Starting a new company? Better get your business in order.

With $10 and a trip to your County Registrar of Deeds you can hang a shingle and officially call yourself a business owner.

Becoming a successful business owner and growing your business however will require more work. The better planning you do in the beginning and the stronger your business plan, the better the chance for success.

According to the The Bureau of Labor Statistics, a division within the Department of Labor, only 44% of all new business survive four years.

That means more than half of all news startups fail within four years.

Got your attention?

Do you have the kind of business plan that puts you on the positive side of that equation?

Some of the things you you’ll want to consider:

You’ll want to make sure you have a reliable accountant

You’ll want to determine the legal structure of your business; are you going to be a sole proprietor, a partnership, as S Corp or an Limited Liability Corporation (LLC)

If setting up a corporation you’ll need to filed your Articles of Corporation in whichever state your company will be based in

If you’re going to have a partner you’ll want to make sure you have an Operating Agreement that spells out each member’s duties, rights and responsibilities.

Some of these things, especially the ones that come with a price tag – like hiring an accountant – may seem too daunting or expensive at first, but consider the options. Do you want your company to succeed or not?

If it sounds complicated, well, you’re right. It can be. But that’s what we’re here for. The Cortese Law Firm has extensive experience in preparing the necessary corporate forms and drafting Operating Agreements for a variety of businesses to ensure that your objectives and needs are met.

It’s our job to make sure all the “I’s” are dotted and the “T’s” are crossed so you can focus on making your business everything you ever wanted it to be.

Any business advisor will tell you, before you have a business, you need a business plan. Getting these documents and forms in place from day one creates the successful foundation for that plan.