Business & Self-Employed
Turning a trade skill into a real business is a different set of decisions than the ones I write about everywhere else on this site. It’s not about budgeting or paying down debt, it’s about structure, paperwork, and protecting what you’re building. This hub covers going independent in the order it actually comes up: setting the business up right, protecting yourself once it’s running, pricing and getting paid without getting burned, and the tax, hiring, and mindset shifts that catch people off guard once the business is actually moving.
The why-business case, LLC vs. sole prop, the Delaware/Wyoming myth for local trades, and the current federal BOI reporting status.
What you actually need for a legal business address, and the PO Box mistake that trips people up.
Why your NAICS code matters for financing, insurance, and taxes, not just paperwork.
Three pieces of paperwork that get lumped together but solve different problems, plus the order that keeps you from redoing any of it.
The trade-specific and general business licensing layer, and how to tell them apart.
Your address can satisfy your state filing and still get your bank application bounced. Here’s why, and what actually works.
Zoning, HOA rules, insurance gaps, taxes, privacy, and safety when your house becomes your shop.
General liability, workers’ comp, and bonds explained, plus the misconception that your LLC alone covers you.
Penal sums, claims, and what you’re actually on the hook for if a bond gets called.
What workers’ comp usually doesn’t cover, why SSDI shouldn’t be the plan, and what actually protects you if the job ends before your retirement plan does.
How to actually calculate what you need to charge, not just match the next guy’s number.
Referrals, Google Business Profile, and the real math on paid lead platforms like Angi and Google Local Services Ads.
Why “just 1099 him” is more expensive to get wrong than it sounds.
The paperwork, the workers’ comp requirement most people underestimate, and what payroll actually costs.
The real math on what changes once nobody’s withholding anything for you.
Due dates through January 2028, the safe harbor rule, and what a missed payment actually costs.
What the election actually changes, the real break-even math, and the salary trap that draws audits.
Vehicle caps, the recapture bill nobody mentions, and when spreading the deduction out beats taking it all now.
Standard rate vs. actual expenses, and the first-year choice that locks in for the life of the vehicle.
The two calculation methods, and why a detached garage qualifies more easily than a spare bedroom.
The above-the-line deduction that cuts income tax but not SE tax, and the spouse’s-employer trap that quietly voids it.
Plug in your net profit and get your real per-quarter payment, SE tax and QBI included.
See your actual dollar savings from S-Corp election instead of eyeballing a range.
What belongs in a client contract, what you can legally ask for upfront, and when a lien beats small claims court.
Why a separate account protects your LLC, and how to handle bookkeeping without overcomplicating it.
The percentage-based account system for feast-or-famine trade income, and the materials cost mistake that throws it off for every contractor.
The format everyone mocks isn’t the same as the thinking behind it.
What NECA, PHCC, ABC, and ASA actually cost, and how to tell if the dues are worth it for your shop.
Being great at the trade and being great at running the business are different skills.
Why business credit needs to stand on its own, and how it protects your personal score.
The sequence that actually works, so you’re not applying for things you don’t qualify for yet.
Loans, leases, and the tax deduction most guides get backwards.
No LLC required, why the phone-number trick is a myth, and how the bonus rules changed in 2026.
What an LLC actually protects, the financing catch, real costs, and the buy-then-transfer option.
The full picture of going from homeowner to landlord, and growing from one rental to several.
How rental property loans differ from a regular mortgage, and which loan type fits your situation.
See whether a rental’s income qualifies for a DSCR loan, the usual route for buying in an LLC’s name.