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Well done. I appreciate you took the time to mention LLC, since the "fund raising startup" is always advised to go DE C-corp and that (I believe) is what Strip

Well done. I appreciate you took the time to mention LLC, since the "fund raising startup" is always advised to go DE C-corp and that (I believe) is what Stripe Atlas is currently doing. One note on the LLC, it says they are cheaper to "incorporate", that depends on the State. Disclosure: I'm was a corporate transactions attorney and I applied to Stripe Atlas, it was actually pretty cool, they asked what products/service I would create for Stripe Atlas and I built it here: www.generalcounselcloud.com The primary purpose is Registered Agent, which is always over looked and I don't think a startup has tackled. For example, I didn't see anything in the initial write up on Registered Agent (what it is, who they are, the price) but every business organization must have one. My startup also does annual reports, your write up mentions they are easy (which they are) and most business owners do it themselves or pay a CPA ~$100, personally I find a lot of business owners willing to pay for the convenience and peace of mind. If appropriate I'd ask your thoughts since these are services are complementary not competitive with Stripe Atlas.

biztos 10y ago
Your "Learn More" link does nothing, just FYI.
- will_brown 10y ago
  Updated, thanks!
chrishacken 10y ago
Paying for a registered agent is the biggest scam going. You're literally paying $100/year to use someone else's contact information instead of your own. It's essentially like paying $100/year for WhoIs privacy.
- will_brown 10y ago
  >You're literally paying $100/year to use someone else's contact information instead of your own. Yes people may be their own registered agent FREE. However, almost no one can act as their own DE registered agent because the Registered Agent must have a DE physical address, and very few DE companies are physically present in DE. Additionally, for the non-DE businesses, whether you are big or small business you likely don't want process servers coming to your place of business (or your home) and serving lawsuits in front of your employees/family. Edit: Still your point remains that not many people see the benefit of paying for an Registered Agent (even when they can't be their own) which is why I have bundled 3 additional services (annual report/franchise tax notification; annual report preparation/filing; unlimited legal advice). Annual Reports are easy and can be done by business owners too, but based on the number of people who file late and pay late fees greater than the filing fee, its still a service businesses need.
  - logfromblammo 10y ago
    If you act as your own registered agent, you must have someone present at all times during ordinary business hours to accept legal service. You're not just renting someone else's address. You're also renting an employee that will take papers from a sheriff's deputy on behalf of your business. But a registered agent business is not the only type of business that can provide such services. Attorney's offices can do it. A self-storage business can do it. A private mailbox business can do it. A crazy cat-person that never leaves the house can do it. Those options may be cheaper than the specialist business, but most RA businesses will provide additional services that make the higher fees worthwhile. For instance, they will not only inform you in a timely fashion when your business has been sued, but may also e-mail you a scanned copy of the complaint and summons within minutes of receiving it. Also, registered agent businesses are likely to have offices in place in multiple states, so they can better compete on price if your business operates in more than just one state. That said, don't buy RA services from Corporation Service Company, because they buy up tech businesses and then indiscriminately fire all the software pros.

biztos 10y ago

Your "Learn More" link does nothing, just FYI.

will_brown 10y ago
Updated, thanks!

chrishacken 10y ago

Paying for a registered agent is the biggest scam going. You're literally paying $100/year to use someone else's contact information instead of your own. It's essentially like paying $100/year for WhoIs privacy.

will_brown 10y ago
>You're literally paying $100/year to use someone else's contact information instead of your own. Yes people may be their own registered agent FREE. However, almost no one can act as their own DE registered agent because the Registered Agent must have a DE physical address, and very few DE companies are physically present in DE. Additionally, for the non-DE businesses, whether you are big or small business you likely don't want process servers coming to your place of business (or your home) and serving lawsuits in front of your employees/family. Edit: Still your point remains that not many people see the benefit of paying for an Registered Agent (even when they can't be their own) which is why I have bundled 3 additional services (annual report/franchise tax notification; annual report preparation/filing; unlimited legal advice). Annual Reports are easy and can be done by business owners too, but based on the number of people who file late and pay late fees greater than the filing fee, its still a service businesses need.
- logfromblammo 10y ago
  If you act as your own registered agent, you must have someone present at all times during ordinary business hours to accept legal service. You're not just renting someone else's address. You're also renting an employee that will take papers from a sheriff's deputy on behalf of your business. But a registered agent business is not the only type of business that can provide such services. Attorney's offices can do it. A self-storage business can do it. A private mailbox business can do it. A crazy cat-person that never leaves the house can do it. Those options may be cheaper than the specialist business, but most RA businesses will provide additional services that make the higher fees worthwhile. For instance, they will not only inform you in a timely fashion when your business has been sued, but may also e-mail you a scanned copy of the complaint and summons within minutes of receiving it. Also, registered agent businesses are likely to have offices in place in multiple states, so they can better compete on price if your business operates in more than just one state. That said, don't buy RA services from Corporation Service Company, because they buy up tech businesses and then indiscriminately fire all the software pros.