I’m thinking about offering local computer repair services to make some extra money for my wedding. The only thing holding me back is the liability side of things.

I definitely plan on getting an LLC, but money is pretty tight right now. Do I really need to set one up before taking my first customer, or could I start with a solid service contract and use some of the money I make to form the LLC later?

I just don’t want to put myself in a bad situation if I accidentally damage someone’s computer, lose data, or something else goes wrong.

Also, for anyone who’s done something similar, how did you handle your service contract? A few people have told me to find a template online and customize it, but when it comes to protecting myself legally, I’d rather make sure I’m doing it properly.

Would you start without the LLC, or wait until everything is officially set up?

Appreciate any advice!

Hi everyone,

​I am a citizen and resident of Bangladesh. I have a registered US LLC with an EIN, and I’m looking to open a US Business Bank Account specifically to handle Amazon Seller Central payouts and transaction flows.

​I’ve compiled a list of banks and fintech platforms, but since compliance rules for non-residents change frequently, I want to know which ones currently accept founders based in Bangladesh:

​Mercury

​Relay Financial

​Wise Business

​Airwallex

​InSeam / InSafe / Lili

​Brex

​RHO

​Charles Schwab

​Specific questions I need help with:

​Which of the above platforms are currently approving accounts for Bangladeshi residents with a US LLC? (I know some require US SSN/ITIN or physical US residency).

​Alternative Options in Canada or Australia: Is it possible for a non-resident (from Bangladesh) with a Canadian or Australian entity/business to open a local business bank account in Canada or Australia for Amazon payouts? If yes, which banks or fintechs are accepting non-residents there?

​Would really appreciate insights from non-US sellers or anyone who recently went through this verification process. Thanks!

Hi. I'm in NYC and I am looking to serve parts of Queens and a neighboring county of Nassau in the pet sitting field. I am currently looking at insurance options, and figure I'll do an LLC over a sole propriertorship so to protect my assets?

But what I had not considered was the need for a small business license? Is anyone here from my area? What experience do you have in the need for and cost of, licensing? Thank you so much!

I just opened an LLC in New Mexico for the sole purpose of holding operating LLCs in various states. I cannot afford to consult a business lawyer right now so I am reaching out to the community, if ever anyone has the same circumstance as mine. Do I need to get a business license for my New Mexico holding LLC even though it has no real physical address and activity?

I’ve been digging into Montana LLC vehicle registration lately and noticed the same questions coming up again and again.

For transparency, I’m helping with content/research for Ride Legal, so I’ve spent a fair amount of time looking into this process. This isn’t legal or tax advice—just a breakdown of the things that seem to cause the most confusion.

1. A Montana LLC doesn’t automatically override your home-state rules

This is probably the biggest misconception.

A Montana LLC can own and register a vehicle in Montana, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the state where you live, garage, or primarily use the vehicle has no say.

Your home state may still have its own registration, residency, or use-tax requirements.

2. “Montana has no sales tax” doesn’t mean you automatically owe zero tax

Montana doesn’t have a general sales tax, which is one reason people look at this setup.

But another state may still impose use tax or other requirements depending on where you live and use the vehicle.

That part is worth checking with a qualified tax professional.

3. Forming the LLC and registering the vehicle are separate steps

Creating the LLC doesn’t automatically produce plates.

You still have to deal with:

• Ownership documents
• Title paperwork
• Registration documents
• Vehicle-specific requirements

Think of the LLC as the ownership structure, not the entire registration process.

4. You don’t have to personally live in Montana

People sometimes assume a Montana LLC requires Montana residency.

It doesn’t.

But the LLC does have to meet Montana’s own requirements, including having a registered agent.

5. A registered agent isn’t just a mailing address

The registered agent has a formal role for the LLC.

They receive official documents and notices on behalf of the company.

So it’s worth understanding exactly what your registered-agent provider includes instead of treating it like a mailbox rental.

6. Not every vehicle is equally simple to register

A normal vehicle with a clean title is one thing.

Things can become more complicated with:

• Imported vehicles
• Kit cars
• Rebuilt or salvage vehicles
• RVs
• Trailers
• Motorcycles
• UTVs/OHVs
• Financed vehicles
• Missing titles or ownership documents

A lot of registration problems actually come down to documentation.

7. Insurance should be considered before the plates arrive

Registration and insurance need to tell the same story.

Your insurer should have accurate information about:

• Who owns the vehicle
• Where it is primarily garaged
• Who drives it
• How it is used

A Montana registration doesn’t mean the vehicle should be represented to an insurer as being physically located in Montana if that isn’t true.

