Guides · updated 2026
The right LLC setup for your kind of business
Same company law, very different realities. These guides cover the questions each type of founder actually asks — which state, what the platforms require, which taxes apply — and how Incofile sets it all up from $0 + state fee.
Amazon FBA SellersSelling physical products to the public is exactly the activity an LLC was designed to protect. A customer injury claim, a trademark dispute or a supplier default lands on the company, not on your house and savings. Beyond protection, an LLC with an EIN makes Seller Central verification cleaner, lets you open a dedicated business bank account and card, and positions the brand to be sold later.Walmart Marketplace SellersWalmart Marketplace is invitation-light but approval-heavy: the application asks for a US business tax ID, a US business address, a history of marketplace sales and proof you are a real, compliant company. An LLC with an EIN, a US business address and clean documentation is the profile Walmart approves fastest — and it is the structure experienced sellers use to run Walmart alongside Amazon.E-commerce & Shopify StoresAn online store is a public-facing business handling customer payments, personal data and physical products — three things that attract claims. An LLC keeps those claims away from your personal assets and gives payment processors, suppliers and lenders a company to deal with. It is also the point where most store owners finally separate business and personal money.Freelancers & Remote WorkersDesigners, developers, writers, marketers and consultants reach a point where a sole proprietorship no longer fits: a client contract requires a company, an enterprise procurement team will only onboard a vendor with an EIN, or income has grown enough that the S-Corp election could save on self-employment tax. An LLC handles all three and keeps a client dispute from reaching personal assets.Real Estate InvestorsA tenant injury, a contractor dispute or a mortgage default on one property should never threaten your other properties or your home. Holding rental property in an LLC — often one LLC per property or a series LLC where available — is the standard way investors ring-fence that risk. The LLC also makes partnerships with co-investors clean and transferable.Consultants & AgenciesConsulting and agency work means contracts, deliverables and advice that clients rely on. An LLC puts a company between those obligations and your personal assets, satisfies enterprise procurement (EIN, W-9, certificate of good standing, insurance in the company's name) and gives you a clean structure for adding partners or senior staff with equity.
Not sure which setup fits?
Tell us what you sell and where your customers are — our team has formed companies for founders in every one of these situations since 2013.