ZenBusiness

In 2022, the US Census Bureau shows that 5 million+ businesses were started in 2022. In the first and second quarters of 2023, entrepreneurs submitted more than 1.34 million business applications. The increase in small business applications is expected to continue into 2024 and beyond.

The business formation process is not easy. First, there are lots of licenses and permits that businesses need from the state, federal, and local agencies to operate. Second, getting an Employer Identification Number from the IRS directly is a tedious process. Lastly, writing a business plan that will convince investors to fund your business idea is not easy.

Thankfully, we have ZenBusiness, an online platform that simplifies business formation. Want to know more about ZenBusiness, its features, pros and cons?

Keep reading!

What is ZenBusiness?

ZenBusiness is a user-friendly platform that helps to streamline the process of starting a business and maintaining compliance. As a robust ally for entrepreneurs, ZenBusiness was founded in 2015.

Based in Austin, Texas, the founders wanted to help enterprising entrepreneurs start and run an LLC or any other type of business without stress. The founders, who are entrepreneurs themselves, created a platform to help stay-at-home moms and dads, those affected by layoffs, and more. Basically, if you have ambition, talent, and time to own what’s yours, then ZenBusiness is the right platform for you.

The worry-free platform boasts of fast and simple business formation designed for new small business owners and others who may not yet know what they are doing. Once you get started, you’ll have access to a dashboard personalized to your needs. – from access to important formation documents to managing a domain name and website for your business.

The user-friendly service gives its users tools, support, and guidance to help them start their businesses and keep them up and running. ZenBusiness is a public benefit corporation designed to empower everyone to create their business no matter their knowledge and experience. This saves aspiring business owners money and time.

Features of ZenBusiness

ZenBusiness offers a plethora of features.

Business Planning

Want to take the first steps towards turning your idea into a growing and flourishing business? If you want to start a small successful business, you’ll need to plan and prepare yourself for the startup costs. Determining the startup costs is a crucial part of planning and starting a business.

You need to take the time to analyze your costs and expenses. To do so, you need to create a long-term financial plan. ZenBusiness has a break-even calculator that can help you measure your cash flow. This allows you to take necessary action to ensure that your business processes are running smoothly.

Before you start your small business, it’s important to analyze your market and your competitors. ZenBusiness offers a market research and competitive analysis tool that will help your business become valuable. Simply enter your preferred company name and click “Start Now.” and the platform will do the rest.

Next, you need to write a business plan if you want to qualify for funding from potential business partners and banks. So, before they invest in your business idea, investors need to know that they can trust you with their money and you can make the best decision. ZenBusiness can help you write a strong business plan that will give investors more confidence in your business idea.

Lastly, we have business licenses and permits. When you register a business, you must file Articles of Organization or Articles of Incorporation with your state. This will enable you to legally incorporate your business or even form an LLC. Most businesses need a combination of licenses and permits from federal, state, and local agencies.

Obtaining licensing and permits for your business is a lengthy process. Lucky for you, ZenBusiness can help get started. In fact, they can help you obtain licenses and permits needed to run your business legally in any state.

Business Structure

Choosing the right business structure is not easy. Lucky for you, ZenBusiness offers formation services which include worry-free support that you’ll need to make your business official. Whether you want to start a Limited Liability Company or an S Corp, ZenBusiness can help you.

All you need to do is select the right package for your needs. ZenBusiness offers the following packages under its formation services.

Starter package

Starter – $0 (includes features like standard filing speed, worry-free compliance, and 100% accuracy guarantee).

Pro package

The Pro package is available for $199 billed annually inclusive of the state filing fee. Its top features include an Operating Agreement, Employer ID Number, and faster filing speed.

Premium package

The Premium package goes for $349 billed annually inclusive of the state filing fee. Its top features include all features available in the Pro package plus Business Documents, Domain Name, Email Address, and Business Website Builder.

ZenBusiness Products

Some add-ons can help with the establishment of your business.

Certificate of Good Standing – $100 (One time fee)

ZenBusiness can help secure a Certificate of Good Standing for your business. Also known as a Certificate of Authorization, it shows that your business has met all the requirements to operate legally in your state or country.

Amendment Filing – $100 (One time fee)

Want to make a change in your official business documents? Then this add-on is for you. The team at ZenBusiness will process an amendment to ensure that your state has accurate and up-to-date information on file.

