

Ask HN: What are the basics to starting a company? - eugeneross

What are the basics that someone would know about starting a company such as registering it as an LLC, etc.? Also, what about filing patents to secure intellectual property? Any tips?
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kkowalczyk
You're asking a question that requires a book to answer. Such books are
plentiful, for example [http://www.nolo.com/products/form-your-own-limited-
liability...](http://www.nolo.com/products/form-your-own-limited-liability-
company-liab.html)

The same goes for patents, for example [http://www.nolo.com/products/patent-
it-yourself-pat.html](http://www.nolo.com/products/patent-it-yourself-
pat.html) (although the very fact that you think about patents to "secure
intellectual property" betrays a naïveté about how those things work in real
life. If you don't have tens of thousands of dollars (at a minimum) to spare
for a patent lawsuit, then obtaining a patent is pointless).

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eugeneross
I will check these out. Thanks!

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logn
An LLC isn't really the first step. For an LLC to help at all in limiting
liability you have to keep your company finances separate from your personal
finances, which you can't do until the business is making money. That said, an
LLC is fairly easy to set up and lets you get a business bank account.

Patents are costly and take years to be approved.

The best way to secure IP is to use copyright (as simple as noting it's
copyrighted) and if you have a logo, add a "TM" to it. You can register your
copyrights and trademarks down the road.

IANAL.

I think step 1 is validating and/or building an idea/MVP and getting
customers.

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eugeneross
Thanks for the info!

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isuraed
Get customers.