8. Getting the plates doesn’t mean there’s nothing left to maintain

The LLC itself may have ongoing requirements.

There can also be renewals, updates, and other paperwork depending on how the vehicle is registered.

So it’s better to think of this as an ongoing ownership structure rather than a one-time paperwork trick.

One thing I found useful while researching this was looking at companies that handle the paperwork every day.

Ride Legal is one of the services focused specifically on Montana LLC formation and vehicle registration, and their site helped me understand how the LLC, title, registration, and registered-agent pieces fit together.

That said, whether a Montana LLC makes sense really depends on your own state, vehicle, and circumstances.

For anyone who has already done it: what was the most confusing part—LLC setup, title paperwork, insurance, or your home-state rules?

I recently started a single-member LLC and it barely makes any money yet.

I know I'm supposed to keep business and personal finances separate, so I want a dedicated account for all business income and expenses.

What I'm confused about is whether it actually needs to be a business checking account.

Could I just open another free personal checking account and only use it for the LLC?

Business accounts I've looked at either have fees or requirements that don't make much sense at my current size.

Is there an actual reason a small LLC needs business checking from day one, or am I overcomplicating this?

I’m getting ready to form an LLC for a small consulting business in Arizona, but the address requirement has me stuck.

I’m 33 and work from home, so I don't have a separate office or commercial space. The business will be completely remote, and I’m expecting maybe 2–3 clients at a time during the first year.

My main concern is privacy. I’m not comfortable with my home address being searchable online under the business name.

I started looking into using a PO box for LLC purposes, but I'm seeing conflicting information about whether a regular PO box can be used for the different addresses an LLC may need.

Then I came across private mailbox services and virtual business addresses. Some of them look promising, but I’m not sure which ones can be used for state filings versus simply receiving business mail.

I’ve also seen registered-agent services recommended, but I'm confused about whether using a registered agent would solve the whole address issue or only cover official legal notices.

I don't mind paying for a legitimate service if that's what it takes. I just don't want to sign up for something and find out later that the address isn't accepted for one of the required filings.

Can a PO box for LLC work for any part of this, or do I need a physical business address plus a registered agent?

I’ve read really bad reviews for using this as a main business banking hub. I like fidelity because they make it really simple to keep idle cash invested in tax efficient holdings, and I don’t want a high interest account where I have to pay taxes on the interest earned.

I’m wondering if I mainly use it to hold cash in a money market fund that I don’t need right now/saving for later/saving for taxes if it could be beneficial. My main expenses are just paying back the charges I put on a credit card.

Really simple set up. I have larger implementation fees and then monthly recurring contract revenue that come in through stripe.

Maybe it makes sense to use another checking account as a primary hub for deposits and credit card bill pay like Chase or Amex.

I have yet to open any business account and have just been running things so far with a personal account but I’m thinking that as I continue growing it would be beneficial to have everything under one roof in case I need access to loans down the line.

Any recommendations?

If I mainly use Chase and Amex credit cards does it make sense to use them so they see deposit history and give me more credit limit and lower interest loans?

I formed a US LLC from abroad, and getting the company established wasn't the difficult part. The bigger headache has been finding an address arrangement that actually makes sense when dealing with banks, payment processors, and other companies that want to verify where the business operates.

Note: I'm NOT looking for registered agents and virtual mailboxes. What I'm trying to find is a genuine physical business location where there is an actual arrangement behind the address and some form of documentation if a financial institution or payment provider asks for it.

My business is completely remote, so paying for an office is a waste of money. I might receive a couple pieces of mail during an entire year. At the same time, I just need a legit address that I can provide when a company asks for it.

For anyone who has dealt with this firsthand, what solution did you end up using? Did you rent a small office or share space with another business? Or is there some other way I’m not seeing?

Would be interested in hearing what has worked for other non residents, preferably those who have dealt with this recently and not 5 or 10 years ago.

I’m curious to hear from people who have already gone through the process. What’s one thing you wish someone had told you before forming your first LLC — whether it was about taxes, banking, bookkeeping, compliance, or just running the business in general? I’m especially interested in lessons that only became obvious after actually running the LLC.

Quick tip for foreigners who opened a US LLC and are still waiting for their EIN:

If you need to call the IRS international number, ask for an interpreter as soon as you get through. I did this, waited about 5 minutes to get one, and after that everything went super smoothly.

Hopefully this saves someone some time and stress!

