When contemplating hitting the road full time as a nomadic adventurer, many folks consider starting a small business to fund their lifestyle. The freedom of working on your own terms just meshes well with a nomad’s life.
A bit about our small business
And while I had already been running a small software company with my parents before I hit the road, due to health insurance reasons, Chris and I opted to form a simple partnership in South Dakota.
In the past year, our business has picked up considerably. Not only are we now producing our own line of iPhone apps, I’ve also taken on managing some fairly large software development projects. A legal formation of a partnership just wasn’t the best choice anymore for us. So elected to form a LLC out of our little company.
The Meehle Law Firm
Over the summer while we were in Florida I was able to reconnect with an old friend, Suzanne Meehle, who several years ago quit her software career and fulfilled her goal of becoming an attorney. Not just any attorney tho, she had dreams of helping entrepreneurs and small businesses, a long time passion of hers. A serial entrepreneur herself, she knows the struggles well of launching a new business.
After a few years of practice in a more traditional firm, she has started her own firm. However, she’s doing it differently.
She’s launched The Meehle Law Firm as a location independent small business service. No fancy office, no bookshelves full of expensive law books and no high priced suits. Instead, she’s utilizing technology to work from wherever she wants, maintains a virtual law library and serves the needs of her clients.
And, I’m proud to say – we selected Suzanne to be our company’s attorney. With her background, her proficiency with utilizing technology to get work done, her passion for small business and her own location independence – she’s a perfect fit for understanding our needs. She guided us through setting up our little company as an LLC in Florida – handling everything online and remotely.
During our brief stop in Florida before heading to St. John, I got to catch up with her again to talk about how she’s taking her own business regionally nomadic, and about some legal considerations that location independent folks should make when setting up their own businesses.
If you’re considering starting a small business without a physical location – you should definitely watch this video interview.
The silly ebook I bought on Florida incorporations said that you had to put “a Principle Place of Business” on your incorporation forms, and that it could not be a commercial mail service or a PO box (a different thing than a registered agent).
Did you guys have someone there to use for that address?
I’m considering an LLC or S corp in Florida, but I have no family or peeps in Florida, just a mail service.
My parents and our lawyer live in Florida, so we use their addresses as our principle place of business. Also, one of our clients is based there, so we are doing business in Florida.
As Suzie (our lawyer) says in the video above – it only makes sense to incorporate in FL if you have business connections there. And you don’t have to have your business incorporated in the same state as your domicile either (we’re still SD residents).
Yes, I have no real business connections there (unless you count staying at cool camp-grounds and eating Oysters). Much of my biz I do is in the Internet-ether and not really tied to locations. My hometown state of Georgia is horrible for location independent folks on most fronts, and I can’t even drop a Netflix DVD to my family addresses there without it getting lost. So GA is out as well. If I incorporated in Florida, I’d likely have to get one of those virtual office deals errr something… Anyway, just at the researching/reading point right now. Vermont was doing some interesting stuff with corps (virtual and digital corporations) awhile back.
Wow Cherie!!!
I started working on a plan for my new path, and one of the first things that sprang into my mind was the need for legal assistance. This could not have come at a better time. It gives me a better idea of what my needs will be, and what I should consider.
Thanks,
Cheryl