Nellie Akalp

Nellie Akalp is an entrepreneur, small business expert, speaker, and mother of four amazing kids. As CEO of CorpNet.com, she has helped more than half a million entrepreneurs launch their businesses. Akalp is nationally recognized as one of the most prominent experts on small business legal matters, contributing frequently to outlets like Entrepreneur, Forbes, Huffington Post, Mashable, and Fox Small Business. A passionate entrepreneur herself, Akalp is committed to helping others take the reigns and dive into small business ownership. Through her public speaking, media appearances, and frequent blogging, she has developed a strong following within the small business community and has been honored as a Small Business Influencer Champion three years in a row.

Basic Tips for Building Business Credit

A business entity can have its own business credit record and score. Lenders, suppliers, vendors, and even potential customers might check a company’s credit score (which is publicly available) before providing funding or doing business with the company. Business...

Credit Card Close Up

Trademarks vs. Copyrights vs. Patents

From your company logo to your trade secrets, your business’s intellectual property has value. That’s why it’s important to take measures to protect it. What are the various types of intellectual property and how can business owners’ safeguard them?  Here’s a...

Trademark and Copyright Icons in Vending Machine

How to Protect Your Brand with Trademarks

If you’ve incorporated your business or formed a limited liability company, you’ve taken critical first steps toward building a successful business. When registering your business, you’ve protected your company name from being used by competitors in the state the...

Registered Trademark Stamp

What is the Role of an LLC Organizer?

Starting a new Limited Liability Company (LLC) can be complex, entailing several legal, administrative, and organizational steps. Whether you’re starting the business on your own, with a partner, as part of a team, or converting your current business structure to...

Woman Working at Desk on Computer

How to Apply for an EIN if You’re Not a United States Citizen

An EIN (Employer Identification Number), also known as Federal Tax ID Number, is a 9-digit number issued by the IRS that the United States federal government uses to identify a business for tax purposes. Every business with employees or registered in the U.S. as a...

EIN Application

How to Get Certified as a Women or Minority-Owned Small Business

Small business certification comes in many forms and offers incredible opportunities for business owners to work with and compete with larger businesses for contracts. Federal government agencies and many state and local governments must set aside a percentage of...

Business Women

What Business Owners Need to Know About Filing Taxes in 2022

Tax season is right around the corner. A lot has changed, tax-wise, in the past year due to new legislation. Here’s a quick look at what business owners need to know about filing their taxes in 2022. Sole Proprietorship Sole proprietors are unincorporated...

Stack of US Tax Forms

Do I Need a New EIN?

If you already have an Employer Identification Number (EIN) for your business but have recently made some changes, you may be wondering if you need a new EIN. Because EINs are used for reporting certain taxes (such as payroll and excise taxes), it’s essential to...

Employer Identification Number (EIN) written on legal document

Registered Business Name vs. Trademark

One of the first decisions new entrepreneurs make is “What should I name my business?” A lot of brand equity gets built around a business name, so it’s essential to protect that valuable marketing asset. During a presentation to accounting professionals, I...

Woman With Two Thought Bubbles, One With Business Name and One With Trademark

Expanding a Small Business to Another State: What You Need to Know

Extending your small business’s presence across state lines can help your company reach new markets, grow revenue, and boost profits. But how do you expand a small business into another state? And what’s involved in operating a business in multiple states? There...

US Map of States With Connecting Dots

Should I Incorporate or Form an LLC for My MLM Business?

Also sometimes called network marketing companies, a multilevel marketing company (MLM), offers income opportunities to folks who want to set their own schedule and work at their own pace—without having to build a business from the ground up. Many people who want...

Woman Working at Desk

10 Legal Documents You Must Have to Start a Small Business

If starting a new business is on your 2022 New Year’s resolution list, we’re here to help you begin on the right (and legal) path. Here are 10 must-have legal documents you need to start a new business. 1. Business Plan Technically, a business plan is not a “legal”...

Legal Document

How to Draft Meeting Minutes in the New Year

Along with other annual business compliance responsibilities, corporations (and sometimes LLCs) must hold various meetings and record minutes from those meetings. With the new year ahead, new entrepreneurs and existing business owners need to make sure they...

Minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors

How Often Does an LLC Pay Taxes?

If you’re considering starting a Limited Liability Company (LLC) or restructuring your business as an LLC, it’s important to know what taxes you’re responsible for, when your taxes are due, and how to file taxes for your business entity. Keep in mind that an LLC’s...

Cartoon of Financial Reports and Calculator on Desk

Is an LLC a Corporation?

Many entrepreneurs wonder if an LLC is a corporation. An LLC is not the same thing as a corporation, but it's easy to get the two business entity types confused. In this article, I’ll explain the difference and highlight some of the advantages these structures have...

Question Marks

How to Formally Close Your Sole Proprietorship or Partnership

Deciding to close a business that you’ve put your blood, sweat, and tears into can be an emotional experience. That’s especially true of entrepreneurs who have operated as sole proprietorships or partnerships. Essentially, they become “one” with their companies,...

Closed Sign

How to Retire When You Own Your Own Business

How many small business owners think about retirement when starting their businesses? Not many, which is understandable since all efforts are generally focused on growing the business, not leaving the company. However, at some point, all entrepreneurs want to know...

Retired Couple Walking on Beach

Get Your Office Into the Holiday Spirit

I love the holidays. Celebrating with family and friends is very important to me and my husband, Phil. And we strongly believe in sharing that holiday spirit with our employees and contractors. Unfortunately, last year, like many of you, we couldn’t celebrate in...

Photos of CorpNet's 2015 Holiday Party

How to File Taxes as a Limited Liability Partnership

If your startup will have more than one business owner, you have several choices for how to legally structure your company.  In today’s post, I’ll discuss the Limited Liability Partnership (LLP), which is a type of partnership that isn’t as widely known as the...

Bullhorn with Tax Tips

What You Need to Know About the Qualified Business Income Deduction

Tax considerations are a significant factor in how entrepreneurs structure their businesses. The qualified business income deduction (or QBI tax deduction) is an important tax deduction that allows eligible businesses to deduct up to 20% of their qualified business...

Man Cutting Tax With Scissors

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