Does anyone know how to register a business?

January 1, 2009 · Filed under Small Business

landscaping service
babydoll asked:


My husband started doing landscaping services last summer but we did not register the company, does anyone know how to do that? It is going to be a joint business with his brother in law so what exactly do we have to do, who do we call, and how much will it cost me?

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5 Responses so far »

  1. 1

    fastfrank7 said,

    January 4, 2009 @ 12:07 pm

    Call local town hall for info. Probably need a DBA (Doing Business As). Open a business checking account. If there’s Sales Tax, you’ll need to register with the state.

  2. 2

    GoldyLox1116 said,

    January 7, 2009 @ 9:00 am

    you need to go to the county clerks office and register your company. fees vary, mine was $55. and you need to decide what type of company you will be.. an LLC, or incorporated. you will need a tax ID to collect and report taxes (and PAY taxes!!) i am sure your county has a website.. check it out

  3. 3

    Dan Free said,

    January 7, 2009 @ 12:56 pm

    Depending upon the state and/or city you live in you may also need a Landscaping License. For example, in California, most construction trades (landscaping may or may not fall into this category) are required to have a license. If you do not have an license, you do a job, and the customer does not pay you, you have no legal grounds to collect even in court.

  4. 4

    thompsonpw said,

    January 10, 2009 @ 12:45 am

    Since it is a business with another person, I would recommend filing as an LLC. A Limited Liability Company will sheild your personal assets from any litigation that may occur. But, you have to have it properly setup. This can be done without an attorney, but an attorney doing it will better ensure it is done right.
    I did my own and have not had any problems. It cost me a total of $90. There was a $30 fee for reservation of a trade name with my Secretary of State and $60 to file the LLC with the Secretary of State. Fees vary by State, but are typically very affordable considering the protection of an LLC.
    A DBA is the same thing as a Sole Proprietor and provides no protection of your personal assets. So, if your husbands company get sued and he can not pay the award, the other party can take your cars, house, whatever they want to settle the award of the court.
    My Secretary of State failed to infrom me that I needed to keep a Certificate of Authority with my Operating Agreement, Trade Name Certificate and Meeting Minutes in a binder in my office. I found out by accident when I was talking to a friend that had his company setup by an attorney. So, make sure you ask alot of questions.
    I was quoted $1600 for an attorney to prepare all my paperwork and setup my company for me. If you can afford it, you might consider going that route for the peace of mind it will give you knowing it was done right the first time.
    Good Luck to all of you!!

  5. 5

    Mike said,

    January 11, 2009 @ 7:41 am

    The answer varies by state. Try going to the website for your state’s “secretary of state” website for the answer as well as viewing your county clerks website. Also, look at the links off of this page

    You may want to re-post this question after you have read the above with more information on where your firm does business.

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