Business Formation & Structure Consulting
Starting a business is morethan filing paperwork.
We help entrepreneurs understand the structure they are creating, the administrative and financial responsibilities that come with it, and the steps needed to establish a stronger business foundation.
You do not need to have it all figured out.
Some clients come to us ready to form a business. Others come because they keep hearing terms — LLC, S corporation, EIN, registered agent, tax classification, annual filings — without a clear sense of which ones apply to them.
Both are appropriate places to begin. Our role often starts with education and decision support long before any administrative setup happens.
Legal structure and tax classification are two different decisions.
Legal business structure
How the business is organized under state law — sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, or limited liability company. An LLC is a legal structure.
Tax classification
How the business is treated for tax purposes. An S corporation is generally a federal tax election available to eligible businesses — not a separate legal structure.
Which is why a business can have one legal structure while being treated a different way for tax purposes.
Three ways this engagement usually begins
One service, scoped to where you are actually starting from.
Pathway A
Education & Decision Support
For the owner still working out what applies to them.
- Entity structures, in plain language
- Tax classification concepts
- Ownership considerations
- Administrative responsibilities that follow the choice
- Questions that should be answered before filing anything
- Where attorney or specialized tax advice belongs
Pathway B
Guided Formation & Administrative Support
For the owner who has settled on a direction and needs help working through it.
- Formation steps, in sequence
- State registration requirements
- EIN-related administrative steps
- Business registration and licensing considerations
- Compliance setup and calendar
- Foundational business administration
Pathway C
Existing Business Structure Review
For the owner who already has a business and wants to know where it stands.
- How the business is currently structured
- Current tax classification, if known
- Registrations already completed
- Gaps in the foundational setup
- Ongoing administrative responsibilities
- Matters that may require attorney or specialized tax review
From question to foundation
Understand
What you are building, who owns it, and what you are trying to accomplish.
Structure
What the structure options mean and which questions decide between them.
Register
The formation, registration, and EIN-related steps that apply to you.
Build the financial foundation
Banking separation, records, and accounting readiness.
Monitor ongoing responsibilities
Renewals, filings, and the recurring items that follow.
Formation is one piece of setting up a business.
The registration is the visible part. What holds up over time is the administrative and financial structure underneath it.
- Separating business and personal banking
- Accounting-system readiness
- Financial recordkeeping habits from day one
- Chart-of-accounts considerations
- Documentation and record retention
- Tracking registrations and renewals
- Recurring compliance responsibilities
- Financial-management considerations as the business grows
This is context, not a prerequisite. Not every formation client needs to purchase accounting services.
How the work runs
A conversation, then a scope — not a document assembly line.
Understand what you are building
We talk through the business activity, the owners, your goals, where things stand today, and what you are trying to understand or accomplish.
Educate and identify the path
We explain the relevant concepts, name the information still missing, and flag the questions that need outside professional advice.
Complete the agreed support
We provide the agreed education, administrative support, and formation guidance, and help organize the information needed for the applicable setup steps.
Review what comes next
We walk through what was completed, what remains open, the recurring responsibilities, and the sensible next steps.
What you should understand when we're done
Depending on the engagement, you should leave with clarity on each of these — which matters more than a stack of completed forms.
- How your business is structured
- The difference between legal structure and tax classification
- Which registrations have been completed
- What remains outstanding
- Which records should be maintained
- Recurring administrative and compliance items
- Financial and accounting setup that may still be needed
- Which matters belong with legal or specialized tax professionals
Where legal counsel begins
We can explain why a legal document may matter, help you identify the business and operational information your attorney will need, and walk through the business and financial considerations behind a decision. We do not provide legal representation, individualized legal advice, or legal-document drafting. Those belong with a licensed attorney.
How the fee is set
Business Formation & Structure Consulting is scoped based on where the business currently stands, the level of education and administrative support needed, ownership and structural complexity, and the agreed work. The scope and fee are confirmed in writing in the Engagement Letter before anything begins.
State filing fees, licensing fees, registered-agent fees, other government charges, legal fees, and third-party costs are separate from our professional fee and remain the client's responsibility unless stated otherwise in writing.
Frequently asked
- What if I do not know which business structure I need?
- That is a normal starting point, and often the reason to call. Part of this service is education and decision support — understanding the options, what each one means for your responsibilities, and which questions need answers before anything is filed.
- What is the difference between an LLC and an S corporation?
- An LLC is a legal business structure formed under state law. An S corporation is generally a federal tax election available to eligible businesses. A business can be an LLC legally while being treated as an S corporation for tax purposes — they are two different decisions, not two versions of the same one.
- Can Montgomery Advisory help with administrative formation steps?
- Yes. We provide education and administrative support: walking through the formation steps, state registration requirements, EIN-related steps, and compliance setup, and helping organize the information each step requires. The specific administrative work we perform is written into the Engagement Letter.
- Do you prepare operating agreements?
- No. We can explain why an operating agreement matters and help you identify the business and financial information your attorney will need, but legal document drafting is performed by a licensed attorney.
- What happens after the business is formed?
- Formation is the beginning of the foundation, not the whole of it. Many owners move on to accounting-system setup and ongoing financial management so the books, EIN, and reporting line up from the start — but that is a separate decision, made when it makes sense for you.
- What government or third-party fees are separate from Montgomery Advisory's fee?
- State filing fees, licensing fees, registered-agent fees, other government charges, legal fees, and third-party costs are separate from our professional fee and remain the client's responsibility unless specifically stated otherwise in writing.
Already operating and looking to organize or improve how the business runs? Business Advisory & Operations Consulting picks up there. For the accounting setup that follows formation, see Financial Systems Setup.
Bring the questions — not the answers.
We will work out together what you are building, what it requires, and what should happen first.