FREE Resources: 40+ Item Checklist for Starting Your Texas Business

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We’re SO excited to deliver this free list to you to make your research and first business setup easier! It took us SO much effort and SO much research to understand all of these. And we want to save you time and effort so you can flourish. 

This guide includes items specific to Texas LLC formation, so if you’re outside Texas, you should be able to find information from your state government on filing requirements. 

*This is not legal advice or an indication that you need or should have an LLC; you should get that information from another source. For educational and entertainment purposes only.

The Ultimate No-Stress Blueprint: Your Free 40+ Item Checklist for Launching Your First LLC (Texas Edition)

Starting your first business is an incredible milestone. You’ve got the vision, the drive, and the passion. But the second you decide to make it official and form an LLC, enthusiasm can quickly turn into a massive headache.

Articles online tell you twenty different things. Hidden fees pop up out of nowhere. You start wondering: Am I filling out the right form? What even is a Registered Agent? Will the state reject my application if I make one tiny typo?

Take a deep breath. You don’t need a law degree to launch your business—you just need a clear map.

To take the guesswork out of the equation, we’ve built The Ultimate 40+ Item LLC Launch Checklist. While this guide uses Texas as our primary blueprint, it covers the fundamental foundational pillars you need regardless of your home state.

What’s Inside the 40+ Item Checklist?

We didn’t just list the big steps like “file your paperwork.” We broke down the entire lifecycle of launching an LLC into bite-sized, chronological actions so you never feel overwhelmed.

The checklist is divided into four distinct phases:

  • Phase 1: The Foundation (Items 1–6): How to conduct a flawless name-availability search, choose the right NAICS code, and set up your legal structure without costly mistakes.
  • Phase 2: The State Filing and Setup (Items 7–18): A step-by-step walkthrough of the Texas Certificate of Formation (Form 205), understanding state filing fees, and assigning your Registered Agent. Securing your EIN from the IRS for free, drafting an Operating Agreement.
  • Phase 3: Financial Setup & Free Operational Tools (Items 19–27): Opening a clean business banking account to protect your personal assets. And Free tools to help you run your business with confidence.
  • Phase 4: Marketing, Promotion, and Support Ideas (Items 28-38): Ideas to promote your business, grow in the community, and flourish continually.
  • Phase 5: Maintaining Compliance (Items 38–40+): Staying on top of your business’s compliance is crucial to protecting your new asset (your business).

The Best Part? It’s Packed with Free Resources. > Inside the checklist, we don’t redirect you to expensive third-party filing services. Instead, we’ve embedded direct, clickable links to free state and federal resources, official government portal links, and free templates. You can do this entirely on your own without paying a middleman hundreds of dollars in markups.

So here goes: 

Phase 1: The Foundation (Items 1–6): How to conduct a flawless name-availability search, choose the right NAICS code, and set up your legal structure without costly mistakes.

  1. Decide on the purpose of your business: Start with your “why” and vision and build from there. It will make everything else flow. You can get a ONE PAGE simple business plan template from SCORE here: https://www.score.org/sc/greater-aiken/templates/one-page-business-plan-template-2/

Starting small and building your progress helps you avoid getting overwhelmed. This is all you really need to get started.

  1. Name Trademark Search: Decide on a name while confirming it’s not taken. 

To do this, you’ll need to research by doing web searches and checking the USPTO website – which is 100% FREE on this government website: https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/search/search-information 

You’ll want to search for “Wordmark” with the names you’re considering. 

  1. NAICS: Once you have your name, you’ll want to gather your NAICS code – which will be reported to the Texas Comptroller once your LLC is approved and they reach out to you. You can find the best NAICS code for FREE on this website: https://www.naics.com/search/

You’ll also need this to report to your bank and the IRS, so they understand what your business does and ensure you meet compliance requirements for your type of business (which you’ll also want to know as well). This article will NOT cover specific compliance requirements; you should research those separately once you know your NAICS code.

