How to Form a Company in Missouri

Introduction

If you want to start a business in Missouri, there are several steps you’ll need to take. First, you need to come up with a name for your company. Then, you have to decide how it will be structured—as an LLC or corporation, for example. Finally, after you’ve filed the necessary paperwork with the state secretary’s office and created an operating agreement or articles of incorporation, your business will officially be formed in Missouri!

Step 1: Choose a Name for Your Business

The first step to forming a business in Missouri is choosing a name for your company. You’ll want to make sure that the name you choose isn’t too similar to any other company’s name—especially if they share your market. You should also make sure that it’s easy for customers, clients, and vendors to spell and pronounce your business’s title. Finally, keep in mind that you will be required by law to use the same exact name on all of the documents related to your business.

For example: If you decide on “ABC Company,” then every time someone needs access one of their forms or documents from an online database (like Google), they would have no idea what this means unless they did some research beforehand—which could take time away from more important tasks like spending time with family members or watching television shows about dogs solving crimes together! A better choice might be something like “ABC Rubber Stamp Supplies Incorporated.” This way people can easily remember which company is yours without having any doubts about whether or not it exists–and if anyone has questions about this topic later down the road because something wasn’t quite right before starting up again after several years without doing anything related at all whatsoever except maybe watching reruns during late nights while trying desperately not think too much about things past present future present past future present past futures pasts futures futures’

Step 2: Choose a Business Structure

Next, you will choose the business structure you want to form. The most common options are:

• Sole proprietorships
• Partnerships
• Limited liability companies (LLCs)
• Corporations

Option 1: Sole Proprietorship

If you’re planning to form a company in Missouri, your first option is the sole proprietorship. This type of business structure has several benefits and drawbacks, so it’s important to understand both before making your decision.

Benefits

• Easy to create: In general, it’s easy for anyone with an idea for a company or product to form one as a sole proprietorship. You need no special licenses or qualifications to do so—you just need some basic knowledge of how businesses work, and then you can get started! This makes starting up a new business much easier than it would be if you had to go through an application process or pay fees every time you wanted to start another company. Additionally, there are no complicated legal procedures necessary when forming this kind of enterprise; this means that many people who aren’t lawyers may feel more comfortable setting up their own businesses without getting help from professionals who know what they’re doing (and we all know how expensive lawyers can be).

Option 2: Partnership

As a partnership, you have four types of partners:

• general partners
• limited partners
• silent or dormant partners
• active-inactive partners.

General Partners: A general partner has unlimited liability for the debts and actions of the business. This means that if you file for bankruptcy as a partnership, all general partners will be required to sign off on any bankruptcy papers filed by the company. Limited Partnerships: A limited partnership has two classes of ownership–limited partners who invest in capital but have no management responsibilities, and general partners who manage day-to-day operations but do not contribute any capital beyond what they require to run their businesses. Silent/Dormant Partners: Silent or dormant owners are those who own property but don’t participate in running their businesses (for example, an investor might hold an interest in a company without being involved in its day-to-day operations). Active – Inactive Partnerships: An active – inactive partnership is formed when one person becomes inactive due to illness or death; this allows other members of the group (family members) access rights while still protecting assets from creditors’ claims against them

Option 3: Limited Liability Company (LLC)

Limited liability company (LLC) is the most common form of business structure in Missouri. It’s a hybrid between a corporation and partnership, and it offers limited liability protection to its owners.

Like a corporation, an LLC can be taxed either as an S-corp or C-corp for federal income tax purposes. However, unlike corporations, LLCs don’t have stockholders or shareholders; instead they have members—the people who own part of the company through shares of ownership called units.

Because of its unique structure as both a corporate entity and partnership at once, many small businesses choose this type of legal business formation over others because they want the tax benefits offered by both entities while keeping their personal assets separate from any liabilities that may arise from operating their business activities.

Option 4: Corporation

• Corporations are separate legal entities. This means that a corporation is a distinct entity from its owners and shareholders, and that it can sue or be sued in its own name. If a corporation is sued, the owner’s property cannot be used to pay the judgment unless they personally guaranteed the debt.
• Corporations have limited liability for their owners and managers. A shareholder does not participate in management of the company but rather owns stock in return for investment capital. The amount of liability for each shareholder depends on state law as well as whether it’s a C Corporation or an S Corporation (see below).
• An investor buys stock through offering documents such as prospectuses, offering circulars and private placement memorandums (PPM). Shares can either have voting rights or be nonvoting shares depending on how many votes each share gets per share purchased; usually two shares equals one vote unless otherwise stated in your charter or bylaws.* There must be at least one director who has overall responsibility for managing day-to-day operations; this person should supervise officers who serve as executive heads over particular functions within your company (e.g., Finance & Accounting). No matter how many directors you have on your board, only one must approve contracts greater than $25K before signing them off.* All corporations must have an officer designated as secretary with responsibility over keeping minutes at board meetings; these minutes should include information such as what was discussed during discussions held during those meetings along with any decisions made thereupon.* All corporations must also seal official documents using their corporate seal which includes identifying information about said business including type of organization being represented by said seal: i) name(s) ii) address iii) date established iv) purpose/activity carried out v) type/kind organization chartered under state law

Step 3: File with the Secretary of State

In this step, you will file your articles of incorporation with the Secretary of State. This document is basically the company’s birth certificate; it contains all the information needed to register your business as an entity in Missouri.

You can also file a certificate to assume or change your assumed name (the name used on all documents) and/or a fictitious name (another name used for purposes such as advertising). Finally, you have the option to submit an application for limited liability company (LLC) status at this point. Filing these forms allows you to open bank accounts, apply for licenses and permits, pay taxes and report earnings on behalf of your business without having to wait until after its formation has been completed.

Step 4: Create an Operating Agreement or Articles of Incorporation

• Create an operating agreement or articles of incorporation.
• File the appropriate documents with the Missouri Secretary of State.

Once you’ve completed these steps, you’ll be able to form your business in Missouri.

Once you’ve completed these steps, you’ll be able to form your business in Missouri.

• Register online: The Secretary of State’s office provides an easy-to-use online service that allows for electronic filing of a variety of business forms. It also provides helpful information about how to start and run a small business. You can access this tool at any time by clicking “File Online” from the top menu bar of the Secretary of State website or by clicking here: https://www.sos.mo.gov/businessregistration/. We highly recommend using this resource if you’re new to forming businesses! If you prefer not to use our site for some reason, there are other options available as well (see below).
• Get help from an attorney or accountant: If you need additional assistance with any legal requirements related to starting up your company, we recommend contacting an attorney who specializes in small businesses; they may have experience working with similar companies and will be able to guide you through whatever processes are required by law at no cost whatsoever! If possible, we also advise asking friends who have worked with similar types before in order get more opinions on what would work best within this particular context–they might even be willing teach us something new along the way!

Conclusion

The process is simple and quick, but it’s also important to remember that forming a company in Missouri is just the beginning. You’ll need to follow state laws and keep up with annual filings or face fines and other penalties. If you’re planning on forming a business in Missouri, contact us today for more information about how we can help!