By John Gottshall
This is a corner that many people cut. Not only will it keep Uncle Sam happy, if you don't do this it will actually contribute to you not succeeding online. If you don't go to the very small inconvenience to get a business license how are you going to believe in your head and heart that you're going to operate a successfully online.
Just do it and get it over with. The easiest way to find out what you need to do is by searching online. At the very least you'll probably need to get a business license with your city. They'll probably also require you to have a fictitious name or DBA (Doing Business As).
For instance say you want to name your business "Joe's Artifacts" and your name is Joe Schmo then your legal business name would be Joe Schmo DBA Joes Artifacts. I'm not going to make any recommendations on weather you should incorporate or not. Talk to a professional accountant about that.
If you're going to be selling a physical product (batteries, XBOX units or whatever) then your state will probably require you to get a State Tax ID Number also commonly referred to as a State Reseller Certificate.
Also, don't even think about talking to a wholesaler if you don't have a Reseller Certificate. Real wholesalers will require you to have this. It's how they know that you're a real business. If a wholesaler doesn't ask for a copy of it or at least a copy of your business license then they're probably not a real wholesaler.
The first thing I would do to find out what I need to get is go to Google. If I lived in Pittsburgh, PA I would type in "Business License Pittsburgh, PA". Then to find out about the Reseller Certificate I would type in the same thing except replace "Business License" with "Reseller Certificate".
Also, you're going to want to get a business checking account. There are many banks that have totally free business checking. Almost all merchant account providers will require you to have a business checking account. Just do it, it will help with organization anyway. Also your bank will probably want to see a copy of your business license to set up a business account.
Let me say one more time, please don't cut corners and not do this stuff or tell yourself you'll do it later. Start off on the right foot and you'll set a precedent for yourself that will help you in the future. Start off on the wrong foot by not doing this and you'll set a precedent for yourself that will hinder you in the future.
John Gottshall is the founder and author of Internet Marketing Debunked. It's all about helping people grow their online businesses and actually profit from them without wasting money on the latest fads. John Doesn't sell anythnig related to internet marketing. All the help and resources are free. His newest project is the Profits Vault, where you get all kinds of free tips and secrets to increase your online profits.
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