Mark covers the mechanics of registering and maintaining a small business for FormationHub: entity types, state filing requirements, registered agents, licensing, and annual compliance. He writes FormationHub's formation guides to turn state paperwork into steps founders can actually follow.
Filing a Wyoming LLC costs $100 plus a 2.4 percent card fee if you pay online, and the Business Division reviews new registrations the next business day. What the annual report license tax really costs, the name rule that forces a paper filing, and why the state's new expedited review does not cover formations.
The rules every state enforces for LLC names, what separates a strong name from one you will regret, and how to actually check whether a name is available.
What DBA actually means, whether you have to register one, how it differs from an LLC, and the two things a DBA will never protect.
What articles of incorporation are, what goes in them, how the document's name changes by state, and how to file, amend, or get a copy of one.
Single member LLC vs multi member LLC: the owner count changes your taxes and your operating agreement, but not your liability protection or your filing fee.
PLLC vs LLC: why licensed professionals usually do not get to choose, what a PLLC actually protects against, and where the entity is not even available.
How to check if a business name is available for free: the five searches that actually matter, and why a clear result in one database is not a green light.
What an LLC operating agreement is, which six states actually require one, the nine parts a working agreement contains, and what it costs to write in 2026.
What a 501c3 actually is, the two-part IRS test it has to pass, which taxes still apply, and what can cost an organization its exempt status.
What a nonprofit organization is, who owns it (nobody), the main types, and why incorporating with your state and getting tax-exempt status are two separate steps.
What a registered agent service costs and what it actually does: the state-level fee, the provider-level subscription, and what happens if you let it lapse.
What a registered agent is, who can serve as one, the address rules, and what it actually costs, for LLC owners naming their first agent.
Whether you still have to file a BOI report: FinCEN's August 2026 final rule permanently exempts US-formed companies, and what that means if you already filed.
LLC annual requirements explained: the state filing, the state entity tax, the federal return and the registered agent, on four separate clocks most owners never separate.
How to start a cleaning business in eight steps, with real 2026 filing costs, and why bonded and insured matters more than the mop technique.
How to start a laundromat business: the real cost drivers, why the LLC should exist before the lease, and what the state actually charges to file and keep it.
How to start a food truck: the entity, EIN, sales tax permit, health permit and commissary agreement, in the order the health department actually asks for them.
Whether you need an LLC to sell online, what it actually protects, what it costs by state, and why forming one does not register you for sales tax.
How to start a travel agency: the seven steps, which five states require a Seller of Travel registration, and what it actually costs to form the LLC.
How to start a lawn care business: what you need, the real filing and licensing costs, and why a business license and an LLC are two different filings.
How to open a daycare in five steps: the child care license track, and the business underneath it that most childcare guides skip entirely.
Whether you need an LLC to host on Airbnb, what it actually costs to keep open in eight major hosting states, and how the shield only holds if the LLC really owns the property.
How to start a photography business: sole proprietor versus LLC, what your state charges to file, and the licenses and taxes that actually apply to photographers.
What a real estate LLC protects, what it actually costs to start and keep by state, and how to structure one entity versus several as a portfolio grows.
What an LLC for rental property actually protects, what it costs by state every year, and why a mortgage is usually the real obstacle to moving a property into one.
When an LLC actually helps a day trader: it will not lower your tax rate or grant trader tax status, but it matters once partners or outside money are involved.
Setting up an LLC for a trucking company: the six steps, state filing fees, and the USDOT and BOC-3 filings that come after the LLC itself.
What a construction LLC actually protects, what it costs to file in six states, and why forming one is not the same as getting your contractor license.
How to start a home-based business in six steps: choosing a structure, registering an LLC, getting an EIN, and clearing the home occupation permit your city requires.
What the LLC articles of organization form actually asks for, what your state calls it, what it costs, and why filings get rejected.
How to pay yourself from an LLC: owner's draw versus salary, which one applies to your tax classification, and what you owe either way.
What LLC tax benefits actually exist: the S-corp election, the Section 199A deduction, and why forming an LLC alone does not lower your federal tax bill.
Why the best state to form an LLC is almost always the one you already operate in, what Delaware, Wyoming, and Nevada actually offer, and when forming elsewhere makes sense.
The six steps to start an LLC, what each one actually costs in real states, and what you pay every year after you file.
How long it actually takes to get an LLC: filing, state approval, and the EIN and bank account steps that come after, plus what actually causes delays.
What banks actually require to open a business bank account for your LLC, why they ask who owns it, and what to do if the application gets rejected.
What a DUNS number is, what it actually costs (free, or $229 expedited), how long it takes, and whether your LLC needs one at all.
LLC filing fees and annual fees for all 50 states and DC, from $35 in Montana to $500 in Massachusetts, plus the mandatory taxes that never show up on a state fee schedule.
What an LLC actually gets you: liability protection, pass-through taxation, and credibility, plus the real filing costs, from $35 to $500, and the downsides worth knowing.
What LLC actually means, how liability protection works, what states really charge to file ($35 to $500), and how an LLC gets taxed.
