What are the legal steps to open a new company that does general repairs?

Opening a General Repair Business

There are certain legal steps that you need to take when starting any small business – including one that provides general repairs. First, you should contact your local, county or state government to find out if any licenses or special certifications are required to operate a general repair business in your area. If so, ask them to send you the necessary paperwork. From there, you will need to determine the basic legal structure of your business and appropriately record the business name. If you intend to operate the business as a sole proprietorship or a partnership using a name other than your personal name, you will need to register your fictitious name with your city, county or state. Basically, you are going on record stating that you are the owner of the business. You should only have to pay a small fee for registering the name (usually under $100). If you decide to establish the business as a corporation, you will need to file articles of incorporation with your Secretary of State. It is appropriate to hire an attorney to complete this process for you. You will also need to determine what local, state or federal tax obligations you are required to pay. Your tax advisor or accountant should be able to help you out with this step. Finally, make sure you thoroughly research your federal and state employer requirements. As an employer, you will have certain labor, safety and tax obligations. Again, it is strongly recommended that you consult a professional tax advisor, accountant or attorney before starting any business.

Do all of the above, before you repair anything consult an attorney, that inital fee to an attorney may seem like alot, but down the road may save you thousands of dollars, if you are going into business with someone don't think for one minute you don't need an attorney, protect yourself at all costs, you do not want to loose money if your parnter or family member screws up no matter what they do.

Friends can be your worst enemy. Been there and done that.

First answer by Crystal. Last edit by Akita. Contributor trust: 217 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 92 [recommend question]