As legendary songwriter and business owner Dolly Parton once put it, “Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.” Avoiding burnout when you’re running a business is all about being aware of your stress and making necessary adjustments. “Work-life balance” and “self-care” are more than just buzzwords—they are what keep you from hitting that burnout wall. Here are some tips:

1. Learn How to Set Healthy Boundaries

As a small business owner, it may feel like you need to work long hours every day just to stay afloat, but learning how to set boundaries around your work will help you avoid burnout. A great way of setting boundaries around your work is by having dedicated days off, where you’re free to step away from work and focus on your other passions. You can also set boundaries by giving realistic timelines to clients and team members. For example, if you know that a home renovation will take two months to complete, don’t cave to pressure from a client who says they need it done in three weeks. While it can be hard to disappoint people, sticking to your boundaries will make you a more productive and consistent worker in the long run.

2. Delegate Business Tasks

Along with setting healthy boundaries, knowing what tasks can be delegated and hiring the right people will save you from taking on to much at work. If you have employees, consider promoting the best ones to supervisory roles so they can take some tasks off your plate. Even if you don’t have employees, you can still delegate certain tasks to outside contractors, like accountants, designers, or hey, even Northwest! You can alleviate the stress of keeping up with bureaucratic requirements—like remembering when your annual report is due or being your own registered agent—by hiring us to be your registered agent and file state documents on your behalf.

3. Create a Support Network

Finding a supportive network will give you a healthy outlet to vent about work stresses. Having people to talk to stops stress from building up inside you and causing burnout. As a small business owner, it can be helpful to build a support network of other small business owners who understand the challenges you’re going through. Check your local chamber of commerce to see if there are events for small business owners to get to know each other. Some business associations may even offer mentorships if you’re in need of experienced guidance.

4. Create a Mindfulness and Exercise Practice

Before you scoff at meditation and exercise, know that both allow you to tap into your body and identify signs of stress and burnout. Learning to tune into your emotions will help you thoughtfully make decisions under pressure rather than reacting impulsively. You can create a mindfulness practice by incorporating a five-minute meditation into your work breaks. If you don’t know where to start, consider downloading a free meditation app or looking up guided meditations on YouTube. Take at least one 30-minute break during your workday to go on a walk, run, or do a short exercise routine where you let go of your work to focus on your body and the world around you.

5. Automate Tasks When You Can

Automating as much of your work as you can keeps mindless tasks running smoothly and let’s you focus on the more creative aspects of your business. If you have employees, consider using a payroll software that will automatically withhold payroll taxes, file returns for you, and send checks or direct deposits to your employees. Schedule social media posts in advance so you don’t need to log into Twitter every morning to promote your business. And if you can, set up auto-pay for your business’ bills so you don’t waste valuable brain space keeping track of when each one is due.

Northwest can help you offload the boring parts of running a business. Sign up for a free account and get access to our entire legal forms library—every state form you’ll need to do business anywhere in the US.

The post 5 Tips for Avoiding Burnout as a Business Owner appeared first on Northwest Registered Agent.

There are all sorts of reasons people decide to change their legal name—marriage, divorce, religion, transitioning, or just personal preference. But as a business owner, you’ve got a lot of paperwork to think about when you change your legal name. It’s important to keep all of that paperwork accurate and up-to-date. Depending on what type of business you have, it might even be useful to get a DBA name for your company. We’ll show you what to do when changing your name in this guide.

1. Change Your Name on Articles of Organization

When you change your name, you’ll need to update any business registration or other legal paperwork where your previous legal name was used. Sole proprietors and general partnerships are not usually required to register with their state in order to operate, so no updates are required at the state level.

But if you have a Limited liability company (LLC), you have legal paperwork to update: Articles of Organization. Every state has different rules about including member or manager names. In some states, listing names of individuals involved in the ownership or management of an LLC is optional. In others, it’s legally required. In any case, if you have listed your legal name on your LLC’s Articles of Organization, you’ll need to update that document with an Article of Amendment or similar form.

Need help filing Articles of Amendment? Sign up for a free account with Northwest Registered Agent. You’ll get access to our legal forms library—every form you could ever need, for every state.

2. Update Internal Business Documents

Once you’ve tackled your government documents, you’ll need to update your LLC’s internal documents. These are forms that you keep on file with your LLC. Arguably, your LLC’s most important internal document is your operating agreement.

The rules for how you can update your operating agreement are defined in—you guessed it—the operating agreement! So take a look and see if there’s anything special you need to do. In most cases, you can likely switch out your old name for your new name.

3. Notify Banks and Other Associates of Name Change

If you opened a bank account for your business, you’ll need to contact the bank to inform them of your name change and update your account information. You may also need to inform any vendors you work with of your name change, and depending on the nature of your business, your clients.

4. Contact the IRS

When you change your name, you will need to notify the Social Security Administration to update its records. Because the Internal Revenue Service matches individual returns to SSA records, a difference can delay the process of IRS filings. This is especially important for LLCs with default tax status, where taxes are filed on personal returns rather than by the business itself.

If you change your name, you likely won’t need to get a new Employer Identification Number from the IRS for your business. However, if you are listed as the responsible party on your company’s EIN application (Form SS-4), you’ll need to file Form 8822-B, Change of Address or Responsible Party – Business to update that name for future filings.

