Start-Up Checklist

Start-Up Checklist

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CREATING THE BUSINESS PLAN

Company

Prepared by

Email

Date

Copy to

Select your attorney

Does my attorney understand construction?

Yes No I need to find out

Has my attorney successfully defended a builder in a homebuyer lawsuit?

Yes No I need to find out

Do I need a business attorney and a litigation attorney?

Yes No

Have I had my attorney review all of my contract forms for consistency, legality and applicability in my jurisdictions?

Yes No

Set up a legal business entity

Have I reviewed the available business structures and selected the entity form most beneficial to my business concept?

Yes No

I considered these business forms before selecting the one I went with:

Sole Proprietorship General Partnership Limited Partnership Limited Liability Company (LLC) Sub-Chapter S Corporation Corporation

I am aware of all the filing requirements for the type of legal entity I selected.

Yes No I need to find out

Do I have a system in place to comply with state-mandated annual reporting and renewal requirements to keep my business in good standing?

Yes No

Who will call annual meetings and record those meetings to demonstrate corporate compliance?

Reserve your business name

Have I researched my business name at the office of the Secretary of State to determine availability?

Yes No

Have I reserved and/or registered my business name with the office of the Secretary of State?

Yes No

Do I need to protect my business name with a trademark registration?

Yes No

Have I registered my DBA (Doing Business As) name(s) locally?

Yes No

Appoint a Registered Agent

Who is the Registered Agent for my company?

Should I change the Registered Agent for my company?

Yes No

If so, who should I nominate to be the Registered Agent?

Other registrations

Do I have a Federal EIN (Employer Identification Number)?

Yes No Not Applicable

Do I have a State EIN (Employer Identification Number)?

Yes No Not Applicable

Have I registered for State and Local sales taxes?

Yes No Not Applicable

Have I filed the necessary notices for conducting business in my jurisdiction?

Yes No Not Applicable

Do I understand the local business codes?

Yes Not entirely, but enough to get started No Not Applicable

Licensing

Does my local building department require a qualification test for building contractors?

Yes No

Have I registered as a contractor with my local building department?

Yes No

Have I set up a process to maintain local registrations in good standing from year to year?

Yes No

Do I understand the local building codes?

Yes No

Do I know the formal and informal procedures for challenging building code interpretation?

Yes No

Your place of business

I am going to set up my office:

In my home In a separate office building In a shared office space

What is my business-only telephone number?

Who will answer the phone?

How will the phone be answered?

Who will respond to email inquiries?

Who will meet with Prospects?

Where will those meetings take place?

In my home In my office At a shared office space In the Prospect's home In a public space (Library, Restaurant, etc.) Other

Who will handle billing and accounting questions

Who will handle questions from customers relating to jobs in progress?

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