Launch a business
AI can already run.
We get the paperwork done, the digital stack live, and your business documented from day one — so AI can help with the rote parts as you grow, while you stay in charge.
Book a free 20-minute fit callWe're not a law firm. We don't give legal or tax advice. For those questions, we'll connect you with a local attorney or CPA we trust.
Not a templated online filing. Not a lawyer-and-out.
Most formation services hand you a PDF and disappear.
We hand you a business AI can grow with you.
Online services assume you already know what to type into each box on BizFile. Attorneys file the LLC and send you a folder. Neither one sets you up for the part that matters next: a business documented well enough that AI can actually help you run it.
We sit with you. We get the paperwork filed, the digital stack live, and the first layer of your business written down — your services, your customers, your decisions, your SOPs — in a form AI can read. So when you’re ready to bring AI in, the context is already there. No 6-month retrofit. No “we’d love AI but we don’t have the data.”
Methodology
Two pillars. One launch.
Every engagement is built on two principles from Reclaim by Design.
§1
You drive. We coach.
California’s BizFile portal is free. The IRS EIN application is free. The skill you actually need is knowing what to type in each box — and that’s what we teach you, in real time, on a screenshare.
You sign every form. You click submit. You own every login. We’re a coach beside you, not a filer in front of you. The same rule holds when AI enters the picture later: it works for you, inside permissions and limits you define.
§2
Context, not chaos.
From day one, your business is documented in a way AI can read — a place where your services, customers, decisions, and SOPs live as text, not in your head and not buried in inboxes. Most businesses spend years building this kind of context layer. You start with it.
When you’re ready to bring in AI assistance, the world model is already there. The hard part of going AI-native — making your business legible to a machine — is done. What’s left is choosing what AI helps with first.
How it goes
What we’ll do together
Four steps. Roughly a week, start to finish, depending on your pace.
Free fit call
20 minutes. We learn what you’re building, where you’re stuck, and whether we’re a good match. No pitch.
Name + domain
We meet for a working session. By the end you have a name you love, a domain reserved, and a written launch checklist.
Filing day
Live screenshare. You file your Articles of Organization on BizFile. You apply for your IRS EIN. We coach every field.
Setup + handoff
Email, Google Business Profile, payments, booking, compliance calendar. We hand you logins and a 30-day follow-up window.
Honest scope
What’s included — and what isn’t
We’re unusually clear about where our help ends. That’s a feature, not a limitation.
What we’ll handle
- Plain-English walkthrough of the formation workflow
- Business name shortlist + matching domain search
- Live, screen-shared walk-through of California BizFile (the state’s free LLC portal)
- IRS EIN application, walked through together
- Professional email setup (Google Workspace on your domain)
- Google Business Profile setup and verification
- Payment processor account (Stripe or Square)
- Booking software recommendation and setup
- Business license + insurance checklist for your industry
- 24-month compliance calendar (Statement of Information, annual franchise tax, license renewals)
- A coordinated handoff to attorneys and CPAs we trust when you need them
What we won’t do
- Choosing your entity type for you→ we’ll connect you with a trusted attorney or CPA
- Drafting your Operating Agreement→ we’ll connect you with a trusted attorney
- Tax-election advice (S-Corp election, etc.)→ we’ll connect you with a trusted CPA
- Multi-member ownership or partnership terms→ we’ll connect you with a trusted attorney
- Disputes, lawsuits, or contract review→ we’ll connect you with a trusted attorney
- Trademark or IP registration→ we’ll connect you with a trusted IP attorney
Three ways to work together
How we work
Every engagement starts with a free fit call. We listen, scope the work to what you actually need, share a written proposal, and you decide. No pressure, no surprise scope creep.
Launch Conversation
For the founder who’s not sure they need help. One working session to map the path and decide.
- One 90-minute screenshare session
- Plain-English overview of LLC vs. sole prop vs. S-Corp (educational only)
- Live business-name + domain search
- A one-page launch checklist emailed to you
- Introductions to the local attorneys and CPAs we trust
Done-With-You Launch
For the founder who’s ready to file and wants to walk out with a working, AI-ready business.
