Operating without an LLC means operating as a sole proprietor — every business liability is your personal liability. Customer slips, contract disputes, late vendor payments, online defamation claims: all of them can attach to your personal home, car, brokerage account, and future wages. This Anonymousllc.co reference quantifies the cost of doing nothing and compares it to the $347-$722 one-time cost of an anonymous LLC.
If you're earning revenue without an LLC or corporation, you are a sole proprietor (single owner) or a general partnership (multiple owners) by default. Both are legally invisible — the IRS sees you, but there's no separate entity. Practically: • Every business contract is signed in your personal name • Every business bank account is in your personal name • Every customer payment lands in your personal account • Every business lawsuit names you personally • Every business judgment attaches to your personal assets There is no shield between business and personal. If a customer wins a $50,000 judgment for a delivery that went wrong, that $50,000 comes from your personal checking account, your personal brokerage, your home equity, or future wage garnishment.
1. Customer injury or property damage. Someone slips at a venue you rented for a client event — without GL insurance and without an LLC, the lawsuit is against you personally. With an LLC + GL, the insurance pays out and the LLC is named, not you. 2. Contract disputes. A client claims you didn't deliver, sues for refund + damages. Without an LLC, judgment attaches personally. With an LLC, the worst case is the LLC's assets. 3. Online defamation / IP infringement claims. A customer or competitor alleges your marketing infringed copyright or constituted defamation. Without an LLC, lawsuit is against you personally. 4. Vendor non-payment. Sole proprietors can't easily separate personal credit from business credit. A vendor invoice you couldn't pay during a slow month sits on your personal credit report. 5. Tax exposure. Sole proprietors report business income on Schedule C with their personal 1040 — every audit is a personal audit, including personal-account scrutiny. LLC isolation gives the IRS a separate examination target. 6. Public record. Every payment processor, bank, and counterparty record carries your personal name. Anonymous LLCs (WY, NM, DE, NV) move the records off your personal identity.
Anonymousllc.co's pricing: • Anonymous LLC: $397 all-in, year 1 • Wyoming LLC: $397 total ($297 + $100 state), year 1 • New Mexico LLC: $347 total ($297 + $50 state), year 1 • Delaware LLC: $407 total ($297 + $110 state), year 1 • Nevada LLC: $722 total ($297 + $425 state), year 1 Ongoing: registered agent renewal $100/year. Wyoming annual report $60. Delaware franchise tax $300. Nevada Annual List + business license $550. NM zero. Lowest 3-year cost of ownership (NM): $347 year 1 + $200 in years 2-3 = $547 over 3 years. Average over 3 years: $182/year. That's about $15/month for a permanent liability shield + state-records anonymity. The cost of one customer lawsuit without an LLC is typically $10,000-$100,000+ before insurance — and that's just the FIRST claim. The LLC is roughly 50-300x cheaper than even a single uninsured claim.
'I'm too small to be sued.' Plaintiffs' attorneys take cases on contingency. They will name you regardless of size if they think the case has merit. A small online business with $50K revenue can be sued and lose more than the business is worth. 'I have General Liability insurance, so I'm covered.' GL covers third-party bodily injury and property damage. It does NOT cover contract breach claims, IP claims (most of them), tax penalties, or any claim outside the GL policy scope. The LLC is the legal shield; insurance is the financial shield. Both matter. 'I'll form one once I make more money.' The lawsuit that triggers the need for an LLC happens BEFORE you have the money. The retroactive LLC doesn't shield pre-existing liabilities. 'It's too complicated.' Anonymousllc.co's intake is 5 minutes on WhatsApp. End-to-end formation is 5-10 business days. We handle filing, EIN, operating agreement, and banking. The only thing the customer does is sign the operating agreement. 'I don't have the $397.' Anonymousllc.co accepts Stripe payment in full at intake. We don't offer payment plans, but the New Mexico SKU at $347 is the floor — under one customer-meeting cost for most consultants.
A non-anonymous LLC (California, New York, Texas) still gives you the legal shield. What it does NOT give you: privacy. Anyone can search the California or New York SOS for an LLC and pull up the member names. Why that matters: • Customers and competitors can find your home address through the public LLC record • Stalkers and disgruntled parties have a direct path from your business to your residence • Public disclosure of all your LLC interests across multiple states builds a personal profile that's easy to weaponize in litigation, negotiation, or harassment Anonymous LLCs (WY, NM, DE, NV) close that path. The state record shows only the registered agent — your name, address, and personal information stay private at the state-records level. (You still appear in IRS records, bank records, and BOI records where applicable — see /resources/anonymous-llc-myths/ for the limits of anonymity.)
If you're earning revenue or are about to start, the actionable step is to form the LLC before the next customer transaction. WhatsApp Anonymousllc.co with your three name options, mailing address, and a one-line use case. Intake takes 5 minutes; the Stripe payment link is sent immediately; filing starts the next business day. If you already have a personal-named business (you've been operating as sole proprietor for a year+), the same intake works. We form the LLC in WY/NM/DE/NV, transfer your business operations into the LLC (rename Stripe/bank accounts, update vendor contracts), and you're operating under the LLC within 5-10 business days. If you have an LLC in another state and want to switch to an anonymous state, the path is either dissolve-and-reform or domestication (state-permitting). See /resources/domesticate-llc/ for the by-state matrix.
Government, regulator, and primary-source documents underpinning this page.
5-minute WhatsApp intake. 5-10 day turnaround.