Categories: Business Basics

Good Standing

This week, our ABC’s for business focus on the kind of standing your company is in, specifically keeping it in good standing. Good standing is defined as the status of a firm which is current with the payment of statutory dues and filing or required periodical reports. Keeping your company within good standing is absolutely necessary to your business and a big responsibility for any entrepreneur to take on.

Sometimes some proof of said standing is necessary, which is where a little thing called a certificate of good standing, or tax compliance, comes into play. This certificate is issued by a state official as evidence that your corporation or LLC exists and is authorized to transact business within the state as well as to make sure that you are running your business by the rules and regulations required by the law.

Here are some instances when a certificate of good standing would be needed:

qualify/register as a foreign entity in a state other than your formation state
obtaining financing
selling your business
renewing a license
perform business transactions and contracts
ensure that the state has received all fees, taxes and any penalties owed
ensure that ” Articles of Dissolution ” have not been filed with the state.
open a bank account

So how does a business go about staying in good standing? Well, the best and easiest way is to utilize a cloud storage service like MyCorpVault, which keeps all of your legal documents, corporate minutes, and additional paperwork organized, secure and available at any time all in one place. Being in good standing is about being on top of your paperwork, and the Vault makes that a breeze with organization tools and an easy interface to work on!

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Deborah Sweeney

Deborah Sweeney is an advocate for protecting personal and business assets for business owners and entrepreneurs. With extensive experience in the field of corporate and intellectual property law, Deborah provides insightful commentary on the benefits of incorporation and trademark registration.

Education: Deborah received her Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration degrees from Pepperdine University, and has served as an adjunct professor at the University of West Los Angeles and San Fernando School of Law in corporate and intellectual property law.

Experience: After becoming a partner at LA-based law firm, Michel & Robinson, she became an in-house attorney for MyCorporation, formerly a division in Intuit. She took the company private in 2009 and after 10 years of entrepreneurship sold the company to Deluxe Corporation. Deborah is also well-recognized for her written work online as a contributing writer with some of the top business and entrepreneurial blogging sites including Forbes, Business Insider, SCORE, and Fox Business, among others.

Fun facts/Other pursuits: Originally from Southern California, Deborah enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons, Benjamin and Christopher, and practicing Pilates. Deborah believes in the importance of family and credits the entrepreneurial business model for giving her the flexibility to enjoy both a career and motherhood. Deborah, and MyCorporation, have previously been honored by the San Fernando Valley Business Journal’s List of the Valley’s Largest Women-Owned Businesses in 2012. MyCorporation received the Stevie Award for Best Women-Owned Business in 2011.