start businesses because they love what they're going to do, some people start because they long for freedom that working for someone doesn't seem to provide, some start businesses to set something up for their children to take over once they're old enough. Whatever the reasoning behind starting your business, the important thing is that you've decided to do it. There are few people in a crowd that decide to try and guide their future in a certain direction by starting their own business, and with all that comes along with it, they know it's not an easy task. From document filings for LLC formation or starting a corporation to getting the correct permits to run your business in your city and/or county, to the actual task of running your business, the job is not small. Hopefully in your venture you will eventually come to a point where the business runs smooth (enough) to take some time off and relax, and that's pretty much everyone's goal when it comes down to it. In an economy like this it's especially important to take control and do what you need to do in order to succeed, and though success is measured by the individual, we wish you lots of success in your endeavors. So why are you starting? If you have any questions about creating your own business, please give us a call at 866-999-8200.

Starting a business isn't free, even if you open up a lemonade stand in your front yard, there's still associated start up costs, from the stand itself, the water, the sugar and most importantly the lemons. While a lemonade stand might be easy and cheap to start, the return usually also minute. Granted those who start up lemonade stands are usually young children, who are happy to get any type of return on their investment. When you think of a business, you should think of it like those children running their lemonade stands, be happy for any kind of return for your effort. In business you have to pay careful attention to what your costs are and what you expect in return, have realistic hopes but don't be too hard on yourself if business isn't booming right away. If you're having trouble gaining business, look at what you're doing, ask what you should be doing and take a step back and figure out the most cost effective way to improve your services. Another cost associated with starting up your business besides the costs of the products or services themselves are the local licenses and permits fees as well as corporation or LLC filing fees, these are many times overlooked because they aren't part of the front end of your business, though this part of business is just as important. It's important not only to be in compliance with your state but also your city an county. If you have any questions about start up costs for filing LLCs or corporations, please give us a call at 866-999-8200.

Depending on the type of service or product you provide, the client's feedback could mean a lot. In order to have your business succeed it's important to get feedback from clients about what they like about  your company and what your company can improve on. Whether you just formed an LLC or have had a corporation for a decade, every company has room to grow and provide better services to their clients. Before you ask for feedback you have to identify what the best approach for this is, if you're mainly an online company who deals with emails, you might just casually ask in correspondence what the client thought of your service. If you've got a brick and mortar business you could have suggestion cards up near the cash registers. Sometimes clients will not care to comment unless they've had a bad experience, and although the criticism may be put a damper on your attitude towards your business, it's important to take into account the situation and how you can make things better for the next client who has a similar story. However your approach, just be sure to listen and reflect on how you can improve. Good luck! If you have any questions about forming a business, give us a call at 866-999-8200.

Small business owners are, for the most part, striving for the same thing, to improve profits.

It's important as a business owner, big or small to provide the best service you can first and foremost. When you look at a place like Disneyland or DisneyWorld, you might think of these places as high-priced, while that is true, the service they provide doesn't seem to deter many people from spending at those parks. They might be higher priced than other theme parks, but they never slack on the service they provide. If you've ever been to one of those parks and had the unfortunate luck to have something go wrong, they're not a company to just shrug it off, they will do everything in their power to make sure that your bad experience is turned into a good one. While it's taken the Disney company decades to achieve their status, they've earned the right to charge what they want for their work.

As a small business, you have to have trust that your product or service will speak for itself. It's important to offer valuable services or products, because your clients will recognize that. If you offer clients something of value, you increasing your chances of that client coming back for further services from your company, which will in turn lead to improved profits. If you have any questions about forming your own business please give us a call at 866-999-8200.