  1. Marketing: OPTIONAL: Ask an AI Model for feedback with a prompt like: “You’re a business and marketing expert who specializes in generating new ideas and businesses.” You’re presented with (insert your vision and name idea); what are your thoughts and recommendations based on this? (set it to “thinking” and get at least a 1-2 page response so you get enough thoughts to help you validate your idea) Do this step as many times as you want with as many models as you use to get plenty of feedback. 
  2. Name Searches: Search your state business registry to confirm your new business name is not taken. In Texas, that is through the Secretary of State, and you do need to sign in and pay $1 per search. 
  3. Website Domain Name: Confirm that the website domain name you need with your business name is available. You can search to confirm it’s available on WordPress: https://wordpress.com/domains/ (Free unlimited searches)

Phase 2: The State Filing and setup (Items 7–18): A step-by-step walkthrough of the Texas Certificate of Formation (Form 205), guidance on state filing fees, and instructions for assigning your Registered Agent. Securing your EIN from the IRS for free, drafting an Operating Agreement.

  1. Physical Address: Think about the filing before you submit – it is public record, so if you don’t want your home address on your new LLC, then think about paying for a Physical Address/Register Agent Service for your Home-Based Business. 

You can get this for $10 per month from here: https://physicaladdress.com/ 

You can also pay for a UPS or FedEx box, but typically, states don’t consider those physical addresses, so they may reject your filing.

OR if you’re fine with your home address or you do have a business address already – good to go to step 8.  

  1. Apply for your LLC: In Texas, we do that on this website; it’s a $300 flat filing fee (plus the name search is $1 per search): https://www.sos.state.tx.us/index.shtml

If you don’t have an account, you’ll need to email them first to request one and simply say: “I want to start a new LLC; can I please get a login account created?” They will typically email you your login information within a few business days. The email address is: SOSDirect@sos.texas.gov 

Most businesses benefit from becoming an LLC, but you can read this article from the state on the other entity types to confirm that’s the right one for you: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/corp/businessstructure.shtml

  1. Research your local business entity requirements: in some areas, check your city, county, and neighborhood requirements. Some require a “certificate of occupancy” even for home-based businesses, while others just ask you to let them know about your business and answer a few questions. So always confirm! This step can vary depending on where you live. 
  2. Licensing: Research the compliance requirements for your business type to determine which licenses, insurance, and other requirements you may need to remain compliant. 
  3. Operating Agreement: Once your LLC is approved, you’ll need an Operating Agreement. You can find simple templates online, save them to your computer, and back them up to a free Google Drive account. 

Here’s a free operating agreement template link: https://www.score.org/templates/operating-agreement-checklist-llc-and-partnership-agreement/

  1. Free Google Account: (you can open a new free Gmail account for your business): https://accounts.google.com/signin

You’ll want to create a folder to store all your new business legal documents and name it something you will remember, like “Legal Compliance”. 

  1. Create a Logo: You can do this for FREE on the Canva free plan. Using non-premium templates, you should be able to download your logo as a PNG to upload to your website and social channels. 

Link: https://www.canva.com/pricing/

  1. Build Your Website: You can set up a free WordPress website here; you will have to pay $13 per year for your domain name: https://wordpress.com/pricing/#lpc-pricing

They have free website templates and training videos on how to configure and build them. One page and your domain is all you need to get instant legitimacy for your new business. My first one took me about 1-2 hours to build one page and call it good! 

Consider researching other website options; another may be better depending on your industry, but ensure you understand the scaling options. That’s one benefit of WordPress: it allows you to scale your business by converting your website and adding features as you grow. 

  1. Email from Domain: IF you already have iCloud+ then you can email from your domain for FREE. This provides additional legitimacy right away. 

Here’s an article on how to set this up: https://support.apple.com/en-us/102540

OR, if you do want to pay for this, Google Workspace is about $7 per month per email address: https://workspace.google.com/pricing

  1. Compliance Tip: Don’t do any business until your LLC is approved and all compliance requirements are confirmed and in place. 
  2. Texas Compliance: Get ready to set up your Texas Comptroller account and provide your NAICS code. They will mail you your login information, so ensure you provide a good address where you regularly check your mail. 
  3. Consider an EIN: So you don’t have to share your SSN with clients (depending on your business type and structure). Typically, single-member LLCs don’t need or get one, but you can override that on their website by proceeding anyway after they say that when you request one here: https://www.irs.gov/businesses/employer-identification-number

Phase 3: Financial Setup & Free Operational Tools (Items 19–27): Opening a clean business banking account to protect your personal assets. And Free tools to help you run your business with confidence.

  1. Open a business bank account to protect your personal assets: This helps confirm that this business is a separate entity from your personal assets. 

