How to Make Your Business Legitimate

Following the steps necessary to ensure that your business stays “legitimate” — both under the law and in the eyes of your customers — will allow you to avoid any legal disputes or fines in the future. 

What’s more, making your business legitimate can go a long way in ensuring that the public always views you as a trustworthy, reliable, and credible business.

Steps to Making Your Business Legitimate

Making your business legitimate can be done with a few essential steps. These steps include:

• Choosing a marketing-friendly business name
• Choosing the right business structure
• Getting an official business address
• Getting a business phone service
• Applying for an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
• Applying for required licenses and permits
• Opening a business bank account

Not only will these guidelines help ensure your business will be compliant with all of its state and federal requirements, but they will also help present an image of dependability to your customers and potential partners.

Find a Marketing-Friendly Business Name

Choosing a business name is actually one of the most important decisions you will make when launching your business. 

This is because your business name:

• Is your customers’ first point of reference
• Is a principal part of your brand image
• Can limit your growth if chosen incorrectly (e.g., if it doesn’t reflect the nature of the products or services that you will be selling in the future)

All in all, your business name should be short in length, memorable, and somehow be “indicative” of your brand’s professionalism and expertise.

Choose the Right Business Structure

Each business entity structure comes with its own pros and cons. A sole proprietorship entity will allow you to have a much higher degree of flexibility when it comes to how you can manage and run your company on a day-to-day basis.

It will also involve fewer startup costs and paperwork when being set up. On the other hand, the improved credibility and increased funding options of a corporation may be better suited to your specific business goals.

A limited liability company (LLC) is commonly used as a “best of both worlds” option as it provides the managerial flexibility and tax-through taxation of a sole proprietorship while still allowing its owners to benefit from limited personal liability under the law. 

For more information on picking your ideal business structure, see our How to Choose a Business Structure guide.

Get an Official Business Address

Having a business address will increase your credibility with your consumers and make your business look more legitimate — especially if you are selling the majority of your products or services remotely. 

An official business address can also provide practical benefits, as it will mean that you will have an address where you can receive official documents and all other correspondence. 

Get a Business Phone Service

Hiring a third-party business phone service can allow you to tailor your time to making important managerial and growth-related decisions without having to worry about how to manage your inbound and outbound calls. 

The top-tier business phone services can also provide businesses with:

• Video conferencing
• iOS and Android apps
• Team messaging and document sharing software
• Unlimited calls and SMS

If you are interested in purchasing a business phone service, check out our Best Small Business Phone Service review.

Apply for an EIN

According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), you need to apply for an EIN if your business:

• Is registered as a partnership or a corporation for tax purposes
• Employs staff
• Files tax returns that relate to excise and employment or alcohol, firearms, and tobacco
• Withholds taxes on wages that are paid to non-resident aliens

You may also need to apply for an EIN if your business is involved with:

• Certain types of trusts
• Estates
• Nonprofit organizations
• Farmers’ cooperatives
• Real estate mortgage investment conduits (REMIC)
• Plan administrators

Even if you don’t technically need an EIN (e.g., if you’re a sole proprietorship or single-member LLC without employees), certain benefits of getting an EIN mean that you should likely apply for one even if you are not legally obligated to.

Apply for Required Business Licenses and Permits

Most businesses will be required to obtain some form of licensing in order to operate in their home state. 

Determining the specific license that you will need to operate in your state is usually quite complicated — as it relates to your specific industry and specificities. 

You may be required to apply for business licenses at a local, county, state, and/or federal level. 

Ensuring you have all of the required licenses to operate legally as a business entity in your state is important in order to avoid potential fines or restrictive measures in the future.

Local Licenses and Permits

The most common local business licenses for small businesses are:

• Local business operating license: This is one of the most “basic” types of operating licenses that grant owners the right to operate in their home state. You will likely need to apply for this in your local or city governmental agency.
• Zoning and land use permit: Your state’s zoning department will usually have to check that your business’s address complies with the area’s relevant zoning codes. If you are starting a type of business that has already operated in your area in the past, you will likely be able to ignore this step. 
• If your area is not zoned for your specific business type, you will need to apply for a conditional use permit — this can be quite a lengthy process.
• Health licenses and permits: If your business relates to consumers’ health (e.g., a fitness gym or a restaurant), you may need to obtain certain health licenses or permits in order to be allowed to operate as a legit business. 
• As the requirements for these can vary significantly depending on your location, you should check with your local government agency to identify the health permits that you will need ahead of time. 

Less common local licenses and permits include environmental licenses, signage licenses, fire department permits, and building permits.

State Licenses and Permits

You may also require additional licensing permits at a state level:

• State business operating license: This is often used to track a business’s revenues so that they can be taxed accurately. State business licenses are usually issued by specific government bodies or the Secretary of State.
• Sellers’ licenses: These will depend on your industry but are usually reserved for businesses selling products such as firearms, gasoline, liquor, lottery tickets, or anything else that would likely require increased regulation
• Occupational licenses: In the vast majority of US states, businesses in certain professions will need to obtain an occupational license in order to be allowed to operate legally. These include but are not limited to: 

• Accountants
• Lawyers
• Physicians
• Mechanics
• Insurance Agents

Federal Licenses and Permits

While most small businesses do not have to obtain federal licenses, they may need to if they operate in a federally regulated industry. 

Such industries include:

• Alcohol
• Aviation
• Agriculture
• Wildlife
• Maritime 
• Television
• Logistics

It is worth noting that home-based businesses will require some sort of permit or license in order to operate legitimately within the US.

Usually, business owners operating from their home will only need to obtain a home occupation permit in order to show that their business isn’t producing any harmful externalities — but this will once again be dependent on your state of operation. 

For more information on what licenses you will need in your state of operation, check out our How to Get a Business License guides.

Open a Business Bank Account

Having a separate bank account for your business is a legal requirement where your business is incorporated as it is considered to be a separate financial entity to yourself under the law.

Even where this is not a legal requirement, however, business owners are highly recommended to open a separate bank account as it can help them to:

• Keep accurate financial records
• Differentiate between their personal and business assets
• Obtain monetary benefits (e.g., annual interest)
• Have increased access to business credit and business

Frequently Asked Questions