Entrepreneurs cannot succeed in business completely on their own. Successful business owners will leverage their talent, expertise, and skills, while also being quick to delegate tasks and responsibilities to others with the knowledge and proficiencies they lack.
For example, not very many business owners know all the ins and outs involved in preparing and submitting the paperwork involved in setting up a business entity and keeping it compliant. Rather than trudge through the process and hope for the best, it’s wise for business owners to enlist the help of a business filings and compliance service fulfillment partner.
But how can you know which online document filing service to trust with your critical business filings? I realize it can be overwhelming when comparing your options. So, I’m going to share some of the most significant factors that are behind why successful business owners rely on CorpNet.
You can also review a quick comparison matrix to see how CorpNet compares to five business formation companies.
1. Access to Personalized and Live Assistance
Just because you’ve chosen to work with a company online doesn’t mean you should have to forfeit excellent customer service. The partner you choose should have an account manager available to talk with you by phone to answer your questions and assist you with any issues.
At CorpNet, we can’t imagine doing business with our clients any other way. When you call us to learn more about our services, you get a live person eager to discuss your needs. As a CorpNet customer, you get a dedicated, USA-based representative to handle your account as you start, manage, and grow your business.
2. Years of Experience Serving Entrepreneurs’ Needs
Your Secretary of State filings are too mission-critical to hand over to someone that does not have years of experience. Beware of fly-by-night websites that make too-good-to-be-true promises or that don’t provide the breadth of services you require.
My husband Phil and I have been helping companies with our formation and compliance services for about 20 years. With the assistance of our knowledgeable team, we’ve helped over 100,000 businesses form their LLCs and corporations! All of our filing experts pay unparalleled attention to accuracy, and they know the intricacies involved in handling business registration and compliance paperwork.
3. Representation in Every State
Forms and deadlines vary from state to state. It’s important to have a partner who understands the differences. From Articles of Incorporation in Alaska to Articles of Organization in Wyoming and other state filings everywhere else in the United States, you want to have the peace of mind that you’re dealing with experts.
Our team has extensive experience doing state filings in all 50 states. No matter where you desire to register and operate your company, we are prepared with the knowledge and technology to assist you.
4. Support for a Full Range of Entity Types
Look for a partner who can handle filings for a variety of entity types. Sure, most of the filing resources support LLCs and C Corporations, but there are other entity types, too. After discussing the ideal business structure with your attorney and accountant, you may find that some online business formation and compliance services don’t offer what you require.
With CorpNet, that won’t be an issue! We help business owners form and maintain compliance for:
- Limited Liability Companies
- C Corporations
- S Corporations
- Nonprofit Corporations
- Professional Corporations
- Series LLCs
- Professional LLCs
- Limited Liability Partnerships
We also handle DBA filings for Sole Proprietorships, Partnerships, and other entities that want to do business under a fictitious name.
5. Support for Out-of-Country Applications
If you’re located outside of the United States and wish to start a business within the U.S.A., you will want to find a partner who can assist you in the process. As you can imagine, there are some additional details involved. And not all online business filing companies offer support for foreign entrepreneurs.
CorpNet does support individuals outside of the U.S. in starting their corporations and LLCs. We handle the required business registration applications, obtain a Federal Tax ID Number for you (as long as you have a valid passport), and provide ongoing support. We are your partner throughout the lifetime of your business—from formation and beyond—with our business filing services that keep your business in compliance with state laws.
6. Provide Registered Agent Services in all 50 States
Staying on top of ongoing compliance requirements is a must for your business. Maintaining a registered agent in the states where your business is registered is one such requirement. If you want to expand your business into more than one state, consider looking for a registered agent who is authorized to provide their services in all 50 states.
Fortunately, CorpNet provides registered agent services in every state, so no matter where you want to conduct business, we have you covered! As your registered agent, we will keep you in the know about all of your upcoming compliance obligations. Why is that so important? Failure to submit annual reports, renew licenses and permits, and take care of other compliance filings on time can result in penalties, fees, legal troubles, and even administration dissolution of a business.
7. No Hidden Fees
Look for a business filings and compliance service fulfillment partner who understands that you have a budget to meet. Are their standard rates affordable, and do they clearly define what those rates include? Surprises may be welcome at a birthday party but not when paying for filing the important forms necessary for starting a business and keeping it compliant.
