For brands that sell online, from choosing a store platform and taking payments to shipping, email marketing and the numbers that decide whether a store makes money.
Guide · Compliance and filings
A single-member LLC owned by a non-US person files Form 5472 with a pro forma Form 1120 every year, by fax or mail, due April 15 for a calendar year. Putting money in or taking it out counts as a reportable transaction, so almost every such LLC has to file. Missing it costs $25,000.
· 7 min read
Guide · Business banking
Mercury accepts US companies with founders living abroad, but may ask for proof of US business activity and can close accounts that have none. Relay asks every owner for a physical US address. Airwallex's US service needs a US principal place of business. Wise Business works alongside any of them for currency. Here's how to choose.
· 7 min read
Guide · Cross-border payments
If Stripe doesn't serve your country, you either form a US company and open a US Stripe account, or sell through a merchant of record such as Paddle, Lemon Squeezy or Stripe Managed Payments, which charge around 5% or more but take on sales tax and VAT. Here's how the three routes compare.
· 7 min read
Guide · Cross-border incorporation
You don't need an ITIN to get an EIN, file Form 5472 or claim a treaty rate on a W-8BEN if you have a tax number from home. You do need one to file a US return as a nonresident, for example when your business is engaged in a US trade or business. The IRS says allow 9 to 11 weeks from abroad.
· 7 min read
Guide · Web hosting and cloud
A basic DigitalOcean Droplet costs $6 a month, a managed cloud server on Cloudways starts at $11, and managed WordPress hosting from Kinsta at $35. The cheap option comes with a job description: operating system updates, runtime upgrades, backups, firewalls, certificates and monitoring. Here's how to tell whether that job is worth it for you.
· 7 min read
Comparison · Web hosting and cloud
A 2GB DigitalOcean server costs $12 a month and you look after it. Cloudways runs a 2GB DigitalOcean server for you from $24 a month. Kinsta's managed WordPress starts at $35 a month, or $30 billed yearly, with a 20GB monthly bandwidth limit. Here's which fits one small business site.
· 7 min read
Comparison · No-code and automation
Ten thousand units a month cost $9 on Make's Core plan, $16 on Pabbly Connect's Standard plan and $129 on Zapier's Professional plan, all billed yearly. But Make counts every step including the trigger, while Zapier and Pabbly only count actions. Here's what one real automation costs on each.
· 7 min read
Comparison · Business banking
For a foreign-owned company with no funding, Mercury's IO card is the realistic first credit card: no personal guarantee, no separate application, and a cash-based limit that starts small. Ramp needs $25,000 and mostly US operations. Brex needs a verifiable physical US address. Traditional cards want an SSN or ITIN and US credit history.
· 7 min read
Post · Cross-border incorporation
Forming the company takes days. Everything that has to follow it, from the EIN by fax to a bank account, Stripe, a card and the first year's filing calendar, takes most of three months for a founder abroad. Here's the order I'd follow, with a link to the full guide for each part.
· 7 min read
Guide · Contractors
To pay a contractor abroad, collect a Form W-8BEN, sign a contract that covers scope and IP, and pay through a low-cost rail like Wise, Airwallex or a contractor platform rather than a bank wire. For work done outside the US, there's no US withholding and no 1099. Here's the full process.
· 7 min read
Guide · Company formation
The cheapest way to form an LLC is to file it yourself on your state's website and pay only the state fee, from $35 in Montana to $300 in Texas. Everything else can be free. Here's how, and what to watch for.
· 7 min read
Guide · Business banking
Opening a business bank account takes your formation documents, your EIN, ID for each owner and about 15 minutes online. Here's exactly what to have ready, the fees that matter, and how to choose between an online bank and a branch.
· 7 min read
Guide · Cross-border incorporation
You don't need to live in the US or hold a visa to form a US company. Here's the full process for founders abroad: LLC or C corp, Delaware or Wyoming, an EIN without an SSN, banking, payments, and the filings that catch foreign owners out.
· 8 min read
Guide · Accounting and bookkeeping
Good bookkeeping isn't complicated: separate accounts, software connected to your bank, a short list of categories and an hour a month. Here's the whole system, from setup to the year-end handoff to your accountant.
· 7 min read
Guide · Company formation
Forming an LLC takes a few hundred dollars in state fees and one to two weeks. Here is every step in order, what each one costs, and which paid extras you don't need.
· 8 min read
Guide · Company formation
For most owners, the best state to form an LLC is the state where they live and work. Forming in Delaware or Wyoming usually means registering at home too and paying both states. Here's the math, and the exceptions.