- Everything in Launch Conversation
- Live filing session — you click and submit on BizFile while we coach
- IRS EIN application together
- Google Workspace business email setup
- Google Business Profile setup
- Stripe or Square account configured
- Booking tool set up (Calendly or similar)
- A coming-soon page on your domain
- A starter context doc — your business written down in a form AI can read later
- 24-month compliance calendar in your Google Calendar
- 30 days of email follow-up after handoff
Launch + Business OS
For the founder who wants a website, the first automations, and a working context layer live by launch.
- Everything in Done-With-You Launch
- A custom Self-Correcting Website (see /web-design)
- A working context layer — SOP library skeleton, decision log, prompt vault starter
- 1–2 starter automations (intake → CRM → email, or booking → invoice → reminder)
- An eval harness for the first agents, so you know when AI is helping vs. hallucinating
- 60 days of follow-up support
- Priority response on year-two compliance filings
A note on California state fees
California charges its own filing fees and an annual franchise tax to keep your LLC in good standing. The IRS EIN is free. We walk you through every state and federal fee during discovery so there are no surprises — and those go to the government, not to us. Scope and investment for our work are confirmed in a written proposal after the free fit call.
Who this is for
Three founders we work with often
The sole proprietor going legit
You’ve been freelancing or moonlighting under your own name. A real client is asking for a W-9 with an EIN. It’s time to formalize, and you want it done right.
The nonprofit or sole prop upgrading
You’ve outgrown the structure you started with. Liability, partners, or revenue have changed. You want to move to an LLC without breaking what’s already working.
The service founder launching
You have a clear business in mind — consulting, trades, creative services, a local shop — and you want to be open for revenue within a week or two, not next quarter.
The honest part
What we will NOT do — and who we’ll send you to.
Mendo AI Consulting is not a law firm and Samuel Holley is not an attorney. We don’t give legal advice, draft documents on your behalf, or represent you in any legal matter. Here’s where our help ends — and who we’ll connect you with instead:
- Choosing your entity type for you (LLC vs. S-Corp vs. sole prop)→ CPA or business attorney
- Drafting your Operating Agreement or member rights→ business attorney
- Tax elections and ongoing tax strategy→ CPA or Enrolled Agent
- Partnership terms, ownership splits, vesting→ business attorney
- Disputes, lawsuits, or contract review→ litigation or transactional attorney
- Trademark, copyright, or IP registration→ IP attorney
We maintain a short list of local Mendocino County attorneys and CPAs we trust, and we’ll introduce you by name when the question is theirs to answer. You file your own forms with the California Secretary of State and the IRS, with our guidance.
Frequently asked questions
Aren’t you supposed to be a lawyer for this?
For some of it, yes — and that’s why we don’t do those parts. Choosing the right entity, drafting an operating agreement, or answering tax questions are jobs for an attorney or CPA. What we do is the practical setup: walking you through the state’s free portal, the IRS EIN, your domain, your email, your booking system. Anyone can do that work; not everyone wants to do it alone.
What if I pick the wrong structure?
That’s exactly the question to bring to a CPA or attorney before you file — and we’ll book that call for you. We can explain in plain English how an LLC, S-Corp, and sole proprietorship differ. We won’t tell you which to choose, because that recommendation has tax and liability consequences only a licensed professional should make.
Can’t I just do BizFile myself for free?
You absolutely can. The state portal is free and the IRS EIN is free. What you’re paying for is the four hours of confusion you skip, the right domain reserved before someone else grabs it, the EIN done correctly, and a working business on the day you file — not a folder of PDFs and a long list of next steps.
Will I really own everything when we’re done?
Yes. Every login is yours. The domain is registered in your name. Google Workspace is billed to you. The site is on your hosting. We disappear gracefully when the work is done — and we don’t hold anything you’d need to take back.
What happens in year two?
California requires a biennial Statement of Information and an annual franchise tax to keep your LLC in good standing (the franchise tax is waived in your first year for new LLCs). Your business license renews on its own schedule. We hand you a calendar with every deadline pre-loaded so nothing slips. If you want us to handle the year-two filings, we will. If not, you have everything you need.
Do you only work with people in Mendocino County?
We’re local to Mendocino County and most of our clients are here, but the work is done over screenshare — so we can support anyone forming a California LLC from anywhere in the state. Out-of-state formations are a different animal; we’ll refer you to a specialist if that’s what you need.
Ready to launch?
Book a free 20-minute fit call. We’ll learn what you’re building, talk through the path, and tell you honestly whether we’re a match.
Book your free fit call →Or email samuel@mendoaiconsulting.com with what you’re picturing.