A couple weeks ago after work a local customer was in my shop picking up a turkey call and a couple duck whistles. As we sat and chewed the fat, he wrote his check out to Wingert's Woodworks. Too late, I noticed and apologetically asked him to make one out to me personally, as I don't have a business bank account. He asked why not. No state/fed tax ID I said, so I can't get a commercial bank account. Being an attorney for a prominent firm, he suggested we form an LLC and asked why I hadn't done it already. I gave a few BS excuses....Time, money, don't know how, scary paperwork, etc. He said he'd happily do it if I'd pay the state filing fee of $185, and he wasn't going to accept a dime in payment. He took my business card for the info and exactly 15 hours later I got an email from the state attorney general letting me know my LLC had been formed and was in good standing. Pretty slick deal and it offers protection of my personal assets in case I'm ever sued or who knows what.
The next day I took all my paperwork and my business plan (that he drew up) to the bank and in 10 minutes I had a new account under Wingert's Woodworks, LLC. Slick as a whistle!!! Now I don't have to harp on people to be sure to make their check out a certain way. Business is very good, and the inability to deposit a check made out to my company name was embarrassing for a long time.
Goes to show you that not all attorneys are as awful as I think most attorneys are. This guy was great and it is safe to say I've made a friend and loyal customer. He absolutely scoffed at the idea of payment for his time, so I made him a duck call. The call is stabilized black ash burl that Mel at Wood Dynamics stabilized for me, and the toneboard is cocobolo sleeved just about all the way through the insert. He came by the house tonight and got it, and was downright giddy.
