ChristineL beat me to it, I was going to say that it really depends on the type of business that you are starting with your roommate. I would normally think that if it's a simple store without any type of crazy licensing requirements you should be able to just get a LLC business license and call it a day, but I could be, that I am sure of. Take care and best of luck with your business!!

It depends on the nature of the business. If you're selling insurance for instance, each U.S. state typically has special licensing requirements. When you say 'Internet-only', what does that mean, it's just an advertising supported content site maybe? Getting a Federal Tax ID should probably be your primary concern on your list. I'd suggest you look about 3 inches to the right on your screen and about an inch up - 'Register, Licenses & Permits' for some advice ;-) Or you could also look here for some additional research, good luck to you How to figure out what licenses and permits your business needs Message Edited by NicoleD on 08-27-2009 12:29 PM

Hi Haney75, Thanks tedives for the great input! Like tedives pointed out, you can use business.gov's Permit Me Tool to generate a list of licenses relevant to your industry and state. You should also look into Register your Business to see the steps you need to go though to have your online business registered. We have some great resources for online businesses, so feel free to check out our Online Business page. Good luck!

Let me clarify one thing first, your ads will generate revenue from your webdite not traffic. And almost all of the advertising companies will be in the USA. So, all you need a US business license. And if you dont have money at all then you always use you SSN and you can 1099 your income at the end of the year. But since its a joint venture i would not take a ris. Just get a DBA from you local court and housr along with an EIN # and you will be good to go.

You have not specified that from which country you belongs. So it will be difficult to give exact reply.   as you said you will generate revenue from advertisement but the revenue will be generated in your back account with any nationalize bank. Now based on your company size, revenue and type of your business you should get the license.   better you consult local lawyer, he can give best possible solution of your query.     James John Internet Marketing Consultant, Web Design Company

Wow, those are great tools...would have saved me from a lot of confusion when I first started out 10 years ago.

If you have a business location other than a residence I would think city of county business license would be a good idea. Certain industries obviously have licensing requirements(real estate sales, insurance, stocks and bonds.) Otherwise I would not think you would need a business license to operate a store on the net. Someone mentioned a US business license. I have never heard of anything like that have you? Larry, trade show display Message Edited by youHUGE on 08-27-2009 09:08 PM -- This post was edited to remove a commercial link. Read our discussion policies for more Community best practices. Message Edited by NicoleD on 01-22-2010 01:16 PM

Some cities license all businesses, including in-home ones. A quick call to your local city clerk's office should provide the information you need. You should register your business name even if you don't need a business license.