Become a Las Vegas Entrepreneur!

Las Vegas is a vibrant city full of life with an amazing community of entrepreneurs. This makes it one of the best places to start your own business! But even if you are ready to begin pulling in customers and become a staple company in Las Vegas, it’s important to make sure you are following all the right legal procedures. One of the first things every business should do is register with the state of Nevada. Here are the steps you need to follow to get registered.

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Steps for Registering a Business

1. Choose a business name

• Make sure the name you pick for your new business is unique and distinguishable from any other business in Nevada. Be wary of following trademark laws! The Nevada Secretary of State’s office has a database in which all Nevada businesses are registered, so you don’t have to guess whether your name is too similar to another business.
• If you would like to register your business under a “fictitious name” (such as creating a “doing business as,” or “dba” name), Nevada requires you to fill out an application and submit it to the county clerk’s office. Filing for a dba costs around $20.00.

2. Form your entity and apply for a Nevada state business license

• The different types of businesses and their requirements for obtaining licensing are listed in the section below.

3. Get an Employer Identification Number

• Apply for an EIN on the IRS website in order to ensure your business is paying its taxes accordingly and protecting you from fraud.

4. Register with the Nevada Department of Taxation

• Although Nevada does not enforce state taxes, it is still necessary to apply for a tax permit, whether it is a sales tax permit (for the sale of tangible goods) or a consumer use tax permit (for any other business that does not sell tangible goods).

5. Apply for a city business license (or licenses)

• Applying for city business licenses can be difficult, since the first step is identifying which city in which your business is located. In Nevada, this is tricky since the lines that separate the City of Henderson, Boulder City, the City of North Las Vegas, the City of Las Vegas, and Clark County are tough to decipher. Check the Nevada jurisdiction locator (be sure to look only at the “jurisdiction field”) to determine where your business will operate. From here, you must determine where to file for your license, based on your location. (It is even more complicated for mobile businesses like plumbers or dog groomers—they are required to file for licenses in every city in which they plan to do business!)

Determine Your Type of Business

There are multiple types of business you can register, so here are some ways to determine what you qualify for:

• Corporations: A corporation is a group of people working together on a business that are legally permitted to act as a single entity. It means the business functions on its own separately from any other businesses. A person could own two corporations individually from one another, so one corporation does not affect the other. Corporations can be publicly traded and give limited liability in the event of a lawsuit. This means the business itself would be liable for any costs related to a suit, as opposed to the individuals who own it. To file as a corporation, you’ll need to file Articles of Incorporations with the Nevada Secretary of State’s office.
• Limited-Liability Company (LLC): An LLC provides a business with the limited liability that is similar to a corporation while also allowing for pass-through taxation, meaning the taxes pass through to the owner instead of the business getting taxed separately for profits. The Nevada Secretary of State requires a new business owner to file Articles of Organization to register as an LLC.
• Limited Partnership: A limited partnership would be required if your business has multiple owners and one of those owners is responsible for the majority of the liability for the business. Other partners are not liable, yet they are still able to own or manage the business in conjunction with the liable owner. If this is the type of business you are interested in registering, be sure to file a Certificate of Limited Partnership with the Nevada Secretary of State and include the list of managers, members, officers, and/or partners in order to receive your state business license.
• Sole Proprietor/General Partnership: Generally, any individual working in exchange for pay, such as a freelance photographer or a contracted writer, is going to fall within this category. The disadvantage to working as a sole proprietor is that there is no legal safety net keeping the individual’s assets separate from the business. A sole proprietor/general partnership is not required to file for a business registration like the above companies are. Instead, only a notice of exemption or a business license is required.

Fortunately, the state of Nevada makes it very easy to register for these types of businesses. Most of these forms can be filled out online, but you can still send in a paper copy if you’d prefer.

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Check on Licensing and Zoning

When registering your business, you’ll want to make sure it is able to legally function. Before you sign a lease on a space or start working, check the Nevada zoning laws for the area in which you will be working to ensure your business is able to function in that spot. Clark County has a comprehensive FAQ that details the steps for zoning a new business.

It is also important to make sure you have all licensing required to operate whichever type of business you’ve registered as. This would include making sure you have health permits in the case of a restaurant, for example. You will also need to insure your business properly and obtain all employee paperwork necessary for the future. The Small Business Advice website of Nevada delineates all the information you’ll need for these.

So You’ve Started Your Business!

Now that you’ve registered and obtained all your licensing, you’re ready to do business! Congratulations! The next step is considering your business’ utilities and telecommunications services. Don’t worry! Equiinet is here to take care of all your telephone and internet needs. We provide excellent products and services at an affordable rate, so you can operate your company efficiently, without giving a second thought to network security or data storage. Give Equiinet a call today to see how we can help make your new entity a success! You deserve it after all that hard work!