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Practical notes from a working founder

Founder's Field Notes

These are my personal guides and working notes from starting and operating several companies across different stages and industries.

Founder's field notes topics

Founder's Field Notes Topics

These are my personal guides and working notes from starting and operating several companies across different stages and industries. Explore these topics from WyoHub.

  • Registering Your Business

    Choose a structure, clear the name, file with Wyoming, and understand the annual work that follows

    Choose a structure, check the name, domain, and trademarks, file directly with Wyoming, and keep the entity in good standing.

    legal

  • Getting an EIN

    Apply for a free federal business tax ID, save the confirmation, and know when a business change needs a new one

    Prepare the IRS application, apply during the online portal hours, preserve the confirmation, and update business records after an EIN change.

    legal, compliance

  • Opening a Business Bank Account

    Choose between local and national banks, gather the right documents, and open the account without unnecessary delays

    Compare bank support and fees, confirm the document checklist, identify owners and signers, and open the account with clean records.

    finance

  • Business Liability Insurance

    Match general, professional, cyber, property, and required coverage to the work your business actually performs

    Build a coverage question list, understand the common policy types, compare terms, and see what I currently pay for a software company.

    legal, compliance

  • Creating an Operating Agreement

    Set ownership, decision, money, conflict, and exit rules before the company has to test them

    Use an operating agreement to document ownership, authority, money decisions, conflicts, departures, and the situations that need legal help.

    legal

  • The Business Accounts/Tools I Use

    The exact email, domain, DNS, bookkeeping, payroll, and infrastructure tools I use across my companies

    My current stack, including Microsoft 365, Teams, QuickBooks, Gusto, GoDaddy, Cloudflare, and Google Cloud.

    operations

  • Wyoming Sales Tax & Excise

    Determine whether Wyoming sales tax applies, register correctly, collect the destination rate, and file the assigned returns

    Identify taxable sales and nexus, open the Wyoming account, document exemptions, report use tax, and maintain the required records.

    taxes, compliance

  • Workers Comp & Unemployment Insurance

    Register once with DWS, understand the UI and workers’ compensation decisions, and keep required reports current

    Complete the joint DWS registration, read each account determination, file the assigned reports, and handle the first employee or account issue.

    compliance, hiring

  • Wyoming DWS Internship Grant Guide

    Wyoming can reimburse approved businesses up to $18 an hour for 960 hours per intern, with up to six interns each fiscal year

    A step-by-step Wyoming DWS Internship Grant guide with eligibility, HireWYO, O*NET wage evidence, hiring forms, reimbursement reporting, and an internship cost and runway calculator.

    grants, hiring

  • Hiring & Payroll

    Set up employer accounts, onboard the employee, run payroll, file required reports, and understand the full cost

    A practical first-hire guide covering the EIN, DWS accounts, worker classification, I-9, W-4, payroll, reporting, and employer cost.

    hiring, operations