5. Consider Getting a DBA

So far, we’ve primarily addressed changes needed for LLCs. But if you’re operating a sole proprietorship or a general partnership, and you change your legal name, you might want to consider a DBA.

A Doing Business As (DBA) Name (also called a fictitious name or assumed name) can be helpful for certain kinds of businesses that are linked to an owner’s name. For sole proprietorships and general partnerships, there is no legal separation between the business and the owners. A sole proprietorship’s legal name is the legal name of the owner. A general partnership’s legal name is either the combined owners’ surnames or a business name decided upon in the partnership agreement. If an owner changes their name, the legal business name changes as well.

These sorts of name changes could confuse your existing customer base, or potentially disrupt transactions with your bank or vendors. One way to fix that is by getting a DBA name for your company. DBAs allow your business to operate under a different name than its legal one, so you can maintain a brand despite a name change by doing so under a DBA.

For example, say Morgan Bailey is a sole proprietor graphic designer who legally changes their name to Morgan Parker. If they want to continue doing business as Morgan Bailey for the sake of client familiarity, they’ll need to register a DBA for that name. Alternatively, they could register a DBA that’s totally different than their name, like “Quill & Inkwell.” Either way, if the owner’s name changes, they’ll need to update their DBA registration (if required in their state or jurisdiction).

The post Just Married or Divorced? Here’s How to Update your LLC Paperwork with Your New Name appeared first on Northwest Registered Agent.

Pride Month may be almost over, but LGBTQ-owned businesses support our communities and economy year round. To help these businesses thrive, we’ve compiled a list of grants for LGBTQ-owned small businesses. Grants are highly coveted, since they don’t need to be paid back and don’t make you give up a piece of your business to outside investors. Since small business grants are competitive, it’s a good idea to consider alternate means of funding as well. We’ll go over a range of financing options, from grants and loans to crowdfunding and angel investors.

Federal Small Business Grants

While these federal grants aren’t exclusively for LGBTQ-owned businesses, they’re a good place to start when looking for small business funding.

Grants.gov

Grants.gov is a huge online database for federal funding opportunities. The website has over 1,000 federal grant opportunities and lets you search for grants in your industry. To apply, you’ll first need to create a Workspace account. Through Workspace, you can apply for grants as an individual or with a team of people from your organization.

USDA Rural Business Development Grants

Small rural businesses with fewer than 50 new workers and less than $1 million in gross revenue can apply for a Rural Business Development Grant. RBDG grants typically range between $10,000 and $500,000, and you can apply through your local or state Rural Development Office.

5 Private Grants for LGBTQ-Owned Small Businesses

Here are some private grants to consider if you’re an LGBTQ business owner.

1. Queer to Stay: LGBTQ+ Business Preservation Initiative

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and Showtime® teamed up to create Queer to Stay, a program to fund LGBTQ+ businesses that were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. To be eligible, you must own a US-based, for-profit business that mainly serves/caters to the LGBTQ+ community and be able to show how your business was financially impacted by COVID-19. The application guidelines state that special considerations will be given to queer people of color, queer women, and transgender and non-binary business owners. The application deadline is August 31st, 2023.

2. Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice

The Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice offers multiple grant opportunities for LGBTQ-led nonprofits working for racial, gender, and economic justice in the US and internationally. Grants range from $5,000 to $60,000. The deadlines for 2023 proposals have passed, but check the website for upcoming opportunities in 2024.

3. National Pride Grant

The National Pride Grant from Founders First CDC awards a total of $25,000 in grant money to 25 LGBTQIA+ led businesses annually. To qualify, you must be an LGBTQIA+ business owner, CEO, or president of an active, US-based company with 2 to 50 employees, have been in business for at least one year, and have no more than $5 million in annual revenue. Applications for 2023 have closed, but you can sign up for the Founders First CDC newsletter to be informed when 2024 applications open.

4. NGLCC Community Impact Grant Program

NGLCC, supported by the Grubhub Community Fund, launched the Community Impact Grant Program, which offer $10,000 to $25,000 grants to LGBTQ+ owned and allied restaurants, bars and cafés that serve food. Applications for the 2023 grant cycle are closed, but check the NGLCC website in early 2024 for upcoming opportunities.

5. Borealis Philanthropy

Borealis Philanthropy offers multiple grant opportunities to nonprofits, including two that are specific to the LGBTQ community: the Fund for Trans Generations (FTG) and the Emerging LGBTQ Leaders of Color (ELLC) Fund. Here are the current opportunities available from these two funds:

• Fund for Trans Generations—Currently accepting rapid response applications year-round. Apply through the Borealis Online Grants Portal.

• Emerging LGBTQ Leaders of Color Fund—Currently accepting rapid response applications for organizations working in reproductive justice. You can learn how to apply by emailing ellc@borealisphilanthropy.org.

Additional Funding Opportunities for LGBTQ Businesses

Since grant funding isn’t always easy to get, you should also consider other funding options, like taking out a small business loan, crowdfunding, or seeking outside investors.

