Some of the other items may cost a lot less, and may be worth far more in the long run. The company name becomes your intellectual property at the moment you incorporate your startup as an LLC or a Corporation. The cost for a single trademark is around $300. You need all these before you start looking for funding. Patents. MORE >>

Incorporate an LLC. First, pick a name for your company and do the paperwork on starting a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC). Almost anyone can handle this without professional help, and the cost is less than $100 in many states. Develop low-cost plan. Fun learning experience. Find a partner. Get business cards made. MORE >>

In addition, the conversion of an LLC to a C corp results in additional legal and accounting expense.  An LLC may elect to be taxed as a C corp, an S corp, or a partnership. It may use taxable losses generated at the entity level to offset taxable income of the individual LLC members. citizen/resident stockholders.  Taxation. MORE >>

If you expect to require external funding, you should first incorporate as an S-Corp, C-Corp, or LLC, rather than the more expeditious sole proprietorship or partnership. In most cases, a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet is adequate, with projection formulas for revenue, costs, and cash flow over the next five years. Marty Zwilling. MORE >>

Even then, the business and leadership efforts to solicit and manage donations cost real money, and may be more difficult than the marketing and sales jobs of most startups. You can start an LLC for-profit in less than a month, often for less than $100. Other countries have similar exemptions for similar organizations. Marty Zwilling. MORE >>