I run a mobile coffee cart and I'm finally ready to form an LLC. I've looked at LegalZoom, Northwest, and a few others but the fees and reviews are all over the place. Which provider did you actually use for your small business? Would you pick them again? I'm in Texas if that matters for the registered agent requirement.
LLC Formation
My mobile coffee business needs an LLC. Which provider did you use?
I used Northwest for my landscaping LLC. It worked fine. No issues with the filing, and the registered agent service has been steady for three years. The upsells at checkout were a little pushy, but you can skip them.
Honestly I just filed directly with the Texas Secretary of State, and used a local registered agent service. Cheaper than the big bundle providers. The SOS site is clunky but it's a one-time thing.
Seconding the direct filing. I've formed two entities that way. The formation providers mostly charge you for paperwork you can fill out yourself in an afternoon.
I went with LegalZoom because I didn't want to think about it. It was fine, but looking back I paid a lot for convenience. Their customer service is not great if something goes wrong later
That was my worry with LegalZoom. Northwest at least answered the phone when I called. Still, if I did it again I'd probably just do it myself
Before you pick a provider, check whether your city requires a separate mobile vendor permit. That tripped me up more than the LLC filing did.
I used ZenBusiness. It was cheap and fast. I can't speak to long-term support because I've never needed it. Sometimes cheap and fast is the whole review.
ZenBusiness felt like they were going to nickel and dime me on every add-on. The base price is low for a reason.
Whichever way you go, make sure the registered agent address is a real physical address in Texas. I used a PO box initially and had to fix it. That was my own mistake, not the provider's.
Also worth deciding early whether you'll stay a single-member LLC. Some providers charge differently for multi-member filings and it's easier to sort out upfront.
OP, whatever you do, don't use one of those dirt-cheap online services with no phone support. A friend of mine had a filing get rejected and couldn't reach a human for a week.
I keep hearing that. For a coffee cart the filing itself is simple. It's the ongoing annual report and franchise tax that people forget, and that's on you no matter who files.
Fair point. I set a calendar reminder for the annual report the day I got my approval. That's saved me more than any provider feature.