Congratulations on starting your new business! As a new CEO, it is important to remember that everything you do has a lasting effect on the longevity of your company. Sometimes, we must begin a journey with the end in mind. So keeping that in mind, let’s fast forward 10-20 years when your company is a well known brand- so well known that people who sue companies for a living target your brand and are looking to file a lawsuit against you for any number of things that occur in business. Maybe they’re looking to just sue the business. If that fails or isn’t enough, maybe they’re looking to sue the owner of the business in civil court, putting the owner’s personal assets ie. money, homes, cars, etc. at risk? Will their attorneys be able to do a simple free internet search and find your name as the owner your company? Or will they have to spend hundreds, maybe even thousands, of dollars to search for the owner of your company, going through tons of red tape, filing tons of paperwork requesting various documents from other states, and maybe even other countries, that they think will reveal the owner of your company? Creating a veil of protection for your assets, called a “corporate veil,” does not guarantee that you won’t get sued but it does make it extremely difficult to identify who to sue and, in a lot of cases, the legwork discourages vultures from pursuing a lawsuit against you and your company. It can be a lot to think about when you’re first getting started and it is not required to create a corporate veil in order to start your business. Although it can be done at any time in the future, it is important to know that your name will always be on the initial documents for your business, which is public record, even after ownership is transferred to another entity when creating the corporate veil. Don’t let analysis paralysis stop you! Think about it, but if you need more time to make a decision, it will not hurt you to create an anonymous asset protection system later! Take action today and let’s start your business!