What’s The Best Way To Start A LLC In Wisconsin?

I have a few gigs outside of the radio business that are getting to the point of me needing to get some income on the books.  Instead of going the 1099 as a contractor route, I decided to start a Limited Liablitly Company or LLC.

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Doing so gives me some more options for write-offs and since I'm the only employee of the company, I can still work it in with my personal taxes.  Before I pulled the trigger on starting a LLC, I consulted with a couple of people, the first was my personal tax accountant.  He said to just get it all started myself by using the state I reside in's channels for setting up a business and also using the crooked IRS and their website to get the federal end rolling.  I say 'crooked' kind of in jest because I think our US tax system is a joke designed to keep the rich where they are and not support the middle classes very well, but that's a topic for another write-up.

I also consulted with my Uncle Google whose advice was mostly to use a company like LegalZoom to get the ball rolling.  Companies like that claim to be a one-stop shop for setting up your own business.  I was going to use LegalZoom and I even started the process when they started throwing higher tier package options my way, those of course cost more.  I know it costs money to make money sometimes, but I didn't like start-up fees I was seeing and paused what I was doing to follow the advice of my accountant.

I'm glad I did that.  Filling with the IRS to get an EIN of Employer Identification Number was free and filing with the State of Wisconsin for my LLC was only $150.00.  That's significantly less than what LegalZoom was trying to ding me for.  It also wasn't that hard and didn't take that long.  Also, in researching the use of a company like that, the after you buy their service reviews weren't great at all.

Still, I could see where using an online service to get the legal ball rolling for starting a business might be beneficial to some.  They do make aspects of it easier to a degree and eliminate some guesswork.  For me however, saving some money and putting a smidgen more time into doing it myself was worth it.