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Steps to Forming a Missouri Corporation

Information We Need From You to Start Your Corporation

1: Select a Name: Your company name must contain the word Corporation, Company, Incorporated, Limited or it must end with an abbreviation of one of those words.

2: Authorize Shares: A corporation is owned by its shareholders, who in turn own shares of stock in the company. Missouri requires you to designate a number of initial shares your company is authorizing. Typically, you would authorize a small, easily-divisible number of shares (say 100). At your first shareholders meeting, you would issue 51% of those shares to yourself, giving you control of the company. The remaining 49% can be held for future business partners.

Missouri also asks for a par value for the shares. Par value is not the actual value, but rather the lowest price for which the stock can be sold.

3: Choose Management: Corporations are managed by their Directors. Directors set company policy, establish salaries and bonuses, issue stock, and appoint corporate officers (President, Treasurer, Secretary). In most cases, you will appoint yourself the sole Director and take on the roles of the various officers.

4: Remaining Info Needed to File:

  • Registered Agent: legal registered agents must maintain a physical street address within the state of Missouri (called a registered office). It cannot be a PO box. All of our Speedy filings come with one free year of Missouri registered agent service by Northwest Registered Agent. This service will keep your private home and office addresses off the public record and fulfill your registered agent, mailing and principal address requirements.

  • Duration: if you want your corporation to be dissolved at a specific later date, you can indicate the number of years your company will exist.

  • Purpose: the lawful business your corporation intends to perform.

  • Directors: the number of directors your corporation will have (optional).

  • Effective date: if you want the official formation date to be later than your filing date, you can indicate a later date (not later than 90 days after filing).

Form Your Corporation Here Online

Steps to Forming a Missouri LLC

Information We Need From You to Start Your LLC

1: Select a Name: Your company name must include one of the following: Limited Liability Company, Limited Company, LC, L.C., LLC or L.L.C. If you want to see if your company name is currently available, you can perform a Missouri business name search.

2: Membership: LLC owners are known as members. An LLC member is not issued shares of stock like in a corporation. Instead, members are given an ownership percentage. This percentage is usually, though not always, based upon the amount each member has invested in the company.

3: Choose Management: LLCs are usually managed by their members. There is no board of directors and no corporate officers. Members generally oversee the daily business operations and make all company policy decisions. However, an LLC can also appoint a manager to run the company. Managers can be members, or they can be outside parties. 

4: Remaining Info Needed to File:

  • Business purpose: the lawful business your company will perform.

  • Registered Agent: a lawful registered agent must maintain a physical street address in the state. This is known as a registered office and cannot be a PO box. Speedy filings come with one free year of Missouri registered agent service. This service keeps your personal home and office addresses out of the public record and fulfills your registered agent, mailing and principal office requirements.

  • Management: whether your LLC will be managed by its members or by a manager.

  • Duration: if you want your LLC to dissolve on a specific later date or under particular circumstances (your death, for example) you can indicate the number of years your company will exist or the particular circumstances that will cause it to dissolve.

  • Effective date: if you want the official formation date of your company to be later than your filing date, you can specify a later day (cannot be more than 90 days after filing).

Form Your LLC Here Online

Testimonials

You offer fast and competent service. I’m very glad you were the company I chose to create my limited liability company.” – Glenn L., Jackson, Missouri

I got the paperwork today in the mail and wanted to say thanks again for helping me incorporate and for being so fast.” – Kelly C., St. Louis, Missouri

I can’t speak highly enough about the business formation services you provide and the excellent customer service that came along with it.” – Will K., Kansas City, Missouri