Small business loans

Small business loans are a common source of funding for new businesses. When looking for a loan, consider Small Business Association (SBA) loans, which are government-backed and have lower interest rates than most other loan options. The SBA website has a list of intermediary lenders you can contact.

Crowdfunding

Another option is to set up an online crowdfunding campaign for your business venture. Crowdfunding can be a good idea if you’re launching a fun or useful product and have a strong web presence, or if your business has strong ties to the community and can rely on a lot of local support.

Venture capital funds

For start-ups, seeking venture capital funds can be a way to get funding from investors who believe in your business. Some venture capital organizations, like Gaingels and Pipeline Angels, specifically aim to invest in start-ups founded by LGBTQ+ people, women, and people of color.

Want more resources? Sign up for a free account with Northwest and get access to our entire forms library—every state form you’ll ever need to register and maintain your business in all 50 states.

The post Small Business Grants for LGBTQ-Owned Businesses in 2023 appeared first on Northwest Registered Agent.

Federal Laws for Hiring Minors

Can you hire someone under 18 to work for you? Absolutely! The US Department of Labor outlines federal requirements for hiring employees in the United States. For minors, age-specific laws for hiring are covered in the Fair Labor and Standards Act, also called the FLSA. By law, minors cannot work in hazardous conditions and have special requirements for working in agricultural industries.

You will also need to check your state’s labor laws for minors because they may be different than what’s covered in the FLSA. For example, Pennsylvania requires all businesses hiring minors to carry Child Protection Clearances, which are a set of three clearances or permits the business must file.

Here’s a quick run-down of federal requirements for hiring minors:

• Minors under the age of 14 can only work as newspaper deliverers, casual babysitters, actors or performers, evergreen gatherers or wreath makers, or employees of their parents, which can’t include jobs in mining, manufacturing, or other hazardous industries.
• Minors between the ages of 14‒15 can work for 8 hours a day, with a maximum total of 40 hours per week, in many, but not all, non-manufacturing, non-hazardous jobs, including retail work, creative or intellectual property work, delivery work, and more. For a full list, check the Department of Labor website. Teens between these ages can’t work between 7:00 AM‒9:00 PM June 1 through Labor Day. You must also pay them the federal minimum wage of $7.25 or the applicable state minimum wage.
• Minors between the ages of 16‒17 can work any non-hazardous job for an unlimited amount of hours. In non-agricultural work, they must be paid time and one-half at their regular rate for hours worked after 40 hours in a 7-day workweek.

What is the youngest age a person can be employed in the US?

The FLSA sets the minimum work age as 14 for most non-agricultural work. Your state may have another minimum age, in which case, you follow the state minimum age law. For example, if you live in New Jersey where the minimum work age is 16, that is the law you must follow.

What are the rules for hiring minors in the agricultural industry?

The FLSA has separate rules regarding minors working in agriculture. The general federal rules for hiring minors in agriculture are:

• Minors aged 12 and up can work on farms with parental consent or if the parent works on the farm.
• Minors under 12 can also work on farms that are exempt from the Federal minimum wage provision.
• Proof of age is not required.

Many states also have their own child labor laws for agricultural employment, such as requiring employment certificates, setting a maximum number of hours minors can work, and more.

What work permits do minors need?

The FLSA does not require any work permits for minors on the federal level, but certain states do require work permits for minors. A work permit is a way of ensuring the minor is legally able and physically capable to work within the state. Work permits usually include an employment certificate and an age certificate. You’ll need to check your state’s laws for the work permit requirements and applications before hiring minors for the summer. The US Department of Labor offers a state list of work permits required.

3 Tips for Hiring Teens for the Summer

Hiring minors is a bit different than hiring adults. Most underage would-be employees don’t use Indeed or LinkedIn to search for jobs (unless they’re exceptionally entrepreneurial). That means you’ll need to change how you recruit and keep your employees throughout the summer. Here are some tips:

1. Clearly outline job duties and pay

When you draft up your job listing, make sure you clearly outline the job responsibilities, hours, and wage. Nothing’s more frustrating than finding a job posting that doesn’t clearly tell you what the job entails or how much it pays. To get applicants in, make your job posting as clear and detailed as possible. Give the kids something to think and dream about. And to keep them loyal, don’t saddle them with duties that weren’t in the job description.

2. Post job openings on social media

Most teens won’t have job profiles on career websites, but they will have social media profiles they spend their time sharing, scrolling, and engaging on. Post your job openings on social media with catchy graphics to pull teens in. Or create a social media page for your business to get more attention on your jobs and services.

3. Leverage your company’s culture

If you want teens to choose your company as the place to work this summer, you’ll need to promote your company’s culture to show them what you’re all about. Share information about your company culture in your job posting and on your socials. Having an inclusive, encouraging, and fun company culture will pull teens in, make them stay, and have them coming back summer after summer.

Want help maintaining your business? Sign up for a free account and get access to our entire legal forms library—every form you’ll ever need to maintain your business. At Northwest, we believe in Privacy by Default, which means we never sell your data.

The post Hiring Summer Employees? Here’s What to Know About Employing Minors appeared first on Northwest Registered Agent.