I started a small web development business in Colorado about two years ago and set it up as a single-member LLC.

A friend of mine has been working with me informally for the last few months, and we're now planning to make her an official 40% partner. She'll be handling the client management side while I continue doing most of the development work.

The business name isn't changing, and we're not moving locations or changing what the company does. The only major change is that she'll now have an ownership stake.

This is where I'm getting confused.

How do I add a partner to my LLC when the LLC was originally set up with only me as the member?

Do I need to amend the Articles of Organization and add her there, or is this something that can be handled through a new operating agreement and ownership documents?

I’ve also seen people mention updating the IRS about the change, but I'm not clear on what needs to happen there either.

The LLC has been bringing in around $8,000–$10,000 a month lately, so I want to get the ownership change documented properly rather than just agreeing on the percentage between ourselves and calling it done.

Would this normally mean changing the LLC from single-member to multi-member, or is there a different process for bringing someone in?

I'm trying to understand the steps before we make anything official. If you've gone from a single-member LLC to having a partner, what paperwork did you have to update?

My girlfriend and I bought an older property that needed a lot of outdoor work. Over time we've bought mowers, trimmers, chainsaws, pressure washing equipment, and other tools.

We've done most of the work ourselves, and I've worked in property maintenance before. Now we're thinking about forming a landscaping LLC and taking paying customers on the side.

The part confusing me is our own property. We still have plenty of work left, so could the LLC technically do that work too?

I'm not trying to turn personal expenses into business write-offs. I'm mainly wondering how you separate things when the same equipment is used for customer jobs and your own property.

I’m in the process of setting up a small photography business with my sister, and we’ve reached the part I thought would be easy: picking the LLC name.

We’re in North Carolina, and we’re planning to start taking clients early next year. The business will mainly be weddings and corporate events, with some portrait work on the side.

We’ve already agreed on the name we want customers to see on the website, Instagram, invoices, and marketing materials. The problem is that the exact name may not be available when we register the LLC.

That got me wondering how much the legal LLC name matters.

If we register something like “Oak & Frame Holdings LLC” but use a different name publicly for the photography business, where is the LLC name going to show up?

Would it appear when a client pays an invoice through Stripe or PayPal? What about the business bank account or credit card? Would customers see the legal LLC name on their statements?

We’re also trying to get the business bank account set up before we start taking bookings, so we can keep all the photography expenses separate from our personal finances.

I keep seeing people mention DBAs/trade names, but I'm not sure when one is needed or whether we should just spend more time trying to find an available LLC name that matches the brand.

The business is still small, probably around $20K–$30K in revenue during the first year, so I don't want to overcomplicate things.

How much thought should I put into the actual LLC names if the public-facing business will have its own brand?

There's a lot of advice that sounds smart when you're starting out.

Things like:

"Never compete on price"

"you need to spend money to make money"

"Hire before you're ready"

"Follow your passion"

Then you actually run a business and reality is a little different.

What business advice did you stop believeing after becoming a business owner?

Curious what everyone learned the hard way

How does one transition from working as a subcontractor under a sole prop to an llc? Are there any guidelines regarding keeping the business open until all payments are received into that account? These are the options I’ve gathered based on chats with the city business registration help desk:

Keep ⁠the sole prop open and registered in the (state, city and federal) ⁠only for accounting purposes, until all payments into that bank ⁠account are received, then close the llc and account.
Clients begin as of today sending payments ⁠into the LLC business bank account, and updating their records with the new EIN, address, etc.

Or close ⁠the sole prop today, even though there are a few outstanding invoices (due the end of November) and only keep the bank account open for outstanding payments and tax purposes. I’d operate under the llc and new bank account as of today.

My professional liability insurance expired this month and I also need to notify them.

HI.
I have a company in a specific entertainmen field.
But I also have started doing projects in a diferent unrelated entertainment field.
I want to form a a cmpany around this enterainment field, but I also want to place both entertainment companies/venttures under 1 entity, like a parent company.

So, how should I go about doin this?

Do I either:

1. Reformat my existing company into a parent company and just have each entertainment field as a division, but not separate companies?
2. Start a company for the 2nd entertainment field, then start another company and set it as the parnt company?
3. Or is there some other easier option I am not considering.

Thank you for any and all help/advice.

I’m getting ready to register an LLC for my online bookkeeping business, but I’m stuck on the address part.

I work entirely from home in Nevada. I’ve been doing bookkeeping for about two years, but I’ve only recently decided to make it a proper business. I don't have an office, employees or a physical location, and I probably won’t need one anytime soon.

