From idea to a real, legal business.

This is the foundation — it makes Tailor Mate a real entity and puts a wall between the business and your personal assets.

Do this

• Search your name first to make sure "Tailor Mate LLC" is available and distinct. Your official name must include "LLC," "L.L.C.," or "Limited Liability Company."
• Pick a registered agent. Oregon requires one with a physical Oregon street address. You can be your own (free) if you're an Oregon resident — just know that address becomes public record. Prefer privacy? A commercial agent runs ~$100–150/yr.
• File the Articles of Organization online in the Oregon Business Registry. Fee is $100 (one-time, nonrefundable). You'll choose "member-managed" (that's you, solo).
• Calendar your Annual Report ("renewal") — $100/year, due on your filing anniversary. Miss it and the state dissolves your LLC, so set a reminder. They notify you ~45 days ahead.

An EIN is your business's tax ID number. You'll need it to open a bank account and to avoid putting your Social Security number on invoices and W-9s.

Apply directly with the IRS — it's issued instantly online and costs $0.

Oregon doesn't require one for a single-member LLC — but you should have it anyway.

Bring with you

• Your EIN confirmation letter (Step 2)
• Your approved Articles of Organization (Step 1)
• Your Operating Agreement (Step 3)
• Personal ID

Run all business income and expenses through it. Pay yourself by transfer (an "owner's draw") — never buy personal things straight from the business account.

You'll want hello@tailormate.design instead of a personal Gmail — it's the single biggest "this is a real business" signal. Your domain is on Cloudflare, so all three options below are set up by adding DNS records there (Chapter V can do this part for you). Here's the honest comparison:

The recommendation

Google Workspace Business Starter ($7/mo) is the sweet spot: for about a coffee a month you get a genuine hello@tailormate.design that sends and receives natively (no tinkering), plus Calendar, Drive, Meet, and Docs to run client work.

Tell Chapter V which one you want and we'll set up the records for you.

As a single-member LLC, the IRS treats you as a "disregarded entity" — meaning you report business income on a Schedule C with your personal tax return. A few things to know:

• Self-employment tax of 15.3% applies to your net profit (on top of income tax) — because no employer is withholding for you.
• Pay quarterly estimated taxes (federal + Oregon) so you don't get a penalty. Rule of thumb: set aside ~25–30% of net profit. A CPA can dial in your exact rate.
• Oregon has a state income tax (up to ~9.9%), so your profit is taxed at the state level too.
• Good news: Oregon has NO sales tax. You charge your clients no sales tax on furniture or goods delivered in Oregon, and there's no sales-tax permit to get.
• Buying wholesale from out-of-state vendors? They may ask for a resale certificate. Oregon provides a free one (Form 150-800-002) — though not every vendor accepts it.
• Selling/shipping to clients in other states? That state's sales tax can apply to you once you cross their thresholds — flag it for a CPA if you ever do meaningful out-of-state work.

Set up simple bookkeeping software (QuickBooks, Wave, or Xero) tied to your business account from day one, and create an IRS online account + Oregon Revenue Online account for paying estimates.

Oregon has no general state business license, but if you do business in Portland / Multnomah County, you must register with the Revenue Division within 60 days — this covers the City Business License Tax (2.6%) and County Business Income Tax (2.0%).

Your LLC limits liability, but it does not replace insurance. As a designer who's in clients' homes and handling their money and property, two policies matter:

• General Liability (GL) — covers accidental damage or injury (e.g., you damage a client's floor).
• Professional Liability / Errors & Omissions (E&O) — covers claims that your advice or design caused a financial loss (a wrong measurement, a spec that fails). This is the design-specific one GL won't cover.

You may have heard about a "Beneficial Ownership" (BOI) report to FinCEN. As of now, U.S.-formed LLCs like yours do NOT have to file one — a March 2025 rule removed the requirement for domestic companies.

• Stripe for taking payments — Chapter V is setting this up with you.
• Trade/vendor accounts so you can buy furniture at trade pricing (this powers your markup).
• Google Business Profile — free, helps local clients find you.
• A business phone line (Google Voice is free) so your cell number stays private.
• A password manager to safely store the very documents your studio vault will hold (EIN letter, Articles, etc.).