If you’re an LGBTQ business owner, becoming a Certified LGBT Business Enterprise through the NGLCC can help you market your business, access networking and business development opportunities, and even gain supplier contracts with corporate and government partners. Unfortunately, becoming certified as an LGBT-owned business isn’t as simple as saying, “Hello, I’m LGBT,” and filling out a form. It’s a multi-step process that involves a lot of paperwork. So, in honor of Pride Month, we’ve created a step-by-step guide to applying for LGBT Business Enterprise certification.

What Is the NGLCC?

The National LGBT Chamber of Congress (NGLCC) is a not-for-profit advocacy group that provides third-party certification for LGBT Business Enterprises (LGBTBE). NGLLC has partnerships with corporations and state and local governments across the US, which have committed to contracting with Certified LGBTBE suppliers.

Steps to LGBTBE Certification

Applying for LGBTBE Certification isn’t something you can do in an afternoon. You’ll first need to join a local affiliate chamber, create a business profile, and submit documentation about yourself and your business, including documentation verifying that the business is at least 51% LGBT-owned. You’ll also need to allow a site visitor to come to your place of business. Still, for many businesses, the benefits of certification outweigh the hassle, so here are the steps you can take to get there:

1. Join a local NGLCC Affiliate Chamber.

Joining an affiliate chamber isn’t required for certification, but if you are a member of an affiliate chamber, NGLCC will waive the certification fee—which is $899. You can find the affiliate chamber closest to you by searching the NGLCC website. If there isn’t a chamber in your city or state, you can join whichever one is nearest to you, or even start one yourself.

Being part of a local affiliate chamber can help you network with other LGBT and allied businesses in your local community. Note that you’ll have to pay an annual membership fee, which, depending on the affiliate, size of your business, and membership level you choose, can cost anywhere from $100 to several thousand dollars a year.

2. Create an online business profile.

The next step is to create an online account with NGLCC. In your online account, you’ll need to create a business profile and enter some information, including:

• Contact information

• Business name and legal structure

• Date and jurisdiction of formation/incorporation (if applicable)

• Gross revenue

• Number of employees

• Federal tax ID (EIN or SSN)

• Business description

• Social media links

• NAICS Code

• Whether you’re a member of an NGLCC affiliate chamber

• Whether you have any other diversity certifications, such as Certified Woman-Owned Business Enterprise, Certified Disability-Owned Business Enterprise, or Veteran Business Enterprise

• 3 References or Contracts

After you create your business profile, an NGLCC employee will reach out to you with instructions for submitting your supporting documents.

3. Submit supporting documents.

You can read the NGLCC Supporting Documents Checklist to know exactly which documents you need to submit. Required supporting documents include:

• Proof of membership in a local affiliate chamber (necessary to waive the certification fee)

• Proof of US citizenship or Permanent Resident status

• Verification of LGBTQ status (See LGBT Status Qualifiers)

• Business documents, including tax forms, organizational documents, brief history of the business, etc.

4. Complete a site visit.

Once NGLCC has reviewed your application, they’ll contact you to schedule a site visit with an NGLCC-trained ambassador. The site visitor will come to your place of business to confirm the information on your application and ask follow-up questions. There’s no fee for a site visit unless you have to cancel or reschedule, in which case, you might be charged a fee for the inconvenience.

5. Complete the National Certification Committee Review.

After your site visit, you’ll need to wait 30-90 days for the National Certification Committee to meet and review your application. If they confirm your business meets all the qualifications, they’ll approve you as a Certified LGBT Business Enterprise.

6. Get re-certified every 3 years.

Certification lasts for three years, starting from the date the certification is granted. After three years, you’ll need to re-certify your business to keep getting the benefits of certification. You can complete the Re-Certification Application through your MyNGLLC online account. The re-certification fee is $499, but this fee is waived for active members of affiliate chambers.

Benefits of LGBTBE Certification

Here are some of the benefits of certification:

• Opportunity to compete for contracts with NGLCC’s corporate and government partners.

• Use of the NGLCC logo on marketing materials, advertising that your business is Certified LGBT-owned.

• Eligibility to exhibit at the NGLCC International Business and Leadership Conference.

• Inclusion in an online database of certified LGBT businesses, which is searchable by NGLCC’s corporate partners.

• Access to mentorship programs, leadership trainings, and scholarship opportunities.

• Opportunity to participate in NGLCC programs and initiatives, such as the Transgender and Gender Expansive (TGX) Initiative and the Communities of Color Initiative (CoCi).

Northwest can help you maintain and grow your business. Sign up for a free account to access to our entire forms library—every state form you need to register and maintain your business in all 50 states. 

The post How to Become a Certified LGBT Business Enterprise appeared first on Northwest Registered Agent.

To celebrate Juneteenth, we wanted to give shout-out to the Black-owned small businesses that help our communities thrive, so we compiled a list of small business grants for Black-owned businesses. Grants are a great source of funding because they don’t need to be paid back and don’t make you give up control to investors. Since competition for small business grants is stiff, we also suggest alternative funding options like SBA loans and CDFIs.

Federal Small Business Grants

While not exclusively for Black-owned businesses, these federal grant programs are a great place to start when looking for funding options for your small business.

