LLCs & Self-Employment
Be your own boss without the expensive surprises
What an LLC actually is (and isn't), whether you even need one to freelance, how self-employment taxes really work, and the practical steps to set up right.
4 lessons · about 36 minutes total · 100% free
Saved on this device only — no account needed.
1. What an LLC actually is (and what it isn't)
LLC, sole proprietorship, corporation — what these words actually mean, what 'limited liability' protects, and why you absolutely do not need an LLC to start freelancing.
8 min read
2. Sole proprietor vs LLC: do you even need one?
When an LLC genuinely earns its cost — liability risk, separating finances, credibility — when it's just an expensive sticker, and how the famous asset protection can be lost.
9 min read
3. How LLCs are taxed (pass-through, self-employment tax, S-corp election)
Why your LLC doesn't pay taxes (you do), where the 15.3% self-employment tax comes from, how quarterly payments work, and the S-corp election everyone on the internet oversells.
10 min read
4. Starting and running an LLC: the practical steps
The actual to-do list — articles of organization, a free EIN from the IRS, operating agreement, business bank account, simple bookkeeping — and the beginner mistakes that undo it all.
9 min read