From side job to a real business

A skilled tradesperson has been taking side jobs for cash and personal checks. Customers now ask for invoices and W-9s, and the business needs to look and run like one.

How it unfolds

Week 1
Set-up plan
A written checklist of filings and systems to put in place, with the decisions that belong to the owner's CPA or attorney flagged.
Week 2
Filings
The LLC, EIN and local business tax receipt filed as the owner directs.
Week 3
Systems
Invoice templates, a simple bookkeeping setup, expense tracking and a separate business account in use.
Week 4
Presence
Business email, a one-page website and a capabilities sheet ready to send to customers.

Composite example for illustration; not a specific client. Timelines vary with each engagement.

More scenarios

Two trucks, one owner, and the paperwork piling up→A 1,300-page medical record and three weeks to mediation→An inherited lot with open code violations→A licensed contractor running the office from a truck cab→

Start an engagement

Let's put it in writing.

Tell us what you need handled. Within one business day you will have a reply, and before any work begins, a written scope and fee.

Contact the firm →View capabilities