1. Grants.gov

When looking for small business grants, the best place to start is Grants.gov. This online database contains information about over 1,000 federal grants. To start applying for grants, you’ll first need to create a Workspace account. Workspace allows you to apply for grants individually or with a team.

2. USDA Rural Business Development Grants

Rural businesses with less than $1 million in gross revenue and fewer than 50 new workers can apply for a USDA Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG) through their local or state Rural Development office. There’s no standard grant amount, but RBDG grants are typically between $10,000 and $500,000.

3. Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs

The SBIR and STTR programs provide grants to businesses researching and developing innovative technologies in partnership with a research institution. You can search for grants in your field of research through the SBIR website.

Private Grants for Black-Owned Small Businesses

Additionally, these private grants and prizes are specifically aimed at Black-owned businesses:

4. Coalition to Back Black Businesses

The Coalition to Back Black Businesses initiative launched in fall 2020 to support Black-owned small businesses financially harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic. They award $5,000 grants to hundreds of Black-owned businesses each fall. Grantees also have the chance to compete for $25,000 enhancement grants. To qualify, your business must have 3-20 employees, be in a qualifying industry, and be located in an economically vulnerable community. The program will continue awarding grants through 2024.

5. National Black MBA Association Scale-Up Pitch Challenge

NBMBAA Scale-Up Pitch Challenge is an annual competition in which teams of startups pitch a business idea in the early stages of development to a panel of judges, with the chance to win startup funding. 1st prize is $50,000, 2nd prize $10,000, 3rd prize $7,500, and the People’s Choice Award is $1,000. To be eligible, at least one startup founder must be of African descent, and one team member must be an active member of NBMBAA. Applications for 2023 open on June 19th and close on August 4th.

6. Backing the B.A.R.

Backing the B.A.R. is an initiative from the NAACP in collaboration with Bacardi, which awards $10,000 grants to Black-owned businesses in the alcohol service, sales, and hospitality industry. To be eligible, your business must be at least 51% Black-owned and have or currently be seeking a liquor license. Applications opened June 17th and close on July 30th, 2023.

7. Power Forward Small Business Grant

The Power Forward Small Business Grant, created by the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation and Vistaprint, in partnership with the NAACP, offers $25,000 to Black-owned businesses located in New England. To qualify, your business must have 2-25 employees (including the owner) and be based in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, or select areas of Connecticut. Applications for this cycle close June 30th, 2023.

8. Bridge the Gap Fund

A program of the Rebuild the Block organization, the Bridge the Gap Fund is a grant for Black entrepreneurs who were financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and/or looting destruction. To qualify, the business must have launched no later than January 1st, 2020 and be able to show documentation of financial loss. The organization accepts applications on a three-month cycle and allows 90 applications per submission cycle. Up to 15 applicants are selected to receive funding per cycle.

9. The Black Ambition Prize

The Black Ambition Prize competition gives business owners who identify as Black and/or Hispanic/Latinx the chance to compete for prize money. Up to 250 semi-finalists are chosen each year, with prizes ranging from $15,000 to $1 million. The Black Ambition Prize also has a separate prize track for HBCU students and recent alumni. Applications for 2023 are closed, but you can subscribe to the Black Ambition Prize newsletter to be notified when 2024 applications open.

10. Sage “Invest in Progress” Grant Program

The Sage “Invest in Progress” Grant, a collaborative initiative from Sage and the BOSS Network, awards $10,000 grants to 25 Black female entrepreneurs, along with mentorship and networking opportunities. The applications for 2023 have closed, but you can follow the BOSS Network website for future grant opportunities.

Alternatives to Small Business Grants

Small business grants are highly coveted and thus very competitive. For that reason, it’s good to also consider alternate methods of funding your business.

SBA Microloans

Through the SBA microloan program, small businesses can apply for government-backed loans of up to $50,000. Loans are provided through intermediary lenders and nonprofits. The SBA website provides a list of SBA-partnered lenders you can contact.

Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs)

CDFIs are government-funded financial institutions, including banks, credit unions, and nonprofits, that provide affordable loans to people and businesses in low-income communities. To find a certified CDFI in your area, you can search the CDFI Fund website.

Want help getting your business off the ground? Sign up for a free account with Northwest and get access to our entire forms library—every state form you need to register and maintain your business in all 50 states. 

The post 10 Small Business Grants for Black-Owned Businesses in 2023 appeared first on Northwest Registered Agent.

For Father’s Day, you can get your dad steaks for the grill, a book for his library, or perhaps the greatest gift of all: letting him tell you his favorite dad jokes. The dad joke economy has never been hotter, so we asked our Northwest Corporate Guides for some of their favorites. Our Corporate Guides stay busy helping customers start and maintain small businesses, but there’s always time for dad jokes.

Note: Some of these jokes may need to be read aloud to reach Maximum Dad Joke effectiveness.

10 Dad Jokes for Father’s Day

1. What do you call rabbits moving backwards? A receding hare line.

2. When does a regular joke become a dad joke? When it becomes apparent.

3. My geography teacher asked if I could name a country with no “r” in it. I said, “No way.”

4. Why did the storm trooper buy the iPhone? Because he couldn’t find the droid he was looking for.

5. I was so unpopular in school they called me “Batteries.” I was never included in anything.

6. Never challenge death to a pillow fight unless you’re prepared for the reaper cushions.

7. Did you hear about the guy who stole all the toilets from the police station? Authorities have opened up a tip line for leads, because right now, they have nothing to go on.