· 7 min read
Guide · Compliance and filings
Most states require an annual or biennial report to keep an LLC active, from $7 in Pennsylvania to $138.75 in Florida, and some add a yearly tax, like California's $800. Miss it and the state can dissolve your LLC. Here's what's due and when.
· 7 min read
Guide · Business taxes
If you expect to owe $1,000 or more in federal tax, you generally need to pay estimated tax each quarter. Pay at least 100% of last year's tax, or 90% of this year's, and you avoid the underpayment penalty. Here's how to work it out and pay.
· 7 min read
Guide · Company formation
Every LLC needs a registered agent: a person or company with an address in the state who accepts legal papers during business hours. You can be your own for free, or pay $125 to $249 a year. Here's how to choose.
· 7 min read
Guide · Business taxes
You must collect sales tax in states where your business has nexus: a physical presence, or sales above that state's economic threshold, such as $100,000 in Florida or $500,000 in California and Texas. Here's how to work out where you owe it and what to do next.
· 7 min read
Guide · Payroll and benefits
Before your first employee starts, register as an employer with your state, set up payroll, and get workers' compensation. On day one, collect a W-4 and complete the I-9 within three business days, then report the hire within 20 days. Here's every step.
· 7 min read
Guide · Legal structure
An S corp isn't a separate kind of company, it's a tax election an LLC can make. The real choice is between an LLC, taxed simply or as an S corp, and a C corporation built for investors.
· 7 min read
Guide · Compliance and filings
Most businesses need at least one license or permit, but there's no single national license. Here's how the federal, state and local layers work, the permits people forget, and a step-by-step way to find yours.
· 7 min read
Guide · Business taxes
A business can deduct ordinary and necessary expenses, but the biggest savings come from the ones owners forget: start-up costs, the home office, mileage at 72.5 or 76 cents a mile in 2026, equipment under Section 179, and health insurance. Here's the list, with the records each needs.
· 7 min read
Comparison · Accounting and bookkeeping
Online bookkeeping services range from Pilot's $99-a-month Essentials plan to Bookkeeper360 at $399 and QuickBooks Live from $300. Here's what each includes, when a service beats software plus a part-time bookkeeper, and why you should insist on books you own.
· 7 min read
Comparison · Business banking
Mercury suits startups and founders abroad, but takes no cash. Relay gives you 20 free checking accounts and free cash deposits at Allpoint+ ATMs. Bluevine pays interest on its free plan if you meet a spending or deposit target. Here's the full comparison.
· 7 min read
Comparison · Cross-border payments
Wise charges a one-time $31 and conversion fees from 0.23%. Airwallex is free to open with a 0.5% markup on major currencies. Payoneer suits marketplace sellers and freelancers, but charges 1% to receive many payments and an annual fee on low volumes. Here's how to choose.
· 7 min read
Comparison · Accounting and bookkeeping
For most small businesses, QuickBooks Online Simple Start ($38 a month) or Xero Growing ($59 a month, unlimited users) is the right starting point. FreshBooks Plus ($43 a month) suits freelancers and agencies who live in invoices. Here's the full comparison at list prices.
· 7 min read
Comparison · Business banking
Ramp is the easier corporate card to qualify for, with a $25,000 minimum balance and a strong free plan. Brex suits funded startups with $50,000 or more and wants to grow with them. Neither suits a sole proprietor or a brand-new company with little cash.
· 7 min read
Comparison · Cross-border incorporation
For a Delaware C corporation you'll raise on, Stripe Atlas is hard to beat at $500. For an LLC, doola's Starter plan is the cheapest all-in bundle at $297 a year, and its Tax and Compliance plan covers the Form 5472 filing. Firstbase forms cheaply but charges more for its agent.
· 7 min read
Comparison · Accounting and bookkeeping
Zoho Books' free plan is the most complete, including bank reconciliation, as long as revenue stays under $50,000. Wave's free plan has unlimited invoices but no automatic bank import. QuickBooks' free plan allows two invoices a month. Here's how to choose.
· 7 min read
Comparison · Payroll and benefits
For most small businesses, Gusto is the simplest payroll to buy and run: $49 a month plus $6 per person for one state, $80 plus $12 for several. ADP and Rippling price by quote. ADP suits businesses that want a large, established provider, Rippling teams that want payroll, HR and IT in one system.
· 7 min read
Comparison · Company formation
The best LLC formation service depends on what you need after the filing. Northwest has the lowest ongoing cost and the best privacy, Bizee the cheapest first year with an EIN, ZenBusiness the most bundled compliance, LegalZoom the attorney access.
· 7 min read