Blogger to Blogger: Benefits of Forming a LLC
I’ve been keeping this idea under wraps, but today I’m unveiling a new aspect I’ll be incorporating into Living In Color Print’s content: BLOGGER to BLOGGER! This will be a once a month piece of true honestyΒ when it comes to blogging; inspired by questions I myself had when I began LICP, questions I still ask myself today, and inquiries I receive from others. I do not claim to be an expert by any means on every subject of the blogosphere, trust me there are still ideas I bounce off my friends, boyfriend, and mom for guidance! I’m beyond flattered when bloggers ask me for advice, so my hope is that by sharing my experiences {the good and the bad} will help in terms of guidance if you’re a ‘newbie’ or maybe shed light on some new ideas you haven’t thought of!

My first subject happens to be near and dear to my heart, but I’ll get to that in a minute:

Should a blogger for a LLC?

Even if you’re a newbie blogger, don’t make a ton money from your site, don’t have advertisers, or are a blog pro – forming a LLC will only benefit you and your {hopefully} growing business.

True story: when I began blogging the notion of forming a LLC around my blog crossed my mind, but then I thought ‘No, I don’t really make enough money to have a LLC’. That was me personally. But then I began working more and more with brands and found a couple of them asking for my EIN for compensation. EIN, what the heck is that and why don’t I have it?! Ok ok, so I knew what it was but I honestly became really embarrassed to say I couldn’t provide one. Don’t get me wrong, you can certainly obtain payment through your name and SS number, I just found it to be far less professional and more complicated to coordinate. Needless to say, I decided to look into the idea of a LLC and came across The Company Corporation via a family friend’s recommendation. My rep talked me through the process {which was super easy} and advised me on the benefits and next steps I would need to take following the formation.

Let’s cut to the chase and talk benefits. Now I’m not an attorney or accountant on the subject, but these are the 4 main reasons I’m sure of when forming a LLC around your business:

1. Additional Credibility: I personally think this is key for bloggers specifically. You present yourself as put together, organized, and professional. If blogging is considered a business for you, treat it as such.
2. Tax Savings: filing as a LLC gives you the potential to receive tax breaks on income made each year through what the government calls ‘flow-through taxation’
3. Protection of Personal Assets: forming a legal entity, such as a LLC, around your blog adds an additional layer of protection and separates your personal assets from your business.
4. Less Risk of an Audit: Individuals who file their taxes as a LLC, compared to an individual/sole proprietor and 10x less likely to be audited: according to the Wall Street Journal.

After forming my LLC through The Company Corporate I was approached to become a representative to assist in educating bloggers on these benefits and get them signed up properly and in a timely fashion. I can do so in all 50 states – If you would like to take that next step for your blog and form a LLC please contact me directly at [email protected]
I can get you squared away and answer any questions you may have!

2017 UPDATE: I am no longer freelancing for TCC, however you can reach out to Incorporate.com directly for assistanceΒ 877-885-7913Β – they’ll take good care of you! It’s quick + painless. Plus their system sends you email updates when paperwork/filing is due each year, which I find super helpful.Β Unfortunately the LICP exclusive discount code is no longer available.

If you’re a blogger and would like to submit a comment or question for me to consider talking about for BLOGGER to BLOGGER, shoot me an email at [email protected] or leave a comment below – I’d absolutely love to hear your thoughts!

This is NOTΒ a sponsored post: I have not been compensated to write about this subject matter – all thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Comments

Thank you so much for this info. We have just started our family blog and I am trying to figure out the business side of things!

Wow, I had no idea that you could get tax benefits from an LLC! My sister is just starting her own business. I am sure that she would like to hear about this!

This is SO useful, and it breaks complex topics down to practical terms that are easy to understand. As a business and tax attorney, I can honestly say that this is one of the best articles about taxes, business structures and blogging. I will be sharing this on FB and LinkedIn

This was so helpful! Thank you!!

Hello!