8. A colorblind friend told me all apples are yellow. I said, “That’s bananas.”

9. What is propaganda? It’s when a British person takes a good look at something.

10. A priest, a pastor, and a rabbit all go to the blood bank. The nurse asks, “What is your blood type?” The priest says, “I’m Type A.” The pastor says, “I’m Type B.” The rabbit says, “I’m pretty sure I’m a Type O.”

Our Northwest Corporate Guides

We could score those dad jokes for corniness – maybe on a scale of one to five corn cobs – but we won’t. Neither do we score our Corporate Guides on the number of upsells they make. No, our guides are just here to help you make the best possible decisions for your business.

Northwest Corporate Guides are real people, not computers. When you call our number, you get a real person right away. We don’t make you go down a phone tree, then reward you with a real person after you’ve been on hold for half an hour. We know that business owners are busy people, so we don’t make you jump through hoops to reach us.

What does it mean to be a Corporate Guide service? It means that we answer emails within a few hours, not a few days. It means no scripts and no quotas. We’re happy to answer follow-up questions because we’re not obsessed with getting our call times down. It means that our guides are business experts with backgrounds in law, finance, education, and entrepreneurship, who know the nuts and bolts of dealing with state bureaucracy in every US jurisdiction.

Need to know how to change your LLC name in Hawaii? Our Corporate Guides can tell you. Want to move your business to a new state? We can help with that. Need help reinstating your business after it’s been dissolved? We’ve got your back.

About the only question our Corporate Guides can’t answer is “How do I make my dad stop telling dad jokes?” That’s impossible.

The post Our Favorite Dad Jokes for Father’s Day appeared first on Northwest Registered Agent.

“Corporations are people.” You’ve probably heard that said before, but what does that actually mean? It’s a reference to the concept of corporate personhood, the idea that corporations are granted some of the same rights that human beings have under the law and can be treated as a single unit rather than multiple individual owners for the purpose of legal action involving the business.

Calling corporations “people” might seem silly, but corporate personhood is a genuine legal concept that has been around much longer than most people think. Keep reading to learn more about corporate personhood and how it applies to your business.

Defining Corporate Personhood

Corporate personhood is a legal fiction (a false concept that is considered true for the sake of making a law easier to apply in certain circumstances) granting corporations the status of legal entities separate from their owners and entitling them to at least some of the same protections under the law as individual human beings receive.

Corporations are obviously not human beings—they are companies that are owned by a group of shareholders. But a corporation needs certain basic constitutional protections in order to function properly, and applying the law individually to potentially thousands of shareholders in a legal action against a corporation is wildly impractical. As a result, corporations get legally treated as a distinct entity (essentially, a legal person).

How Personhood Affects Your Corporation

Without personhood, a corporation could not functionally operate. At a minimum, corporations need to be able to enter into contracts and may also need to take on debts, buy property, and sue (or be able to be sued). All those actions are legal due process rights of human beings under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments but would be useless for corporations without the same protection of due process. No contract, purchase or legal action involving a corporation would be considered valid unless every shareholder was individually involved. Corporate personhood and the rights granted by it allows corporations to instead legally operate as a single entity.

In addition, corporate personhood grants certain other constitutional protections, generally those from the First and Fourth Amendments. Without those protections, a media corporation could be censored with no regard for freedom of speech, corporations could not form organizations for their benefit under freedom of assembly, and the government could conduct searches on a corporation without a warrant or probable cause.

Can a business lose its corporate personhood?

Yes. Corporate personhood depends on the business remaining a separate entity from its owners. If a corporation fails to maintain separation between its owners’ personal finances and interests and those of the business, a court could rule that the company is not truly a separate entity under the alter ego doctrine, and the business owners could be held personally responsible for damages against the business.

For example, say you are a shareholder of a corporation and use company funds to pay for a personal expense. Later on, if your corporation is sued, that suit could potentially be brought against you because corporate funds were put to personal use—which can be used as evidence that there’s not true legal separation between the business and its owners.

In this case, your company would no longer be considered a distinct entity from you—and worse, your personal assets could now be at risk of seizure if needed to pay damages in the suit. To maintain your company’s separation as a legal person from yourself and protect your assets, it’s best to keep personal funds and corporate funds well apart from each other. This means that, at the least, you’ll need a separate business bank account that is only used for company funds and expenditures.

Do LLCs have corporate personhood?

Yes, although they don’t have exactly the same rights as “corporate persons” that corporations do. For example, LLCs taxed as partnerships have different rights and limitations around donating money to political campaigns than corporations. However, like corporations, LLCs can own property, enter into contracts, take on debts, sue and be sued, and be protected by constitutional rights. And like corporations, LLCs are required to keep personal and business finances separate to maintain liability protection, so that if an LLC is served with a lawsuit or goes into debt, the LLC owners (members) are not at risk of having their personal assets seized.

