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Incorporating Your Business Using Three Simple Steps

by: Abe Cherian

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Incorporating Your Business Using Three Simple Steps
By Abe Cherian
Copyright ? 2005

Incorporating your business today is much easier than it
was 10 or even 20 years ago. Here's three steps; securing
your corporate name, filing the necessary documentation and
paying the necessary filing fees. You can complete these steps
yourself, use an incorporation service provider or have an
attorney complete them for you.

When incorporating, you must first ensure that your
corporate name is available in the state in which you want
to incorporate. Your corporate name must not be deceptively
similar to a name that is already in use in that state. A
name check must be performed in the state of incorporation.

You must also prepare and file all the necessary
documentation. the Articles of Incorporation, with the
appropriate state agency in the state of incorporation.

Additionally, you must pay all state filing fees, initial
franchise taxes and any other initial fees. Each state
charges a filing fee to form your corporation in that
state. These state filing fees vary greatly by state. They
range from under $100 to over $400.

Do It Yourself. Use An Incorporation Service Provider Or
Use An Attorney. If you decide to incorporate on your own,
you need to be well versed in the laws of the state of
incorporation. You will need to prepare and file your own
documentation and undertake all communications with the
necessary state agencies.

If you use an incorporation service company, you submit the
necessary information, and the company checks your name,
prepares and files your documents and pays the initial
state filing fees on your behalf.

Incorporation service companies charge a nominal service
fee on top of the state filing fees, and you can submit all
the necessary information to them over the Internet.
Attorneys will also undertake all of the necessary steps
for you. If you use an attorney to incorporate, you can
expect to pay their hourly fee on top of the state filing
fees.

How long this will take depends on the time the state
requires to approve and return your completed Articles of
Incorporation varies by state. On average, it takes 4-6
weeks to become incorporated.

Most states will allow you to expedite the filing process
for an additional charge. Expediting filings typically take
about 1 week. Those charges also vary by state.

After your corporation is formed, an organizational
meeting of directors must be held. At this meeting bylaws
are adopted, stock is issued and the incorporation process
is completed. Minutes of the organizational meeting should
be kept in a corporate record book.

Incorporation is an important step in the life of a
business, but unfortunately the true value of incorporating
a business is often not seen until the business faces a
negative situation such as a law suit or bankruptcy. A
primary advantage of incorporation is the limited liability
the corporate entity affords its shareholders "The Owners".

Typically, shareholders are not liable for the debts and
obligations of the corporation. Creditors will not come
knocking at the door of a shareholder to pay debts of the
corporation. In a partnership or sole proprietorship the
owner's personal assets may be used to pay debts of the
business.

Other Advantages include

�� A corporation's life is not dependent upon its members.
A corporation possesses the feature of unlimited life. If
an owner dies or wishes to sell their interest the
corporation will continue to exist and do business.

�� Retirement funds and qualified retirement plans "like
401k" may be set up more easily with a corporation.

�� Ownership of a corporation is easily transferable.

�� Capital can be raised more easily through the sale of
stock.

�� A corporation possesses centralized management.

Corporations are not without disadvantages. The primary
disadvantage to a corporation is double taxation. Profits
of a corporation are taxed twice when the profits are
distributed to shareholders as dividends. They are taxed
first as income to the corporation, then as income to the
shareholder.

All reasonable business expenses such as salaries are
deductions against corporate income and can minimize the
double tax. Further, the double tax can be eliminated by
making the S corporation election with the Internal Revenue
Service.

Other Disadvantages Include

�� There is a certain level of complexity and expense of
forming a corporation.

�� Corporations have extensive record keeping requirements.

�� Operating a corporation across state lines requires the
corporation to qualify to do business in the other state.

Both the Limited Liability Company "LLC" and "S"
corporation also provide the limited liability to the
owners/shareholders of the company, without the potential
disadvantage of double taxation. While like corporations
these two entities also have advantages and disadvantages,
it is a good idea to learn about all three when deciding
what form your business should take.

About the author:
Abe Cherian is the founder of Multiple Stream Media,
a company that helps online businesses find new
leads and more customers without spending a fortune.

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Business Plans - What Do They Include?
by: Kevin Erickson

Ok... so you've finally reached that stage in the development of your home business to get started. You've done the research, you have a game plan and you're ready to go except for one small detail... you need money. Whether it comes from a loan or from investors it doesn't matter but you need a good dose of seed money to put all your hard work and planning into action. However, regardless of who hears your money pitch before they give you a dime they will want see your business plan.

Business Plan - What Is It?

A good way to think of a business plan is that's it's a document that provide answers to the type of questions anyone who may provide financing would like to know about your home business. You will not get outside funding without one, because the people giving you the funding will insist on one because it helps them to know that you�ve thought through what you�re proposing to do. A business plan says to them... "I�ve considered this from every angle, and here�s what I�ve come up with".

Business Plan - What Does It Include?

What is your product or service? This is the first question every business plan should answer. You must explain in the clear, concise language what in the world you plan to produce or what service you plan to provide. You will also want to include why you've chosen this particular product or service.

Who are Your Customers? After you've explained your product or service, the next step is to identify who you plan to sell your product or service too and why. The demographics (age, sex, language, country, state or city, income, etc.) You need to clearly identify your customers in order to properly target your advertising, packaging, pricing, et.

What Makes You Different? You need to identify the "primary factors" that will make your business different than other businesses you'll be competing with. What niche are you filling that they are not or what do you plan to do to fill a particular void in the market that you've identified?

What are Your Expenses? Your start-up expenses include any equipment that you need before you can get up-and-running, while your day-to-day expenses are staff costs and supplies.

Following is a Simplified Example of Business Plan

This a a simplified and shortened version of a business plan. In the real world... each one of the following sections would be 1 - 2 pages in length. That being said... in most instances it's better to be as brief as possible. Only add information if your potential backers request it. It's a bad idea to go into too much detail in your plan. You�re not trying to explain everything down to the nth detail, just the basics of the business and why they should give you the money you need to launch it. And always focus on profit.

Catering Plus

Nature of Business: The business will be a home-based catering company, producing luxury food for special occasions such as birthdays and weddings. We will provide a comprehensive catering service, while specializing in high end customized cakes, which have a higher profit margin than other foods.

Target Market: Our catering business will be aimed at middle-class customers who desire a top-of-the-line catering but must operate on a budget. Our initial market area will consist of Mytown and the affluent area of Theretown.

Key Factors: We will only use commerical grade ingredients purchased from wholesalers and provide top quality design and service. This will allow us to provide food that looks tastes great, while keeping costs as low as possible.

Expenses: Beause I will be using my kitchen and making the food myself, there are only two real expenses: The purchase of an industrial grade mixer and then the day-to-day cost of supplies. I've attached a suppliers� letter listing prices. Our research has shown that this supplier offers the best value for start-ups.

To wrap it up, you should include a breakdown of both projected profit and loss per month (in graph form)for the first year in business. Show one-time and day-to-day expenses versus projected profit to indicate how you will pay-off your loan. Your business plan should show you making enough of a profit each month to live on � if it doesn�t, then it may be considered unfeasible.

Study a Few Real-World Business Plans

The best way to get a real a feel for the dos and do nots of a business plans is to find real-world plans that have already been approved and study them. A good place to start is the internet. Once you�ve studied a few, you will get a better feel for how much work will be involved in putting your business plan together. Remember, until your business exists for real, the business plan is the only tool you have to sell prospective backers on how great your business is going to be

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