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When you decide you want to start a business, there’s so much information to consider! You have to answer questions like:
- What business structure will I choose?
- What state will I incorporate in?
- How much will it cost?
- What legal documents do I need?
- and so much more…
And, while you can answer all of these questions for FREE, if you’re anything like me, when there’s lots of decisions to be made, and you get overwhelmed, you either procrastinate or completely put it off. To make sure things get done, sometimes, it’s best to hire companies like Corpnet who offer a service that can make it a little easier for you. But, is Corpnet the best option for you, or is there a better fit?
In this review, I’ll be giving you:
- A little backstory on Corpnet
- Pros and cons
- How it works
- Who it’s best for
- and, my recommendation for you: is it a good service or not
If that all sounds good to you, let’s get started with this Corpnet review…
Contents
- 1 What is Corpnet? An Overview
- 2 How Does Corpnet Work?
- 3 How Do I Get Started with Corpnet?
- 4 Who is Corpnet For?
- 5 Corpnet Tools & Training
- 6 Corpnet Support
- 7 What Does Corpnet Do Well
- 8 What Doesn’t Corpnet Do Well
- 9 What Others are Saying About CorpNet
- 10 Corpnet Price
- 11 My Final Opinion of Corpnet
- 12 Top Alternatives
- 13 VERDICT: Recommend
- 14 ——————————————————-
- 15 CorpNet Review
- 16 Pros
- 17 Cons
What is Corpnet? An Overview
In 1997, Phillip and Nellie Akalp founded an incorporation service while they were in law school. They mention how quickly they became swamped with the demand, and their office filled up with supplies, packages, and outgoing orders.
People wanted help incorporating their businesses, and they needed an honest and reliable solution. Their solution was mycorporation.com, but in 2005, they decided to sell the business to Intuit (the makers of Quickbooks and TurboTax).
The sale of Mycorporation.com enabled them to retire and never work again, but they didn’t want that life. At 30 years old, they decided to start another business (even though they could be doing whatever they wanted), and founded Corpnet. They describe the unrelenting passion they have to work with small business owners.
Now, the husband and wife team continues doing what they’re passionate about and has grown a passionate team to extend the level of support they offer small business owners.
The CorpNet services include:
- Business incorporation and filing
- Trademark registration
- Registered agent service
- Ongoing compliance reminders (annual taxes, quarterly taxes, minutes, etc.)
- Corporate kits
- and Operating Agreement Creation
How Does Corpnet Work?
As a legal services company, Corpnet helps entrepreneurs to navigate all of the legal obstacles that cause incorporation to take a longer time than necessary. They answer questions like:
- What state is better for me to incorporate in?
- What legal structure should I choose?
- How should I pick a name?
- Is the name available?
- Should I file a trademark?
and many other questions…
How Do I Get Started with Corpnet?
Getting started with Corpnet is very simple. Starting on their homepage, you’ll see their 3-step process that goes like this:
1. Decide on your Business Structure
They offer a “business structure wizard” that asks questions and helps you decide the appropriate business structure for your business idea.
2. Select the State
Each state has it’s benefits and downfalls. Corpnet helps you decide which state is appropriate as the “headquarters” of your business.
3. Corpnet will file the incorporation for you
After getting some personal information from you (including the business structure, state, and billing info), Corpnet will file the paperwork with the relevant secretary of state for you. Depending on what package you’ve chosen, they may also go further to help you create your bylaws, operating agreement, and corporate kit.
Who is Corpnet For?
Corpnet is for:
- People who need more help and support incorporating their businesses
- Those who think they may forget important dates and deadlines, and would appreciate the reminders set up thru the B.I.Z online portal system
- Those who have legal questions concerning business incorporation
- or, those who prefer handing activities like incorporation and bylaws off to professionals
Corpnet Tools & Training
Corpnet has a blog that helps answer many questions you might have concerning incorporating your business.
Corpnet Support
Many customers spoke very highly of the customer support offered by Corpnet, and they even called team members like Amanda, Jesus, Kevin, or Nellie by name! Corpnet offers phone, email, and live chat support.
What Does Corpnet Do Well
- Based on reviews of employees, Corpnet seems to be a very nice place to work. Many employees gave them 5-stars and speak highly of the owners as inspirational people who have a passion to help small business owners.
- They provide quick processing times
- They have a very professional team
- Their responsive to customer feedback and are looking to improve
- They have a nice online portal
- They provide excellent customer service
- They’re very responsive
- They’re very helpful and easy to work with
What Doesn’t Corpnet Do Well
According to one 4-star customer review, they have a software called B.I.Z. to send files securely, but they may have forgotten to use it. Other negative reviews seem to be situational customer service issues that Corpnet attempted to resolve, and user errors where they blaimed Corpnet for not filing, but the Secretary of State documentation and Corpnet “My Account” customer login information seems to reflect otherwise.
What Others are Saying About CorpNet
Out of 310 reviews on Trustpilot, Corpnet recieved 95% 5-star, 3% 4-star, and 1% 1-star reviews. Out of 9 reviews on Yelp, Corpnet averaged 3.5 stars. Out of 3 reviews on Glassdoor, Corpnet recieved an average of 5 stars.