Need a hand forming a corporation or LLC? Sign up for a free account with Northwest and get access to every form you’ll need to register and maintain your business in any state. Rather let someone else handle it? Hire us to incorporate your business for you.

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You’ll need a California seller’s permit if you are selling tangible goods in California. To get a seller’s permit, you’ll register your business for sales and use taxes by creating an account with the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA). Sales tax and use tax, though often talked about together, are two separate forms of tax. In California, sales tax is a tax on the sale of goods, which retailers charge to consumers. Use tax is for the storage, shipping, use, or consumption of goods in or to California that are not subject to sales tax. The sale of services isn’t taxed in California. Here’s how you get a seller’s permit.

1. Set Up a CDTFA Account

To get your California seller’s permit, you’ll first need to register for an online account with the CDTFA. Setting up an account allows you to quickly access your business tax information and file the required taxes and documents.

To set up a CDTFA account, follow these steps:

1. Go to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration sign up page. In the login box, you’ll select the option to Sign Up Now.
2. You’ll have to select which type of account you want to create. For getting your seller’s permit, select Register a New Business Activity.
3. Next, you’ll be prompted to select whether you’re the owner of the business or a third-party representative, like an employee or accountant.
4. In the Ownership Chain Access section, you’ll answer if you’ve received a letter with a security code for your business.

• • Selecting Yes: On the next page, you’ll enter your security code, identification information, account type, and account number. Your account type will be Sales and Use Tax and your account number will appear on letters you’ve received from the CDTFA or your past year’s tax return.
  • Selecting No: On the next page, you’ll enter your identification information and select whether you already have a CA permit, license, or account with CDTFA. If you don’t have an existing account or permit, you can continue to the next step. If you do have an existing account or permit, you’ll need to enter your account number (found on your previous tax return) and account type (Sales and Use Tax).

5. Next, you’ll choose your user name, password, and security question.
6. After that, you’ll enter your contact information, including your phone number and email.
7. The final step is choosing your authentication information for securing your account. You can choose to have two-step verification sent to your email, phone, or both. Once chosen, you’ll be redirected back to the sign-in page, where you’ll use your information to log in.

Where do I get my CDTFA security code?

You’ll get a CDTFA security code after you’ve created an account with the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration online system. Once you enter your mailing information, you’ll receive a letter from the department with your security code. It usually takes 7-10 business days to receive your security code once you create your account. If you’ve lost your CDTFA security code, you can request it again by contacting the office at 1-800-400-7115.

2. Print Your Seller’s Permit

Once in your CDTFA account, you’ll have access to your seller’s permit, tax returns, and business account information. Here’s how to print your seller’s permit.

Existing businesses

If you have previously filed your sales and use tax return, you can print your seller’s permit directly from your account.

1. Click on your Sales and Use Tax account under the Accounts tab on the bottom half of the homepage.
2. Once on your Sales and Use tax profile click on the Locations tab. You’ll see all the registered locations for your business and a prompt to print your permit.

New businesses

If you are a new California business, you’ll first need to add your business to your CDTFA account. To do that, follow these steps:

1. Go to your account profile’s I Want To category on the homepage and select Register a New Business Activity.
2. Select the first option: selling items or goods in California (Seller’s Permit) from the list of business activities.
3. Answer two pages of questions about the types of products you sell.
4. Select your business, industry, and business type.
5. Provide your home and business mailing addresses, along with how you’ll be processing sales, supplier information, and your merchant card processor information.
6. Estimate your monthly sales, including taxable sales, and enter the date you want your seller’s permit to go into effect.

Once you’ve submitted your application, the CDTFA will notify you by mail and on your online account when your seller’s permit is approved and ready to print.

Want a little help starting a business in California? Sign up for a free account and get access to our entire legal forms library—every form you’ll ever need to start and maintain a business in any state.

3. File Your California Sales Tax Return

Once you’ve created your CDTFA account, you’ll get notified on your account and by mail when your sales and use tax is due. Your filing frequency and due date are determined by the CDTFA based on your reported or estimated sales tax. Check your account to find out when your sales and use tax return is due.

To file your California sales and use tax return, go into your CDTFA account and click on the Accounts tab on the home screen. Under Accounts, click on the Sales and Use Tax account for your business, and you’ll be taken to your Sales and Use Tax account page where you’ll have the option to file and view your return.

How do I request a sales tax refund?

If you need to request a refund from the CDTFA, you’ll also use your online business account. To request a sales and use tax refund, you’ll go to your Sales and Use Tax account found under the Accounts tab on the homepage. Under the I Want To list, you’ll click on More. You’ll get the option to Submit a Claim for a Refund.

To submit a claim for a refund from CDTFA, you’ll need to provide:

• Reason for the refund
• Period of the claim
• Amount of the claim
• Documents to support your claim
• Contact person’s information, including name, title, phone number, and email address

Is a Seller’s Permit the Same as a Business License?

Not exactly. California does not have a general state business license. Most California business licenses are either required at the state level for the sale of specific professional services (such as contracting, law, or medical services), or at the local level as imposed by cities or counties. A seller’s permit is a document that allows a business to collect sales tax.

The post How to Get a California Seller’s Permit appeared first on Northwest Registered Agent.

