Creating a Business

This section discusses the issues you should consider when forming a business or choosing a business structure to support your online publishing activities. While we suggest that you review these sections in the order they are listed below, if you know exactly what you're interested in, feel free to jump that section.

  • Choosing a Business Form: These pages discuss the advantages and disadvantages of operating your online publishing activities as an informal group, sole proprietor, partnership, LLC, L3C, cooperative, corporation, and nonprofit organization.
  • How to Start a Business: These pages discuss the concrete steps you need to follow to become a sole proprietor or form a partnership, LLC, L3C, corporation, or nonprofit organization in compliance with applicable laws. State-specific information is provided for the fifteen most populous states and the District of Columbia.
  • Other Business Formation and Governance Issues: These pages elaborate on a variety of issues relevant to choosing a business structure and starting a business. They are not meant to stand alone, but rather are pages referenced repeatedly throughout the above two subsections.