Here’s a NerdWallet article that runs through some different options: https://www.nerdwallet.com/business/banking/best/free-checking-accounts 

You can also call around to local banks to find one that fits your business and needs- or, if you have one you are using for personal use, ask if they offer business banking, and that would make it easier for you to transfer between accounts. 

  1. Open a free Zoho Books account: Either integrate your bank feed or update your business bank statement monthly to help keep track of your business spending and income, so you’re always on top of where you stand and tax-ready. 

Here’s a link to Zoho: https://www.zoho.com/us/books/pricing/

  1. Get a free Business line: Activate your free Google Voice account on your free Google account and download the app to have the number ring through to your cell phone. 

Link for info here: https://support.google.com/voice/answer/115061?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop

  1. Get a FREE mentor from SCORE here: https://www.score.org/how-mentoring-works/
  2. Get a FREE ClickUp account: Create checklists, templates for managing your work, and streamline operations. You can also use it for managing your customers depending on your business model: https://clickup.com/pricing
  3. Get a FREE Zoho CRM: Manage your prospects, customers, and help you keep track of your campaigns: https://www.zoho.com/crm/zohocrm-pricing.html
  4. Create FREE Marketing videos: Promote your business with Lumen5 – The free plan gives you up to 5 videos per month (scroll to the bottom of the pricing page to see the free plan): https://lumen5.com/pricing/

TIP: Ask an AI model to create a 90-second video marketing script for the topic you want to cover to get started with the text-on-media option, then edit from there (just copy and paste the AI response into Lumen5). 

  1. Set up your free social channels for your business: (reuse content from your website or ask AI to help refine your social marketing messaging). You will need to know which channels are best for your business type. 

TIP: We recommend consulting AI models about which channels to prioritize, and if you don’t yet have budget for a multi-channel social posting tool (starting at about $12-15 per month), then think about which channels you can realistically maintain on a regular cadence (start with once per week, for example). 

Bonus Tip: Use AI models to generate recommendations and content guidance aligned with your organization’s vision and mission. 

Some multi-channel posting tools that we have used that seem to work well (but definitely do your own research): 

Zoho Social: https://www.zoho.com/social/pricing.html

Nuelink: https://nuelink.com/pricing

*There are certain ones with features you may need, depending on your business. 

  1. Link your social channels to your website: This helps with SEO and promotion. 

Phase 4: Marketing, Promotion, and Support Ideas (Items 28-38): Ideas to promote your business, grow in the community, and flourish continually. 

  1. Persistence, Discipline and Consistency: If you’re struggling to create processes, stick with things, or find a good flow, we offer habit coaching. Reach out via our contact form below for a free consultation. 
  2. Business Cards: Consider whether you need or want business cards. You can order these from multiple places; they are NOT required, and you may not even need many unless you’re doing conferences or big events where you’re handing them out constantly. 

Even then, you can get a FREE BlinQ business card here, download the app on your phone, and have others scan the QR Code. This also allows you to get them as leads if they share theirs back. https://blinq.me/pricing

You can also make a physical business card in Canva, which lets you paste your logo if you made it there. From there, you can download it and print it wherever you like (check around to see what works best for you). 

  1. Flyers for promotion: If you’re running a local business or marketing to local businesses, flyers are a great way to spread the word. You can hand them out to local businesses or post them on community boards; you can also share the digital copies on social media. We make these for free on Canva. 
  2. Directories: Get listed in directories to promote your business. Which directories really depend on your type of business, but Google My Business is a big one, Yelp, Alignable, etc. Research directories for (insert your business type) and ensure you find the ones that make the most sense for your business. 

The Better Business Bureau is a big one, and a good one, but to be accredited, you do have to pay for it: https://www.bbb.org/all/bbb-accreditation-standards

Get listed everywhere you can with a link to your website to help promote your business. 

  1. Join groups to get support and grow your business: Facebook has endless groups where you can learn, support, and network to build partnerships and attract clients. LinkedIn has groups, as do other platforms, so research your industry to find the best channels and get on them. 
  2. Create marketing campaigns: Ask your favorite business AI models with prompts like: “You’re a (insert industry) marketing expert, what type of promotions, or marketing campaigns would you recommend for this type of business with a mission and vision to (insert your company mission statement and vision).” – Put it on “thinking” mode and ensure you get a good 2-4 page response and ask questions or refine. 