Annual Report Filing – $100 (One time fee)

Every business needs to file an annual report whether it has operated for years or it has just operated for a year. By filing an annual report, your business will be compliant with state requirements. The experts at ZenBusiness can file an annual report on your behalf to ensure that your business maintains good standing with the state.

New York Publication – $200 (One time fee)

Are you planning on starting and operating a business in New York? All new LLCs registered and running in New York are required to publish an announcement of their formation. New businesses are required to do so in two local newspapers for 6 weeks. ZenBusiness can act as your agent and get a Certificate of Publication on your behalf saving you time and money.

Branding

ZenBusiness helps aspiring entrepreneurs with branding. Whether you want to create a logo for your business or build a website, ZenBusiness can help you. Besides creating a high-quality logo, you can also create ready-made covers for your social media pages, letterheads, and business cards.

The logomaker is absolutely free and users can create and download logos without watermarks. The logos are ready to use and you can use them on T-shirts, business websites, caps, letterheads, and more.

With ZenBusiness domain registration, you can now establish your business online hassle-free. With a unique domain name for your business, you can protect your brand. In addition, you can promote your business by advertising your business with a website or landing page. Moreover, integrating a shopping cart with your business website will allow you to sell your products and services online.

It gets even better. It will only cost you $25 annually to secure your unique business domain name. ZenBusiness has a domain name service that allows users to search for available domain names, register the domain name, and secure hosting for their websites. Thanks to this service, aspiring entrepreneurs can rest easy knowing that their online brands are protected.

Who is ZenBusiness for?

ZenBusiness offers one of the best business formation services. It also offers pocket-friendly packages that will work with almost any budget for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to start and run a business legally in their states.

The service is easy to use and offers multiple add-on services designed to enhance and protect your brand. Basically, ZenBusiness is best for aspiring entrepreneurs looking to start and run an LLC or existing entrepreneurs with established businesses looking to register new businesses with ease.

The turnaround time for the starter plan may take two to three weeks to complete. What you need to know is that processing times differ in the state you’re filing. However, when you select Pro or Premium packages, formation is within 1 to 5 days.

ZenBusiness fast turnaround time and model are helpful to first-time LLC owners who may not know what licenses and permits are needed to form a business.

Who is ZenBusiness NOT for?

ZenBusiness is not for people trying to pinch their pennies with every opportunity. Even when an aspiring entrepreneur looking to start an LLC chooses the starter package, they will end up paying for add-ons.

For example, they will have to obtain worry-free compliance, something that most aspiring entrepreneurs don’t think about. This service will help handle your business’s annual report and amendment filing. Basically, it will ensure that your LLC is 100% compliant with state requirements.

Another useful add-on is an operating agreement. ZenBusiness provides an interactive template for your LLC’s operating agreement. This document outlines the ownership and structure of your company.

Lastly, we have an Employer Identification Number (EIN). Also called a Tax D number, it’s usually assigned by the IRS to every company or business. Without the EIN, no business can open and operate a business bank account or even hire employees. So if you want to secure your EIN, easy and fast, ZenBusiness can help you secure it so you don’t have to waste time and money.

ZenBusiness Pricing

	Starter	Pro	Premium
Cost	0$/per year	199$/per year	3349$/per year
Business Documents	Not included	Not included	Included
Domain name	Not included	Not included	Included
Business email address	Not included	Not included	Included
Filing speed	Standart	Fastest	Fastest
Employer ID Number (EIN)	Not included	Included	Included
Operating Agreement	Not included	Included	Included
Worry free compliance	Yes	Yes	Yes
100% Accuracy Guarantee	Yes	Yes	Yes

Add-ons

• Worry-free compliance – $199
• Operating agreement – $99
• Registered Agent Service – $199
• Employer ID Number (EIN) – $99
• Business Document Templates Library – $99
• Fast Filing Speeds – $49 – $99
• New York Publication – $200
• Business license Report – $99
• Annual report filing – $100
• Amendment filing – $100
• Certificate of Good Standing – $100

The add-ons are billed annually.

You can grow your business with a compelling online presence thanks to ZenBusiness domain name services.

• Domain name registration – $25
• Domain name privacy – $10
• Business email address – $25
• Business Website – $129

All the services above are billed annually.

