Starting a small business is difficult and stressful for business owners. It involves preparation and filing of formation documents with the state such as sales tax licenses, annual franchise taxes, certificate of incorporations, publication requirements, and so on.
ZenBusiness Review
Starting a small business is difficult and stressful for business owners. It involves preparation and filing of formation documents with the state such as sales tax licenses, annual franchise taxes, certificate of incorporations, publication requirements, and so on.
If you want to form an LLC, you will be needed to seek the services of a registered agent.
One of the main roles of the registered agent is to use the address of his or hers as your official business address which may not be okay since crucial documents will be going to them.
The other alternative is to use an LLC service which will deliver important documents to you. Many companies offer LLC formation online such as ZenBusiness. In this ZenBusiness review, I will take a close look at the software; its features, pros, and cons, and if it is the right service to form your new company.
ZenBusiness Review – How does it stack Against Other LLC Services?
Are you searching for the best company to form an LLC company? Look no more because ZenBusiness has the best deal, comes with a free registered agent, has free operation agreement, customer service is friendly, and it is easy to use.
Their competitive pricing plans include starter at $49 billed annually, the pro at $179 billed annually, and Premium at $299 billed annually. State fees are not included in these packages. The starter package is affordable when you compare it with other LLC services.
All the packages have:
- Articles of organizational filing
- Registered agent services
- Operating agreement
It was founded in 2015 and since then, it has helped many people establish businesses all over the United States. You can tell the company has grown tremendously by browsing various review sites and having many registered agent services on its platform. For comparison, check out our Rocket Lawyer review and IncFile another legal service we reviewed.
ZenBusiness’ Noteworthy Features
This is a company that deals with the business formation. It makes the entire process of forming an LLC feel easy because everything is automated. Its main features include the following:
It comes with 3 pricing plans plus a free one
Free plan
- You will be able to conduct a business name search with it
- Comes with articles and certificate of formation
- You will get expert support with this plan.
If you want more features such as registered agent, EIN, operating agreement, you have to upgrade your plan. These are important documents needed when opening a small business.
For instance, EIN or employer identification number is needed when opening a bank account, hiring new employees, and will be used by IRS and credit card companies to track your finances.
LLC formation
ZenBusiness is a law practice LLC and other documents management software. It is suitable for people who want to form LLC fast without having to pay a lot of money.
After registering for the service, you will select a suitable package depending on your business needs. The company will then file all the necessary documents according to your state.
The state will confirm your business. The process takes about days to 3 weeks depending on the plan that you chose. Once the documents are out, they will be delivered to your personalized dashboard.
Last and not least, you will be getting ongoing services such as annual report filing plus make sure you are compliant with all state requirements. You will also be getting ongoing alerts and reminders about upcoming deadlines.
Free registered agent
Many registered agents have partnered with ZenBusiness to make it easy to form an LLC. You can now focus on your business instead of worrying about the legal paperwork needed to form it.
Through automation, they will provide everything needed to form a small company such as:
- Operating agreement and bylaws
- Articles of incorporation
- Real-time chat support
- Name search
- State filling and verification
- Ongoing alerts of upcoming deadlines
- Personalized dashboard
- Employer identification number
- Worry-free CPA assessment
- Be protected in case you fall out of compliance with the state by covering all the fines and costs required to bring back your good standing.
ZenBusiness’ Reputation
This company definitely stands out when it comes to its reputation. There are so many positive online reviews especially on technology sites. Many customers have praised ZenBusiness for being affordable and professional when dealing with customers and its quick turnaround time.
My favorite pricing package is their starter plan. It includes almost everything that you need to set up your small business.
Track record
Although it was established in 2015, it has proved to be one of the best LLC services available. It uses automation to complete a variety of business services which enables them to offer lower rates than their competitors.
Just like they say in their official site, they have already helped many people start new businesses in their five years in operation.
As I mentioned earlier, my experience with ZenBusiness was great but I also wanted to check other entrepreneurs’ impressions. Most of the reviews online about this company are positive. Here are some of them:
“My experience with ZenBusiness was wonderful. They provided a personalized dashboard and I was able to follow their process easily. When I had a question, the company was quick to respond. Anytime I would recommend their services.”
“Great job! I am happy with the way ZenBusiness handled my case. They explained the whole process via email and phone and this helped me make an informed decision on the best business to set up. The company is very informative and knowledgeable and processed my papers quickly.
I would use them again or refer them to others”
“Great customer service. You have live support that was ready to help me, thank you all! I can see why you are recommended by so many people. During this COVID-19 crisis, every penny counts and you made sure you have a package that is pocket friendly.”