Take the advice you received from AI and do your own research to validate it. 

Then revise your own marketing strategy. 

  1. Document EVERYTHING: You’ll thank us later! 

You cannot keep everything in your head, or you’re going to be self-employed and never become a business owner. Business owners own systems. Self-employed people are experts at doing the work. But they can NEVER step away or gain the freedom they built their business to achieve. 

Document detailed instructions for everything you do, so that when you’re ready, you can hand it to someone and pay them to do the work, allowing you to enjoy your time and evolve to being more ‘hands off’ with your business. 

This is also why so many businesses fail – lack of systems to run the business. To make them now while you’re building. There are lots of tools to help with this. When you’re just starting out, recording on Google Meet or typing in Google Docs works great! 

  1. SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Try to learn what you can, or ask AI to help you create your marketing strategy to include search engine optimization – this applies to social media channels, their algorithms, and your website being found. 
  2. Paid advertising: Research thoroughly and avoid overspending or overestimating your returns. Start small and do a lot of research, watch what your competitors are doing, and see what seems to work for them. 
  3. Tip: Sometimes you can find marketing students just starting out who can help at lower cost while you get started. 

Phase 5: Maintaining Compliance (Items 38–40+): Staying on top of your business’s compliance is crucial to protecting your new asset (your business). 

  1. Tax savings: Now your new business is up and running. WHOO! Once that additional income starts hitting your business bank account, as an LLC owner, you can pay yourself with Owner Draws (no need to do payroll for yourself). Some things to keep in mind:
    1. You’ll want to track all of your draws in books. 
    2. You’ll also want to set up a savings account specifically for your federal income taxes and put about 40% of what you draw (which is typically the max tax rate) into that account so you won’t have to sweat at tax time, and you can have financial peace as you start benefiting from all your hard work. 
    3. You’ll also want to post ALL business expenses in your books so you can deduct them on your taxes. You can also report any losses on your taxes, and you are sometimes eligible for a carryover to the next tax year. We recommend adding fixed assets to your books for additional savings, and if you’re running a home-based business, entering in your home office information to see if you qualify to deduct those expenses too. 
    4. Remember: Not everything is 100% tax deductible – you can research this on the IRS website or consult your tax advisor. 
    5. If your state has state income tax, you’ll want to figure out that rate in addition to the federal income tax I reference above. 
    6. This is separate from any sales or use taxes you are required to pay; you’ll also want to save for that separately. 
  2. Tax compliance and filing: Federal income taxes are filed with the IRS every year. You’ll want to ensure that everything is set up correctly. If you don’t have any income, consult with your tax advisor for guidance tailored to your situation. 
  3. State tax compliance: You’ll want to research and understand your state’s specific tax laws and regulations as they apply to your business. In Texas, you’ll have to file a report for the state franchise tax, which isn’t applicable unless you hit a certain threshold, but you’re still required to file annually with the Texas Comptroller unless otherwise advised by them. When you set up your Texas Comptroller account, you’ll want to check with them to confirm which other taxes may apply to your business to stay in compliance. 
  4. Local compliance (if applicable): Some local governments have additional requirements for businesses, so you’ll want to check with your county, city, or municipality to ensure compliance. 
  5. Industry compliance: Some industries are bound to additional compliance requirements and regulations. It’s critical to research and stay in compliance with those requirements as well. 

Want to Skip the Trial and Error?

Let’s Do It Together.

Here’s a truth from a business coach: Information is free, but implementation is where people get stuck. Even with the best checklist in the world, it’s completely normal to want a second pair of eyes on your paperwork. Making a mistake on your initial corporate structure can cost thousands of dollars and months of legal clean-up later on.

You don’t have to navigate this solo.

If you want to move fast, avoid the standard first-time pitfalls, and ensure your LLC is set up perfectly for long-term growth, asset protection, and tax advantages, we are here to guide you. We offer personalized LLC Coaching & Consulting sessions where we walk through this exact checklist with you, side by side.

We will review your entity structure, answer your state-specific compliance questions, and give you the ultimate peace of mind that your business is built on a rock-solid foundation.

Ready to launch with 100% confidence? 👉 Contact us below for a free consultation

We hope this helps! 

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