SMALL BUSINESS STATE RELOCATION CHECKLIST
Planning for a move requires a structured mind, but not everyone has the time to think of everything, especially when it comes to moving to a new State. To help
small business owners with the challenge of relocating across state lines, the United States Small Business Administration (
www.sba.gov) has provided the following checklist:
1. Before You Move - Consider Your Business Structure Sole proprietors will need to file a ‘doing business as’ business name registration with their new state.
Business.gov provides details on how to do this. Relocating a corporation has several options, including continuing as a corporation in their former state and registering as a foreign or outside corporation doing business in the new state, dissolv- ing the corporation in the old state and forming a corporation in the new state, or forming a new corporation in the new state and merging the old corporation into it. Corporation owners should consult a lawyer prior to moving. LLCs have more options available to them when handling a relo- cation, including continuing as an LLC in the former state and registering to do business as a foreign or outside LLC in the new state, liquidate or dissolve the LLC in the former state and form an LLC in the new state, establish an LLC in the new state and then have members contribute their membership interests from the original LLC, or establish an LLC in the new state and merge the existing LLC into it. 2. After You Move - Legalize your Business Presence in your New State Like a start-up, owners will need to apply for all the applicable licenses and permits as well as register with state and local tax regulations. Below are the key regulatory checklist items needed once a shop has relocated: - Register for business licenses and permits with the new local government - Register for a ‘doing business as’ permit (if doing business using any other name) - Contact a local revenue agency to understand city and county business tax requirements and apply for a new tax identification number - Take care of responsibilities as an employer. Visit the state’s Web site to take care of worker’s compensation insurance, dis- ability insurance, and unemployment insurance 3. Relocation and Federal Taxes - Don’t forget to tell Uncle Sam Since each business is unique, talk to a tax expert to get a quick grasp of business tax responsibilities in the first year of the move. Also, businesses can deduct or capitalize the costs incurred during business relocation for tax purposes, including moving costs, relo- cation site ‘scouting’ trips, and travel and meeting costs.
any work on it. It’s usually cheaper and easier to follow the rules beforehand than have to take anything down after the fact. Permits “were not an issue” for Pepsin and SRQ. “There are no code inspections here.” The only potential issue involved spraying paint. “The EPA came to see us when we opened,” but found no problems. The issue for Fuchs and CarTunz was time: “Because there’s so much building going on here, we had to wait forever for a building permit.” He had to have the airport manager approve his building plans and new signage. “There were certain colors we couldn’t use.” He also had to use LEDs rather than neon.
Getting the Word Out A vital aspect of moving shop is to let customers know about the move and the new location. Pepsin is already planning how he will handle that for next year’s relocation. “For at least three months before the move, we’ll have signs printed and will advertise heavily on our Facebook site and website, with photos of our progress.” A grand opening event will cap the efforts. At Handcrafted Car Audio, one staffer, usually in charge of
IT, told “every single person who came in” about the impend- ing move. He used Facebook to announce the move as soon as Kowanetz signed a lease for the new place and posted photos to show how things were moving along. A sign on the old shop presented the new location with a QR code to get directions. Kowanetz also hired a public relations company “to go online and make sure we were in every directory available.” CarTunz benefited from being in a small town, where word
travels fast. “We’re on one of the busiest streets in town, so you could see us easily,” Fuchs said. “We relied on word of mouth.”
Looking Ahead Moving to a larger space next year will help SRQ’s Pepsin fulfill his dreams of planning for growth and diversifying. He expects auto sound to be a smaller part of the business, already has a contract with the county to install breathalyzers for people with DUI convictions, and will add window tinting in the new space. “We’ll do more with truck and jeep accessories, such as light bars and fenders,” he said. Fuchs plans to stay put, where he has room to expand and
grow. “We were in a good location before, but it’s even better now because we’re on the busiest corner. You have to go by us to get into town.” While the move has been good for business, “if I had known the new building would need as much work as it did, I probably wouldn’t have done it!” Moving Handcrafted Car Audio fulfilled its owner’s long-held business plan. “When we moved, the whole idea was not to sac- rifice who we are,” Kowanetz said. “We’re simply taking what has worked and making it bigger, nicer, and better. My goal is not to become an overnight success or multi-million dollar business by next year. The only thing that might change is our streams of revenue. The move gives us the opportunity to get into new things, like window tinting and vehicle wrapping.” If Kowanetz ever does move again, there would be one major difference: “It will be to a building I own.”
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