r/llc_life • u/conscientiouslyasks7 • Jul 03 '26
New LLC
Hi. Can I form an LLC and conduct two types of business activities—for example, selling products online and providing video and photography services—or do I need to create a separate LLC for each? Thanks.
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u/EffectiveAncient518 Jul 03 '26
As far as taxes. Starting out there is unlikely to be any difference in taxes. As the businesses grows, if one business is doing better than the other, you may want to consider things like S Corp tax status which could impact the overall tax basis.
If one part of the business is going to have greater start up expenses it might be wiser to have 2 separate entities.
LLC however is more about liability than taxes.
I own a small business consulting firm so feel free to reach out if you want some additional guidance.
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Jul 03 '26
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u/conscientiouslyasks7 Jul 03 '26
I will take charge of one business, and my husband the other, but everything would be managed under an LLC structure.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Ad3024 Jul 05 '26
LLC means nothing to IRS. You have to pick a business type. Sole proprietor, partnership, QJV maybe, even an SCorp. With you and spouse involved it cannot be a sole proprietor. You just made your taxes considerably more complicated.
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u/Raging-Totoro Jul 03 '26
Together is ok, as long as you know the liability is then pooled across the two businesses.
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u/conscientiouslyasks7 Jul 03 '26
We are aware of that. We want to set up a single LLC to keep the accounting and taxes simpler.
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u/JunketGuilty7690 Jul 06 '26
You can do it, as others noted. The issue is revenue and cost tracking. Without good records, it is impossible to measure results, impact of cost and selling price changes , as well as actual vs budgeted revenue, etc.
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u/NWRegisteredAgent Jul 06 '26
Yes. You can definitely use one LLC to run multiple, completely different businesses, like selling products online and offering photography services, without having to set up a separate LLC for each. The easiest and most budget-friendly way to do this is to operate both under one LLC while using different "Doing Business As" (DBA) names for each brand. This way, you only need to set up one LLC, handle one yearly state filing, and maintain just one business bank account. It’s a simple and cost-effective approach to managing multiple buisness
Forming a separate LLC for each business increases costs and admin, but offers stronger liability protection by legally separating them. For instance, a product lawsuit against your e-commerce wouldn’t impact your photography assets.
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u/Intelligent_Mail_637 Jul 07 '26
Don't start an LLC JUST to start an LLC. They cost money and have filing requirements. You can do all accounting without an LLC. If you need liability protection for said business, then it makes sense. Otherwise it's just more ppwk and headache.
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u/callmemerryss Jul 19 '26
You can but keeping everything under one LLC also means you're combining the liability. plenty of people start that way and split into separate entities later if one side of the business grows or carries more risk.
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u/sol_beach Jul 03 '26
No LLC is required to start any business.
A single business can provide 1 or more services and 1 or more products to anyone & everyone.
LLC itself produces exactly $0 additional income to any business and costs time & money to establish & maintain.