The meticulousness of your records can help you assess the health of your business. Without them, you won’t be able to quickly identify trends, calculate ratios, or make any decisions for the future. You’ll also require these records when you file tax returns, and to support the information you include in your financial statements. These include income statements (profit and loss statements) and balance sheets.
The majority of states have departments of corporation or secretary of state offices that require businesses to file an official statement of ownership. Many have these documents on the internet. You can search these documents using the name of the company, and the websites often offer a Recommended Site list of names of directors and officers as well as their addresses and other information about the business. Some private firms or companies make directories of businesses. These directories could include the city of a business’s headquarters or where it is registered. They can also contain contact information, the main officer or officers, and an outline of the kind of business the company is involved in.
Many cities require anyone who wants to conduct business in their area to register. These documents are accessible on the internet. Some counties also maintain fictitious business name indexes, where the most important partners or officers of a partnership can be listed, along with their addresses. Some states have a master list of all fictitious business names, and some counties and the secretary of the state department or the corporation department have put these online.