There are a lot of pages with positive reviews online meaning many people have used their service and liked it.
Customer Service
The customer service for ZenBusiness stands and this is evident by the many online reviews praising it. There is live chat support to answer all your questions.
When I was setting up my business, I found the company to be very helpful and user friendly during the entire process. I was impressed by the thoughtful, professional, and thorough responses of the support.
Contact through email, phone, and Webchat
You can contact the company via email, phone, and webchat. I have tried all these options and every time I got timely responses. Most people who are looking for LLC service don’t have any experience in forming such a business.
The assistance and advice provided by customer support help these people make informed decisions when setting up their businesses. If customer service is done right, the customer will be left feeling valued and respected and this will contribute to more business for ZenBusiness.
The support is available from 9 am to 7 pm ET on weekdays.
History/Experience
ZenBusiness was started in 2015. It is located in Austin. It is a small-sized company with about 50 employees. The company was established when Ross Buhrdorf was approached by CorpTech founders and was pitched the idea of helping people to start and grow their business.
The idea intrigued him and he made an investment. Together they formed ZenBusiness. They received more funding and were able to create a sophisticated platform that manages their clients and services.
The company was also able to form a high-quality and experienced support team.
What they do
The company will file paperwork for you so you can start your new business. They eliminate the difficulties experienced by most business people when registering and growing their limited liability company.
LLC is a popular choice for most business people because of its liability protection, tax advantages, and management flexibility. Owners cannot be held personally responsible for business liabilities and debts.
There is no limit on who and number of members that can join the LLC. Members can be from trusts, corporations, individuals, or partnerships. LLC can be managed by members while corporations can be managed by a board of directors only.
LLCs have few state-imposed compliance requirements. All these benefits make LLC a better choice than a general partnership, a corporation, and a sole proprietorship.
Guarantee/Refunds
If you are not happy with their LLC service, you can ask for a refund.
According to their refund policy, there is a $50 cancellation fee. If the company had submitted your business for filing, you cannot-charge back the fees that were used to process your documents.
Pricing of ZenBusiness in Detail
ZenBusiness has 3 packages available, starter, pro, and premium. You can also choose their free plan which is limited to conducting business name searches, getting expert support and comes with articles and certificates of formation.
Starter plan
This is the most popular plan since it is affordable. It costs $49 dollars billed annually including state fees. In this plan, you will have the following features:
- Registered agent
- Worry-free CPA assessment
- Name availability search
- Email, and phone support
- Articles of organizational filing
- Online document access
- Operating agreement
- Prepare and file LLC
- Standard filing speed
- Form in 2 to 3 weeks
Pro plan
This is also a popular plan which offers starter features plus worry-free guarantee, EIN, expedited filing service, and banking resolution. It costs $179 billed annually plus state fees. If you are planning to choose a pro package, make sure you get the following services:
- Expedite filing speed
- Registered agent
- Articles of organizational filing
- Prepare and file LLC
- You will get EIN
- Online document access
- Name availability search
- Comes with a worry-free guarantee
- Comes with banking solution
- Worry-free CPA assessment
- Email and phone support
- Operating agreement
- Form in 5 to 8 business days
Premium Plan
This plan contains products and services offered by the starter and pro plans. It costs $299 billed annually. All state fees are included. Its unique features include a business website, business email address, and business domain name.
If you are looking to purchase this plan, you will have access to the following features:
- Business email address which includes 5GB email inbox
- Business domain name for 1 year
- Domain name privacy
- Banking resolution template
- Employer identification number
- Worry-free CPA assessment
- Registered agent who is available during business hours.
- Business filing service which includes online document access, name availability search, email, and phone support
- Business formation takes 2 to 4 business days
- Has expedited filing speed
- Operating agreement
- Articles of organizational filing
- Comes with a worry-free guarantee
Before starting the formation process, the company will check if your business name is available from the database of the state. If it is available, ZenBusiness will find you a suitable one.
All the subscription plans contain registered agent services. They have an important role in receiving documents from government offices.
Pros
It has pocket-friendly pricing plans. These are suitable for small businesses that need assistance in setting up a limited liability company.
It has great customer support. They can be accessed through email, phone, and webchat
If you are looking for a high-quality LLC service, ZenBusiness will provide that
ZenBusiness has a fast and efficient business formation
It has extra business services like website creation, business email address, etc.
Cons
Every business comes with its flaws and ZenBusiness is no exception. It has a confusing refund policy. However, you can be refunded if you contact the company before your business has been submitted for filing.