How do you form a corporation?

Answer 1

If you've sorted through the many types of business structures and decided to create a corporation, you're facing a list of important -- but manageable -- tasks. Here's what you must do:

1. Choose an available business name that complies with your state's corporation rules.
2. Appoint the initial directors of your corporation.
3. File formal paperwork, usually called "articles of incorporation," and pay a filing fee that ranges from $100 to $800, depending on the state where you incorporate.
4. Create corporate "bylaws," which lay out the operating rules for your corporation.
5. Hold the first meeting of the board of directors.
6. Issue stock certificates to the initial owners (shareholders) of the corporation.

You do not need to check with your tax guy OR wait a couple of years! If you are interested in forming a corporation, there are a number of entities out there that can help you. You will need to let them know: 1. The type of corporation you are trying to form, i.e. the purpose; 2. The individuals you would like to have listed on your Board of Directors; 3. The state within which you would like to be incorporated.
Let me show you where to start, check this out: http://www.YouTube.com /watch?v=LthDTtqxfNU&list=UUo8f2h_Re4Ja6tfzEz1hEKA&index=1&feature=plcp

Your state will have the paperwork required. You need to check the states corporate affairs group. It is relatively simple to fill it out and submit with the appropriate fees.

First of all, understand that incorporating is one of the smartest things you can do because it creates a legal entity that is seperate and apart from you, the small business owner. This is called the "corporate shield." The value of the corporate shield is that should something go wrong with the business, it is the business, and not you personally, that is liable. Incorporating therefore protects your personal assets from business debts.

Of course you can hire a lawyer to help you incorporate your business, but incorporating is also one of those things that can fairly easily be done on your own. Use a service like LegalZoom or Nolo.com to do it yourself.

Answer 2

All corporations must file "articles of incorporation" with the state's corporate filing office. In this document, some basic information about the corporation, such as its name and principal office address is required. Some states (including Connecticut, Delaware, New York, and Oklahoma) use the term "certificate of incorporation." Washington calls the document a "certificate of formation," and Tennessee calls it a "charter