Overall, the customers of Corpnet seem pretty happy with the services they recieve!
Most Helpful Positive Corpnet Review
Quick version: They’re responsive. You actually get to talk to a human being.
Detailed explanation: Years ago, I started an LLC with the confidence that I could just figure it out. Before I knew it, the LLC was “not in good standing,” so I pretty much decided to leave that to the pros.
I had heard about Nellie for a few years when people would compare experiences about other larger services like LegalZoom, Wolters Kluwer, etc. I’d always hear something along the lines of, “this lady Nelly has a company for that and they actually answer the phone.”
Unaware that I was spelling her name wrong, I found nothing while searching for “Nelly LLC,” “Nelly corporation,” etc. so I completely stopped looking. Later on, I was listening to a podcast by SCORE about business incorporation, and lo and behold, it was her being interviewed.
Fast forward two years, and I needed to form an LLC again. I went to the website and within a minute, I received a chat message from “Kevin.” I asked if the person if he was a robot, to which he responded that he wasn’t. We got on the phone and he prepared and processed my order during that one phone call.
That was yesterday. Today, I unfortunately had to call them back to fix a relatively large error I made. Again, Kevin fixed everything smoothly and easily.
I’m glad to say that my personal experience matched up to Nellie and CorpNet’s reputation. They really do answer the phone, and you really can talk to a person. And yes, the pricing is not “cheap,” but you are getting your value.
If you go their website and see a chat message appear, it’s not a robot. It’s probably just Kevin.
Most Helpful Negative Corpnet Review
“Great service but need to focus on security”
Everyone I worked with at Corpnet was very friendly and knowledgable. The service was turned around quickly and although there was an error in the original filing (mostly my fault) they rushed to correct it without an extra charge. Where I had my biggest concern is in their information security. The speed of everything is great but I really do not believe any of these documents should be sent over regular email, especially with tax information in them. Having a secure website with a download link would be much more secure to transfer sensitive documents and make me much more comfortable in the future.
Corpnet Price
Prices for incorporating vary between states, however, when you go to Corpnet’s site, and enter some basic information, it will show you a breakdown of the pricing like this…
Their basic incorporation service starts at $79, but to add additional things like the Corporate kit, bylaws, and other things, it costs a bit more. SEE HOW MUCH INCORPORATION WOULD COST YOU HERE.
My Final Opinion of Corpnet
Overall, if you’re looking for help to incorporate your business, CorpNet is definitely a good option. They offer great turnaround times, they’re very professional, and they can consult with you about concerns many small business owners have like:
- What state is best for me to incorporate in?
- or, What business structure is right for the idea I have?
If you’re ready to begin incorporating your business with CorpNet, BEGIN INCORPORATING YOUR BUSINESS HERE.
Top Alternatives
If you want to check out a few alternatives, here’s our reviews of some of Corpnet’s top competitors. These are companies who also help small business owners incorporate their businesses.
- LegalNature – We also recommend for forms, but no consultation.
- Incorporate.com – We DON’T recommed
- Rocket Lawyer – We also recommend for forms, and attorney consultation
VERDICT: Recommend
——————————————————-
CorpNet Review
Pros
- Good customer support
- Good secure software
- Valuable service
Cons
- May forget to use secure document transmission service, or it might have been a one-time fluke
6 thoughts on “Corpnet Review: Good Legal Help to Start Your Business or Not?”
Definitely a great choice if you are wanting to incorporate your business. I was wondering what would constitute a good reason for incorporating? Also, if the business is solely owned would it be better to just have a sole proprietorship? If you could tell me the benefits of incorporating, this would help me decide if this is an avenue I need to pursue.
Hello Matt’s Mom,
Incorporating has tax benefits and legal liability benefits. An incorporated business is considered a separate entity whereas, a sole proprietorship is considered “you” legally and financially. I wrote more comparisons in my article “How Do I Incorporate My Business? 7 Simple Steps to Incorporate Your Business“. Hopefully that helps.
Really like the information that is on your article. Here is my question is business the only thing that they help out in? Are the payment monthly? I get that all business need to cover themselves and make sure that no one can do any harm to there current business. Is this for every business?
Hi Claudia! In the US, businesses are automatically assumed as sole proprietorships, but there are big tax disadvantages and some businesses want to operate under a different name than their own. Incorporating the business gives tax advantages. Filing an assumed name certificate enables you to operate under a different name. Corpnet helps with incorporation and assumed name certificates or (DBA’s). They also help with trademarks, registered agent services, and corporate kits.
The payments aren’t monthly. In fact, the only thing that has a recurring payment is the registered agent service. It’s free to start but may charge for ongoing service.
Hey Tiffany, this is a very nice detailed review. First of all while I was reading this post and I got to the bit that said that the founders of Corpnet could have been retired at the age of 30 made my jaw drop. I would love to achieve a similar feat and yes I am still in my early twenties.
My question is, is Corpnet services available outside the US ? Can they help me out in Canada.
I agree! Incorporating at 30 is an amazing feat! To answer your question, Yes, they can help you in Canada if you want to incorporate in the US.