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| Foreword | |
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| Introduction | |
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| Before Starting Your Business | |
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| Location | |
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| Entrepreneurial Skills | |
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| Time Management | |
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| Choosing a Business | |
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| Your business name | |
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| Financial considerations | |
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| Working with professionals | |
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| Business Plan | |
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| Marketing Plan | |
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| Sales | |
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| Advertising | |
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| Overview of Business Structures | |
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| Sole Proprietorships | |
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| Partnerships | |
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| Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) | |
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| Corporations | |
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| Other Legal Entities | |
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| Limited partnership | |
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| Registered limited liability partnership (RLLP) | |
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| Comparison Chart | |
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| Sole Proprietorships | |
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| Tax Considerations | |
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| Legal Implications | |
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| Operating a Sole Proprietorship | |
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| Advantages and disadvantages | |
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| Partnerships | |
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| Getting Started | |
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| Options for where to organize a partnership | |
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| Choosing your partnership's name | |
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| Using an attorney | |
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| Assess ownership and make distributions | |
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| Establish the management structure and select managers | |
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| Write the partnership agreement | |
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| Get an employer identification number | |
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| Tax Considerations | |
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| Legal Implications | |
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| Advantages and Disadvantages | |
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| Limited Partnerships | |
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| Registered Limited Liability Partnerships (RLLPs) | |
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| LLCs | |
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| Getting Started | |
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| Choose where to organize | |
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| Decide on the name for your LLC | |
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| Registering your agent | |
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| Decide to organize yourself or use an attorney | |
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| The LLC ownership | |
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| Draft the articles of organization | |
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| Assemble your LLC kit and seal (optional) | |
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| Determine the management structure and select managers | |
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| Creating your operating agreement | |
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| Obtain and employer identification number | |
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| Tax Considerations | |
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| Operating an LLC | |
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| Meetings | |
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| The membership ledger and transfer of shares | |
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| Requirements for annual reporting | |
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| Amending articles of organization and operating agreement | |
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| Advantages and disadvantages | |
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| Foreign LLCs | |
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| Businesses That Can Take Advantage of LLCs | |
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| Businesses That May Not Take Advantage of an LLC Entity | |
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| Corporations | |
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| General Overview | |
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| Corporation management | |
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| S Corporation | |
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| Effects on finances and taxes of an S corporation tax election | |
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| S corporation election | |
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| Capital for a Corporation | |
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| Public offerings | |
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| 13 Steps to Incorporation | |
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| Decide where to incorporate | |
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| Select your corporate name | |
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| Choose the type of corporation | |
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| Select the registered agent | |
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| Decide to do it yourself or hire an attorney | |
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| Select the stock structure | |
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| Write and file the articles of incorporation | |
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| Create your corporate kit and seal | |
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| Name your corporation's directors | |
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| Write you corporation's bylaws | |
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| Call a directors' organizational meeting | |
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| Obtain an employer identification number | |
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| Maintain your corporation | |
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| Tax Considerations | |
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| Operating a Corporation | |
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| Annual meetings | |
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| Advantages and disadvantages | |
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| Changing your Business Structure | |
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| Determining the Right Time for a Change | |
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| Changing your Tax Structure | |
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| Changing a Partnership to an LLC | |
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| Converting a Partnership to a Corporation | |
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| From a general partnership to a corporation | |
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| From a limited partnership to a corporation | |
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| Converting a Sole Proprietorship or Partnership to an LLC | |
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| Converting a Sole Proprietorship to a Partnership | |
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| Legal procedures | |
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| Tax consequences of conversion | |
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| Procedures for a tax filing | |
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| Changing a Sole Proprietorship to an LLC | |
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| Legal procedures | |
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| Income tax consequences of conversion | |
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| Tax-filing procedures | |
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| Self-employment taxes | |
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| Converting a Sole Proprietorship to a Corporation | |
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| Legal procedures | |
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| Effects of income tax conversion | |
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| Tax-filing procedures | |
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| Converting an LLC to a Corporation | |
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| Legal procedures | |
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| Effects on income tax of conversion | |
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| Tax-filing procedures | |
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| Changing an LLC to a Partnership | |
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| Legal procedures | |
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| Effects on income taxes | |
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| Changing an LLC to a Sole Proprietorship | |
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| Effects on income tax | |
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| Other Considerations | |
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| Operating a Home-based Business | |
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| Doing Business in Other States | |
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| Qualifying | |
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| Post-qualification duties | |
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| Failing to qualify a business | |
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| Lawsuits in Other States | |
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| Fighting Personal Jurisdiction | |
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| Exit Plans | |
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| Why you Need a Plan | |
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| Dissolving and Liquidating a Corporation | |
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| Effects on income tax of dissolution | |
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| Sale of assets | |
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| Selling stock | |
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| A corporation-to-corporation sale | |
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| Types of Reorganizations | |
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| Reorganization procedures | |
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| Effects on income tax of corporate reorganizations | |
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| Dissolving a Partnership | |
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| Dissolution of an LLC | |
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| Conclusion | |
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| Appendix: State Web Sites and SBA Offices | |
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| Small Business Administration (SBA) Offices | |
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| Bibliography | |
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| Author Biography | |
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| Index | |