If you own a business, even a small one, this page keeps its key documents in one place and tells someone what to do if you can’t run it for a while, or at all.
Why it matters
Day to day, this page saves a hunt you already run several times a year. You’re asked for business documents for everything from a loan application to an insurance renewal. Right now that probably means twenty minutes across a drive, a safe, and an email archive. With this page, it’s one place to look.
The step-in use is where it becomes important. A business doesn’t pause because you’re in the hospital. Invoices go unsent, payroll comes due, a filing deadline passes, a domain name expires, and a client waits. Somebody has to decide what happens next, and they need to know where everything is.
What to gather
- Your formation documents, such as articles of organization or incorporation, and any operating agreement
- Your EIN letter, business licenses, and permits, with renewal dates
- Business bank accounts, payment processors, and the accountant or bookkeeper you work with
- Insurance policies for the business
- Key clients, contracts, and anything with a deadline
- Domains, websites, and software subscriptions the business depends on
- What you’d want done: keep it running, sell it, hand it off, or close it
Where to find it
Pull your formation folder first. Whatever you filed with your state, and the IRS letter that assigned your EIN, are the core of this page.
Then your state’s business filing website shows your entity’s status and filing deadlines. Your accountant or bookkeeper can fill in what you’re missing.
Finally, write down your wishes for the business, even briefly. That one note saves the person stepping in from guessing.
A free resource
Closing a business (IRS): the IRS checklist of final returns and steps, useful for knowing what a successor would face, even if you never plan to close.
What the course adds
Business Records is a one-lesson module built around a single workbook page. It connects to the Side Hustles page for smaller side income, and to the Financial Information pages for business bank accounts.
If you don’t own a business, you skip it, and nothing else in the book breaks.
Facts of Life Book Course · $29 · Self-paced · Included in Off The Clock, On Purpose
Keep reading
- The Facts of Life Book: what it is and how the course works
- Work and Career Records
- Financial Information
Disclaimer: For educational and informational purposes only. This is not medical, financial, tax, or legal advice. Consult appropriate professionals in each area.