Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Brian,

Let me get this thing back on track. In spite of a few bone-heads, those of us who actually went to business school can help you.  Here is the deal:

An LLC will definitely protect your personal assets in case of a corp. liability as well as a corp. lawsuit. It will protect you against exactly what you are describing: a civil liability due to an accident where your company is doing work for a client. It is not just for monetary liability - i.e. business bankruptcy, etc - but also for any exposure which may occur as a result of the normal operation of the business.

Especially in the fitness business, (not so much the writing part - that should be a really minimal liability issue) you need to protect your personal assets. An LLC will accomplish this.

Yes, LLC filings are on a state level, with the Secretary of State. LegalZoom just files as your agent (on your behalf).

The state fees, whether it`s PA directly or through LegalZoom, your attorney, or whomever, should be identical. I`m not sure what you are looking at on the PA site - just call the Secretary of State`s office and ask them the fees for establishing an LLC.

LegalZoom I can speak to since I used them. They have different packages depending on how fast you want the filing - in NC, mine was $279 I think - $125 to the state and the rest to LegalZoom. It wasn`t an extra $279 - that was inclusive of the state fee as well.

You can do it either way - download the forms yourself from your state, or use someone like LZ - kind of like filing your own taxes on paper yourself versus buying software like TurboTax. It can be done either way, but good software makes it less of a pain and is more thorough on the up-to-the-minute legal issues.

Finally, and this probably goes without saying, I`m not an attorney yet, so this advice is just from personal experience. Feel free to personally email me if I can help clarify anything.


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Jeff A. Gregory President, Chief Brand Strategist Brand Counsel, LLC     Branding Brilliance    www.brandcounselllc.com

Jeff,

Thanks for that clear explanation. That`s exactly the type of information that I would expect to see in a description of an LLC, but didn`t. And it would also seem that using the official Pennsylvania web site would be sufficient to properly create an LLC. Thanks again.

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Brian David O`Keefe
The Web Strategy Coach
briandavidokeefe.com

Brian I live in NJ and I filed my own LLC online for $125.00

Why is there such a huge difference in state fees?  Illinois is $600!

Don`t feel Bad California is $800.00 Every state sets their own price to kill small businesses...


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Edgar Monroy
Web Developer / Owner / Consultant
When starting your own business the need to "know-how" is greater than money!
http://www.nuevolution.net

Oh man, that`s harsh.  I thought states tried to encourage small businesses!  I would think california would be less expensive.

I filed my own LLC in Colorado and paid $10 in 2007; now the fee is $50.  From personal experience, I would suggest checking out the Secty` of States website and just see what is involved w/filing.

I opted for LLC primarily for business legitimacy.  After all, nothing says a lawsuit can`t be against your company AND you personally - it happens all of the time (having worked for 2 law firms I`ve seen it a lot).

I have a LLC Basics brochure that I created from my own experience.  PM me with your email or mailing address and I will gladly send you a copy (and I promise not to add you to any mailing lists.).


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Lily E. Chambers CPS, CQU
"Why hire a mere mortal when you have access to a Goddess"
www.virtualofficegoddess.com