It has been a year since I started the online store business with my partners. We have gone through many steps of learning. I think it will be helpful to write down the processes for starting an online retail business in Arizona. Who knows what will happen tomorrow. I can start a new business again.

These are the short steps.

1. Look up the availability of the new company name with the Arizona corporation commission from the link below.
2. Submit the documents required to register the company as an s-corporation. If you prefer to start as an LLC, you can do so by choosing a different type of corporation and fee schedule.
3. Download the submission forms from the following link
   • covert blade
   • Articles of Incorporation for National Corporations
   • Certificate of Disclosure for Business Corporations
   • Check for $95 made payable to the Arizona Corporation Commission
4. If the document is filed with expedited process ($60 + $35), it will take about a week to get the item document back from the corporation ($5/each). Otherwise, it will take about 55 days.
5. Once the article of corporation is received, publish the article in 60 days. AZ capital time can complete the entire process for around $91, including mailing the published copy to the AZ corporate commission. Of course, there are many public newspapers that can do this for you. Find the best one for your need.
6. Once the process is complete, call IRS.gov to get a new EIN (employee identification number).
7. Download and file the S Corporation Election Form 2553 to form the S Corporation
8. Apply for Arizona retailer’s license online at AZTaxes.gov
9. Apply for a new business checking account with the bank
10. Apply for a new business credit card
11. Find a good company to purchase the starter pack (including bylaws, minute book, etc.)
12. Register your desired domain name at Godaddy.com, which contains a reasonable price.
13. Find a good hosting company.
14. Set up the open source shopping cart from Zen-Cart.com. It’s free!
15. Customize the logo and design.
16. introduce the products
17. Set up Paypal merchant account and link to shopping cart (Paypal IPN)
18. Get an SSL certification either on your own or with your hosting company. Without SSL, Paypal will not accept your request for credit card processing.

The time to complete the entire corporation filing is approximately one month. Now. It is up to you to run the business. Some notes to remember.

AZ is required to file taxes monthly. Federal requires filing quarterly tax returns. Do some good research on your product provider. Many drop shipping companies charge your additional amount if you want to cancel your relationship with them. Also note where the product was manufactured and shipped. If the product is made in China, chances are you can find different carriers for the same product under different branding. You can negotiate the price.

To be successful as an online business, your customer services and the quality of your products are important. Ignoring your client’s feed will cost you much more to recover the damage you did.