A single-member LLC sounds straightforward: It’s an LLC owned by just one person. However, there are situations when a married couple can form a single-member LLC. But to do so, you must live in a community property state. You must also be OK with filing a joint tax return. Let’s take a closer look at how to form a single-member LLC as a married couple.

Community Property States and Single-Member LLCs

If you hear someone talking about a “community property state,” it’s often in the context of divorce. For instance a friend might tell you that since they live in a community property state, their ex-spouse gets half of the house. In these states, property acquired by either spouse during the marriage is legally considered joint property of the couple (unless they have a pre-nuptial agreement that says otherwise).

The “each partner gets 50 percent” rule makes it possible for married couples to form single-member LLCs if they’re living in a community property state. The other 41 states use common law, which allows spouses to acquire and own property individually. So, if you’re not in a community property state, you can’t form a single-member LLC as a married couple.

In case you don’t have the community property states memorized, they’re as follows:

• Arizona
• California
• Idaho
• Louisiana
• Nevada
• New Mexico
• Texas
• Washington
• Wisconsin

The community property designation only applies to assets acquired during the marriage. So if you form an LLC six months before your wedding, it’s not community property. If you form one the week after the wedding, it is. You could even form an LLC at the reception and bam, it’s considered community property. Not that we’re suggesting that, since most guests would prefer to eat cake and dance at the reception, not watch a couple fill out LLC paperwork.

One more note: community property doesn’t apply to gifts or inheritances. So if two people get married and one of them inherits a million dollars a year later, that money is not typically considered community property. A qualified attorney can walk you through more specifics of how the rules apply in your state.

What if my spouse and I don’t live in a community property state but want to form an LLC together?

You can do that, but you will have to form a multi-member LLC, which means you’ll get taxed as a partnership. You’ll need to create a multi-member LLC operating agreement and agree on what percentage of membership interest each spouse will own. If you decide to share the LLC equally, you’ll each get 50% membership interest.

How to Form a Married Couple Single-Member LLC

OK, so you and your spouse live in a community property state. You want to run an LLC and you’ve decided you want to be considered a single-member LLC at tax time. There are a few other steps you must take to form an LLC, including designating a registered agent. But if you’re forming a single-member LLC as a married couple, pay special attention to the below items.

1. LLC Articles of Organization

Both partners’ names should go on the articles of organization, even though you’re forming a single-member LLC.

Note: If you form your LLC with Northwest, we’ll ask for an email confirming you want both spouses’ names on the articles of organization.

2. Operating Agreement

Draft a single-member LLC operating agreement and list both you and your spouse as members. If you and your spouse have the same last name, write your names as “Susie and Dan Smith,” not “Susie Smith and Dan Smith.” This emphasizes that you’re forming the LLC as a unit rather than as individuals.

3. IRS Tax Requirements

To file taxes as a married couple with a single-member LLC, the IRS requires you to meet the following requirements:

• You and your spouse must be the only members of the LLC.
• Both spouses must participate in the business.
• Both spouses must opt to be taxed as a disregarded entity rather than a partnership.

Want some help forming your LLC? Sign up for a free account with Northwest to access every form you’ll need to register and maintain an LLC in any state, plus step-by-step instructions for how to do it. Or, you can hire Northwest to form your LLC for you.

Benefits of Filing as a Single-Member LLC

There are two main benefits for married couples filing as a single-member LLC: easier tax filing and credit for self-employment taxes.

A single-member LLC is appealing in its simplicity: Because there’s only one member, the LLC gets taxed as a disregarded entity. That’s a less complicated tax situation than multi-member LLCs, which get taxed as partnerships and require more paperwork. In a partnership, each partner must file their own Form 1065 and Form 1040, as well as issue a Schedule K-1 1065 to themselves. In a single-member LLC, they can file a joint Form 1040 plus separate Schedule C and Schedule SE 1040s.

A married couple that files taxes as a single-member LLC also sees another advantage: double the credit for self-employment taxes. Since partnership taxes are more complex than sole proprietor taxes, many married couples who form an LLC together only list one spouse as the owner. However, in that case, only one spouse pays self-employment taxes and gets credit toward Social Security and Medicare when they retire. In a single-member LLC with both spouses listed as owners, both contribute individually to Social Security and Medicare, which means that both partners will receive credit for Social Security and Medicare benefits.

LLCs vs. Qualified Joint Ventures

A married couple single-member LLC is similar to a qualified joint venture (QJV)—an unincorporated business owned by a married couple that files taxes as a sole proprietorship—in that both business types are taxed as disregarded entities. However, a qualified joint venture is a tax designation, not a legal entity, so having a qualified joint venture that isn’t incorporated doesn’t provide you with the asset protection that you get with an LLC.

With a qualified joint venture, there’s no separation between your personal assets and business assets. In the eyes of the law, you and your spouse are your business. In contrast, an LLC is a separate legal entity from its owners, so it provides liability protection in case the business faces a lawsuit or defaults on a debt.That way, if someone sues your LLC, they can go after your business assets but not your personal assets. But with an unincorporated QJV, you risk losing things like your house or car if your business gets sued.

The post Can a Married Couple Form a Single-Member LLC? appeared first on Northwest Registered Agent.