Thanks for the super informative post πŸ™‚ I’m looking to make my blog an LLC… I’m just curious what the benefit to using a freelancer is, if I were to contact Sam Meader? Do you pay him a flat fee to set it up? I set one up on my own with my other business, but it was so long ago I completely forgot about the process!

Thanks in advance!

x, jen

    Hey Jen! For me, it was just easier to have someone else handle all the nitty gritty details for me. It’s definitely something you can do on your own as well! If you contact Sam he can give you a quick rundown on benefits prior to processing everything πŸ™‚

Thanks for posting this! Great advice!

Howdy!

This is exactly what I needed, a simplified explanation to confirm my decision to become an LLC for my blog. Now, time to execute.

Thank you VERY much!

Yulunda

I tried to send an email to you asking you some questions, but it came back saying your email was invalid! Please help if you can!

    Hi Audrey – so sorry about that! I’m actually no longer freelancing for The Company Corporation, however you can contact my former collegue Sam Meader at [email protected] – he’ll take good care of you! πŸ™‚

this is exactly the answer I was looking for – thank you for posting this – it is very informative. I’m starting a brand new blog http://www.acfoodie.com and wanted to set it up for success at the ‘get-go’. Thanks so much!!

    So happy to hear that! Best of luck with the start of your business!

THIS BtB series is exactly what I’ve been looking for, Kristin! Thank you for sharing your insight and guidance! I’m sure I’ll come back to you in the future! XO

Thanks for the great info. It’s hard to know what the right thing to do is! We will definitely do more research on the LLC.

Great idea and topic. I have never thought of something like this for a blog. Personally, my blog is far too new and small for forming a LLC, but hopefully this may be something I will consider in the future.

I have never considered doing this before! I think my blog is currently too small for this step, but I will keep this in mind as my blog (hopefully) grows!

Lots of good words for thought! – http://www.katelyngreer.com

Great idea. I’m always looking for columns like this because I’m still relatively new to the business of blogging. Does it make sense to form an LLC if you haven’t pursued monetization yet? My issue is, I’m spending money on the blog trying to CREATE a business down the road but I don’t receive any tax breaks for that because there’s no money coming in at the moment.

xoxo,

Jules of Canines & Couture
http://www.caninesandcouture.com

Hi Kristin,

I love your new Blogger to Blogger segment! The trouble I am having is that in California, forming an LLC. is $800 a year. I agree with you that it makes a more professional statement, other bloggers should just be aware that there can be a high cost involved, depending on their state. Why didn’t you just use Legal Zoom to create your LLC?

    Hi Laura, so glad you love the new segment! You are correct, there is an annual report fee required per state to be paid each year in order to verify your business name and address. This fee varies from state to state generally ranging from $20-a couple hundred dollars, CA being be FAR one of the highest. This is something I always inform bloggers of once I determine their state and needs. I chose to use The Company Corporation to form my legal entity because of their reputation in the industry and the personal one-on-one attention I received! I’d be happy to assist you with forming for LLC should you decided to do so! I know the annual fee is pretty over the top, but if you ever get to that point I’m happy to help! πŸ™‚

I’m so glad you decided to write about this first! I have been toying with the thought of turning She’s In High Cotton into an LLC for some time. My blog is not very big AT ALL yet, but I really think it would benefit me, mostly in all the ways you described. I’ll be sure to contact you soon about help with this!

Kelly Vaughan
http://www.shesinhighcotton.com

    Hi Kelly, awesome – I’d be more than happy to answer any questions you have and assist you with the process! πŸ™‚ Look forward to hearing from you!

Wow! Thanks for the advice! This is definitely something worth looking into!

Kayla
http://www.lovelucygirl.com

Awesome idea on starting this section.. sometimes is so hard to figure out all the legal stuff and such

Gissi

Great topic! I know this is something that I struggled with for a very long time!

xo,

Alyssa
http://www.runwaychef.com

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