Get the guides by email
Two StartupStead guides every Monday, in the order a business needs them, and every new guide on Friday. Free, and you can unsubscribe whenever you like.
We only use your address to send the newsletter. Privacy
What arrives first
The first Mondays bring these, two at a time.
- Why StartupStead existsWhat this site covers, who it is for, how every article is researched, and how it is paid for.
- LLC vs S corp vs C corp: which one is right for your business?Three questions decide it: how much profit you make, whether you will raise money, and how you want to be paid. Here is how each structure answers them, with numbers.
- How to start an LLC: every step, what it costs and how long it takesTen steps from choosing a state to your first annual report, with the state fees, the free options and the add-ons you can skip.
- LLC operating agreement: what it must cover, and when a template isn't enoughFew states make you file one, but every LLC should have one. What to put in it for a single-member and a multi-member LLC, and the clauses that settle arguments before they start.
- How to get an EIN for your LLC: free, online, in about 15 minutesThe IRS issues employer identification numbers for free, online, while you wait. Here is what you need, every screen of the application, the mistakes to avoid, and what to do if you can't apply online.
- Do you need a registered agent for your LLC? When to be your own and when to payEvery LLC must have one. You can do it yourself for free, but the address goes on the public record and you have to be there to receive a lawsuit. Here's how to decide.
- The best state to form an LLC is usually your own. Here's when it isn'tDelaware, Wyoming and Nevada get the attention, but forming out of state usually means paying two states every year. The numbers, and the few cases where it's worth it.
- The cheapest way to form an LLC: what you must pay and what you can skipThe only unavoidable cost is your state's filing fee. Here is how to do the rest yourself for free, where the "$0 LLC" services make their money, and the shortcuts that cost more later.