With ZenBusiness, you can simplify your business finances with business banking, invoicing, and expense tracking, plus annual filing services. Here are the costs.

• Business Banking – $5/month
• Money Pro with Online Payments – $30/month

All the packages come with free tax savings consultations. As an aspiring entrepreneur, what you need to know is that business taxes can get tricky. However, with ZenBusiness, you can get a free 30-minute phone call with a tax report from their trusted partner.

ZenBusiness Pros and Cons

Pros

• Low cost: ZenBusiness can file and return your completed company documents at a pocket-friendly rate. In fact, you can do so for just $0, and there are no hidden fees. Additionally, there are affordable add-ons that can enhance your business formation experience.
• Fast filing: With Pro and Premium packages, ZenBusiness uses automation and technology to get your business formation down fast. In fact, within 1 to 5 business days, you can have your LLC set up and ready to start making money.
• Access to experts: Whether it’s business documents or free tax consultation, ZenBusiness experts are available to help during business hours.
• Simplifies business formation: Getting the right licenses and permits as required by the state is tedious. However, with ZenBusiness, they simplify the jargon and red tape involved allowing you to start and grow your business in less than 5 days.

Cons

• Standard filing speed: While the Starter package is free, ZenBusiness offers standard filing speed, which can take 3 to 6 weeks.
• EIN Service: The Employer identification NUmber service is available with ZenBusiness Pro and Premium packages but does come with the Starter package. This will cost you a bit more when you select the add-on.
• Registered agent not included: With ZenBusiness, the registered agent service is available as an add-on, but with many competitors, it’s included at least for a year. As such, with ZenBusiness, it will cost you to use this important service.

ZenBusiness FAQ

Is ZenBusiness LLC formation services good?

ZenBusiness is a great option for aspiring entrepreneurs looking to start an LLC. The user-friendly platform offers numerous services that will simplify your LLC formation journey. As such, you’ll save time and money. Additionally, their customer support is available to you during business hours.

How much does it cost to form a business?

The Pro package goes for $199/year, while the Premium package goes for $349 per year. There are several add-ons not included with the packages above, and you can pick the services you need. ZenBusiness has a business calculator that will help you calculate startup costs and see how much funding you’ll need. Additionally, the calculator will also determine when your new business will make a profit.

How long does it take to form a company?

The ZenBusiness formation team will get started right away. However, official formation times usually vary by state. If you choose the Starter package, your processing time will be slow – 3 to 6 weeks but if you go with Pro or Premium plans, your processing time will be fast – 1 to 5 business days.

Do I have to renew my ZenBusiness plan annually?

Yes, with Pro and Premium plans, you have to renew them annually. For some tasks that must be done several times a year such as registered agent services, you’ll have to renew them annually too. However, some services require you to pay a one-time fee when you form your business, such as fast filing speeds, business license report amendment filing, and others.

Are there hidden fees?

No, unlike other business formation services, ZenBusiness has no hidden fees. The platform will only charge you for the package and add-ons you select during the LLC formation process.

Is there a refund policy?

Yes, ZenBusiness has a refund policy. All purchases are 100% refundable less any expenses that ZenBusiness will incur during the formation. Once ZenBusiness makes payments to the state and your formation information is also submitted, the company will not accept any cancellations or changes to the filings.

What if I have more questions about business formation services?

ZenBusiness has a support team available 24/7. Simply visit the contact us area to get a hold of the ZenBusiness formation support team. You can contact the support team via email, phone, and live chat. The team is ready and happy to answer all your questions.

ZenBusiness Review Conclusion

ZenBusiness is the best business formation service for aspiring entrepreneurs looking to start an LLC. The platform is easy to use and provides a variety of tools and services to help simplify the business formation process. From worry-free compliance to a certificate of good standing, these services help to ensure that aspiring entrepreneurs start on the right foot.

Users have access to a personalized dashboard that displays a range of data and information. From important business formation documents to receiving state compliance alerts, the platform will meet your needs throughout the business formation period and the future.

While the Starter package is pocket-friendly, the overall costs are not, especially when you take into account the add-ons. However, these add-ons are crucial to the business formation process, and without them, the state may not process your application.

So, is ZenBusiness worth it? Yes, the platform is worth it, and we highly recommend it to small business owners struggling with the formation of their LLC.