What is ZenBusiness?
ZenBusiness was founded in 2015 by Ross Buhrdorf, Shanaz Hemmati, JC Glancy, Rafael Lopez, and Ryan Pitylak. The company is based in Austin, Texas.
The company was founded to help support entrepreneurs, small business owners, and freelancers as they learn how to start a business and then keep it growing, potentially with no prior business experience. As a small business itself, ZenBusiness is dedicated to providing services and support to future and current business owners who may need some guidance during their journey. It is also a Public Benefit Corporation, which is a for-profit organization with a public benefit purpose.
ZenBusiness has worked with thousands of customers. It was ranked as one of the best LLC services of 2023 by Forbes. It's a legitimate resource if you're focused on learning how to make money with a new business idea, but aren't quite sure how to get started.
What does ZenBusiness offer?
ZenBusiness offers a variety of features and services, both for starting a business and helping to keep existing businesses running and growing.
ZenBusiness offers these services to help you form a new business:
- Business formation service, including LLCs and corporations
- Registered agent service
- An operating agreement template
- Expedited filing speeds
ZenBusiness services
ZenBusiness offers these services to help you run your business and stay compliant with your state's requirements:
- Employer identification number (EIN): Helps you obtain an EIN, or tax ID, which is like a Social Security number for your business. This can help you separate personal and business finances by allowing you the opportunity to open a business bank account.
- Annual report filing and worry-free compliance: Stay compliant with state requirements by getting your annual reports filed correctly and on time.
- New York publication: The state of New York has certain requirements about forming an LLC, which includes publishing a formation announcement in two newspapers once per week for six consecutive weeks.
- Filing amendments: If you need to change specific information about your business, such as your business name or business address, you'll need to file an amendment with your Secretary of State.
- Certificate of good standing: This isn't required for all businesses, but it can be helpful in certain situations, such as securing financing, opening a business bank account, or buying business insurance. This shows your business is real and complies with state laws.
- Banking resolution template: This paperwork authorizes someone to open a bank account and provide a signature for the business.
- Free CPA accounting consultation: This free service gives you access to a professional who can help you assess your potential accounting and bookkeeping needs.
- Domain name registration: This is the name of your website and how your company is viewed online. Registering a domain name secures your website name so someone else can't take it.
- Domain name privacy: This keeps the personal information connected to your domain name private. This information could include your name, phone number, and address.
- Business email address: Creates an email address using your domain name, which is often more professional than using a personal email address.
- Business website: Creates a website for your business so you can start to establish your online presence.
- Business license report: Finds the required business licenses you need to legally operate.
- Business document templates library: Offers access to a library of documents that can help your business run smoothly. This includes non-compete agreements, employment agreements, freelancer agreements, and more.
ZenBusiness also offers these additional services and options:
- Business bank account: Apply to open a business bank account to keep your personal and business finances separate.
- Business name reservation: Reserve a business name even if you aren't ready to form an LLC or corporation.
ZenBusiness packages and pricing
Here's a breakdown of the different packages ZenBusiness offers:
Starter package | Pro package | Premium package | |
Services |
|
|
|
Time to form business | 14 to 21 days, varies by state | 1 to 2 days, varies by state | 1 to 2 days, varies by state |
Price | $0 plus state filing fees | $199 a year plus state filing fees | $349 a year plus state filing fees |
Each package comes with certain included services, while other services may require additional payments.
For example, a Starter package with the rush filing add-on would incur an additional one-time fee of $99. Adding worry-free compliance to a Starter package would be free for the first year, then cost an additional $119 per year. You should evaluate each formation package and your desired turnaround time to decide which package makes the most sense for you.
How to contact ZenBusiness customer support
If you need to contact the ZenBusiness customer support team, you have three available options:
- Chat: Available on the ZenBusiness website Monday to Friday between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. CDT or Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. CDT.
- Call: Available at 1-844-493-6249 Monday to Friday between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. CDT or Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. CDT.
- Email: Send an email to support@zenbusiness.com, and you'll typically receive a response within one business day.
Who can sign up with ZenBusiness?
ZenBusiness's services are available for anyone 18 years or older, whether you're a U.S. citizen or not. However, since ZenBusiness can help you form a business within a state of the U.S., its services are intended for use only in the U.S.
ZenBusiness offers a wide range of services, which can be useful for different types of businesses and situations. The ideal client, though, is likely someone who needs guidance on setting up and running a business. You might need help preparing and filing to form an LLC, staying compliant with state laws, or setting up a business website.
These aren't necessarily the operations of your business, such as providing goods or services to your customers, but going through paperwork or knowing which documents you need to regularly submit can be confusing if you're inexperienced. This is where ZenBusiness can help.
Even if you're an experienced business owner, it might make sense to pay for these kinds of services so you can keep your focus on other parts of your business.
ZenBusiness reviews and ratings
ZenBusiness has an A rating with the Better Business Bureau and an average rating of 3.66 out of 5.0 from customer reviews. The company has closed 38 complaints in the past three years. Much of the customer feedback mentions issues with billing and charges, primarily with a focus on not knowing where certain charges came from. The complaints all seem to have been resolved or answered in some manner.
ZenBusiness also has over 6,400 reviews on TrustPilot, with a TrustScore of 4.8 out of 5.0. Of these reviews, over 95% are for "Excellent" or "Great" ratings.
FAQs
Is ZenBusiness legit?
ZenBusiness is a legit company focused on helping people through their LLC formation services and incorporation services. They also help businesses continue to run and grow. It was founded in 2015 and has worked with over 70,000 customers. ZenBusiness has an A- rating with the Better Business Bureau and a 4.8 out of 5.0 rating on TrustPilot.
Does ZenBusiness give you a business address?
ZenBusiness offers registered agent services, which sets up a registered agent with a legal business address in the state in which your business was formed. Your registered agent also accepts important legal documents for you and stores them in your online dashboard where you can access them anytime.
Does ZenBusiness handle New York publication requirements?
Yes, ZenBusiness can handle New York publication requirements for your New-York-based LLC. ZenBusiness has relationships with counties and newspapers to make sure your business meets all publication requirements and your costs are kept low.
Is ZenBusiness worry-free compliance worth it?
ZenBusiness worry-free compliance is worth it if you're worried about staying compliant with state requirements and annual business filings. You may not be experienced with this side of running a business, so it could make sense to pay experts to do it for you. In addition, it could free up yours or your team's time to focus on other important business matters.
Other services to consider
If ZenBusiness doesn't sound like the right fit for your business ventures, LegalZoom is another service provider that helps with business formations, including LLCs and corporations. However, it can also help you form a nonprofit organization, which ZenBusiness doesn't offer.
In addition, LegalZoom also provides services pertaining to wills, trusts, and intellectual property. These aren't areas where ZenBusiness operates, so LegalZoom could make more sense for you if you need help in these areas of expertise.
It's important to note that ZenBusiness may also offer certain services that LegalZoom doesn't provide, such as business bank accounts and setting up a business website. For more details, read our ZenBusiness vs. LegalZoom comparison.