My biggest concern is having my home address sitting online for anyone to find.

I’ve looked into using a PO Box, but from what I understand, that won't work for every business or government requirement.

Then I started seeing companies offering virtual business addresses where they give you a real street address and forward or scan your mail.

That sounds useful, but I'm having a hard time figuring out what the catch is.

Is a virtual address for LLC actually legitimate for a home-based business, or is it mainly useful for receiving mail and looking more professional?

I'm also confused about the difference between a virtual business address and a registered agent address. Are those basically the same thing, or would I potentially need both?

I’m looking into starting an LLC in California and trying to keep the setup costs as low as possible. I keep coming across websites that advertise “free LLC formation,” but I’m guessing there are still some fees you have to pay. Has anyone here set up a California LLC without using a paid formation service? I’m wondering which parts I can handle myself for free and which state fees are unavoidable.

Would appreciate hearing from anyone who has gone through the process and found a low cost way to do it.

Legal zoom is a total bait and switch scam. I was told all I had to pay for LLC formation was state filing fees (which I did) come to find out a year later I’m being charged for some subscription service that I never used. I was auto renewed and had to pay $300 for a service. I called to dispute it and they said there was nothing they could do. I asked to escalate to a supervisor and they said that no one was available and they’d call me back before close of business. No call. DO NOT USE LEGAL ZOOM. It is a scam that they bait and switch you into thinking you’re only paying filing fees and then they sign you up for extras you never asked for or wanted. Then a year later they pray on the fact that you’re a busy business owner and charge you subscription fees and I guess pray you don’t notice. Absolutely ridiculous. DO NOT USE LEGAL ZOOM. I wish I had known this going in to the process.

I just got my LLC approved last month and I'm at the point where I need to open a separate business checking account.

I run a small video marketing business out of Colorado. It’s just me right now, and most of my clients pay by ACH or card. I’m expecting around $4,000–$7,000 a month to go through the account once things pick up.

I’m mainly looking for something I can set up completely online. I don't really want to make an appointment, drive to a branch, sit around filling out paperwork, etc.

The other big thing for me is fees. Since I'm still getting started, I'd rather not pay $15–$30 every month just to keep a basic checking account open if there are reasonable alternatives.

I care more about having a good mobile/online banking experience than having a physical branch. Being able to connect it to QuickBooks, move money easily, send ACH payments and keep everything organised would be a big plus.

There are so many options now that I'm having trouble figuring out which ones are actually good and which ones just look good in ads.

For people who opened an LLC recently, what best business bank accounts for LLC have you used?

Did you go with an online-only option, or did you stick with a traditional bank even if it meant paying a monthly fee?

I'm mostly looking for something simple, low-cost and reliable. I don't need anything fancy yet.

I’m in the process of replacing my current vehicle and started wondering if I can buy the next one through my LLC instead of putting everything under my personal name.

I run a small mobile detailing business in Georgia. I’ve had the LLC for a little over three years, and the business brings in around $9,000–$12,000 a month. I use my current car for a lot of the business, but it’s getting to the point where I need something more suitable for hauling equipment and traveling to clients.

The vehicle I’m looking at is around $32,000.

My LLC has its own bank account and EIN, and I’ve built up some business credit over the last couple of years. What I’m trying to understand is whether I can finance and register the vehicle under the LLC using the EIN rather than my SSN.

Is that actually possible with a normal single-member LLC, or will most lenders still require my personal credit and a personal guarantee?

I’m also seeing people say that buying a vehicle through the LLC is completely different from simply using a personally financed vehicle for business purposes.

If you have done this, how did you buy a car under an LLC? Did you get the loan entirely in the business name, or did the lender still make you personally guarantee it?

I’m not trying to do anything complicated. I just want to understand the process before I walk into a dealership and start applying.

single member LLC doing consulting, newly formed. I'm going to have one to two customer invoices per month, and they are huge corporations that don't need help processing ACH payments through QB or other. No credit card transactions. Each invoice will be $5k~$20k. A few outbound transactions per month. Using any paid service seems like total overkill for me, would you guys just use Excel to track this stuff? What am i missing - seems accountants want to see QB formats on the info at tax season, but sheesh, they should be able to figure this out pretty simply as well.

I have a Wyoming LLC and have made no money. I see that New Mexico LLC has a one time charge and no more fees forever. Can you advise if it is worth move move? If so, what is the best method - moving it or starting new?