At CorpNet, we display our pricing clearly with itemized details. You never have to worry about unwanted subscriptions or surprise charges. We save you time and ensure your filings are done accurately and on time. You get optimal value on every service that we provide.
8. Support for Expedited Service
When you need your filings done quickly, standard processing intervals may not cut it. To move things forward fast, you’ll need a partner who can effectively expedite your requests.
CorpNet has three levels of expedited service for an additional service fee plus any applicable state expedited fees:
- Express Processing – CorpNet processes your request on the same day that we receive it (provided it arrives before 4 pm PST Monday through Friday). Then, we instruct the state office to process your request as an “expedited” filing. The state’s processing time may vary, but we estimate that you will have your documents delivered to you within approximately five to seven business days.
- 24-Hour Processing – CorpNet processes your request on the same day that we receive it (provided it arrives before 2 pm PST Monday through Friday). Then, we instruct the state office to process your request as a “same day” filing (in states where this is an available option). The state’s processing time may vary, but we estimate that you will have your documents delivered to you within approximately two to three business days.
- Same–Day Processing – CorpNet processes your request on the same day that we receive it (provided it arrives before 12 pm PST Monday through Friday). Then, we instruct the state office to process your request the same day (in states where this is an available option) so that you will have your documents delivered to you within 24 hours.
Standard processing requires 30 to 40 business days, so the above options significantly quicken the process!
9. Reasonable Shipping and Handling Fees
Who wants to pay a fortune for their formation paperwork to be shipped? CorpNet offers a flat $29 shipping and handling fee. That fee includes multiple shipments of your documents to and from the state office during the formation process of your company. Also, we ship your final package, including your company’s state-approved documents, using U.S. First Class Priority Mail service.
10. Support for Obtaining EINs
Businesses that hire employees or form a business entity (e.g., LLC, corporation) must obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN), also known as a Federal Tax ID Number. If you have a business filings partner that will prepare and submit the required form to the IRS for you, you can save precious time.
Along with handling all of the other paperwork associated with starting a business, CorpNet also can obtain your company’s EIN from the IRS.
11. Business Licenses and Permits at the State and Local Level
Like most businesses, yours may need one or more types of business licenses or permits to operate legally. Check to make sure you’re dealing with a company that has a full suite of business license services.
At CorpNet, we can help you identify the licenses and permits you need, and we also provide services to apply for and obtain the necessary licenses and permits.
12. Bylaws Templates
Another helpful service that a business filings partner should offer is a template to streamline creating corporate bylaws. Bylaws are the rules a corporation’s founders agreed upon for running the affairs of the business.
CorpNet saves entrepreneurs time and hassle by providing a customizable bylaws template that C Corporations, Nonprofit Corporations, S Corporations, and Professional Corporations can use to develop their detailed documents. We also provide a customizable template for corporate minutes—another way we offer convenience and free up your time to concentrate on building your business!
13. Custom Operating Agreements
Although an LLC operating agreement isn’t required by the state, it serves as an important tool for keeping all stakeholders on the same page in a limited liability company. Find out if the business filings and compliance service fulfillment partner you’re considering provides a template for creating your unique LLC operating agreement.
With CorpNet, you can order a customized LLC operating agreement that you and your other LLC members can use as your roadmap for managing your business.
14. Ongoing Business Management Support
As your business evolves and grows, you’ll want a partner who will be by your side when you need to make changes and updates. At CorpNet, we provide top-notch support to help you with an array of entity filings. Some examples include S Corporation elections, entity conversions, business name changes, articles of amendment, DBAs, dissolution, and license and permit renewals.
15. Ongoing Online Access to Compliance Details
Nearly every business has rules, regulations, and standards to uphold to operate lawfully. The requirements exist to protect the company, employees, stakeholders, and customers. Compliance obligations vary according to the industry, location of the business, business activities, and entity type.
With CorpNet’s free Compliance portal, you can view all of your LLC or corporate documents and track all of your compliance requirements and due dates online. Plus, you get email notifications to alert you as deadlines are approaching.
16. Stellar Online Reputation
What customers are saying matters! Check out reputable online review websites to learn about entrepreneurs’ experiences working with business filings and compliance service providers. Trustpilot, Google, and Facebook are good places to get a pulse on who’s reliable and reputable.
I think you’ll be pleased to discover how happy CorpNet’s customers are with our services!
We’d Love to Work With You
Contact CorpNet today to help you with your business formation and ongoing compliance needs. You can count on us every step of the way as you start, grow, and succeed!
