The Order Matters: What to Set Up First When You’re Starting a Business
- Kimberly
- Jun 16
- 2 min read
I talk to a lot of people who started their business in the wrong order. Not wrong like catastrophically wrong — wrong like they’re going to have to redo some things and it’s going to be annoying.
Here’s the order I recommend:
1. Name your business and check availability.
Before you fall in love with a name, make sure it’s available as an LLC in your state, check the USPTO trademark database, and grab the domain. In that order.
2. Form your LLC.
File with your state’s Secretary of State office. In South Carolina, that’s the SC Secretary of State website. Pay the filing fee. Save your documents.
3. Get your EIN.
Go to IRS.gov. Free. Ten minutes. Do it immediately after your LLC is approved.
4. Open a business bank account.
Bring your EIN and LLC documents to the bank. Some banks let you do this online. Don’t use your personal account for one more day after this step.
5. Set up your bookkeeping.
QuickBooks Online, connected to your new business bank account. Start clean.
6. Then build the rest.
Website, social media, business cards, branding — all of this matters, but none of it matters as much as the foundation underneath it.
I know it’s tempting to start with the fun stuff and figure out the legal and financial pieces later. But you’re building on sand if the foundation isn’t there.
Get the foundation right first. Everything else goes on top. And if you want someone to walk you through every step — name availability, LLC, EIN, banking, bookkeeping setup, branding — that’s exactly what I do at Kimberly Hill Business Studio. You don’t have to figure this out alone.
— Kimberly
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