The end of the year is a busy time and businesses should be mindful to not overlook some important to dos:
Keep Your Business in Good Standing
You invested the time and expense of incorporating your company to benefit from the corporate structure, so keep your business in good standing. Make sure to file any necessary statements of information or annual business renewals with the Secretary of State in the state in which you incorporated and states in which you have qualified to do business.
Hold an Annual Meeting For Your Corporation or LLC
The end of the year is a good time to hold your annual meeting. Record the meeting in the minutes or generate a written consent. Make sure your corporate book is up to date with important corporate forms including Articles of Incorporation/Organization, Bylaws/Operating Agreement, Shareholder Agreement, minutes, written consents, any filings with the Secretary of State, stock transfer register, stock purchase agreements, and list of shareholders/members and shares held by each.
Plan Your Intellectual Property and Brand Strategy
Consider filing a fictitious business name/DBA/assumed name. Consider filing trademark applications with the USPTO for any unique words or designs you have begun using in commerce or intend to use. You will want to hire a business or intellectual property attorney to file the applications for you as the process requires a knowledge of the rules.
