Entity Planning

Business Structure

One holding LLC · brand DBAs · what stays separate

Income consolidation structure HOLDING COMPANY California LLC One EIN · one bank account · one tax return DBAs — BRANDS UNDER THE LLC Meridian Signing Mobile notary Loan signing agent (LSA) DSCR Insider YouTube channels Content · ad · affiliate Gig Income Delivery / gig work (or keep personal) KEEP SEPARATE — DO NOT COMMINGLE NEXA MLO Commissions Paid to you as the licensed individual — stays personal / W-2 Day Trading Personal brokerage account Not business income SEQUENCE 1. Form California LLC → 2. Get online EIN → 3. Wait ~1 wk for IRS verification 4. Open one business bank account → 5. Register a DBA per brand 6. CPA reviews S-corp election once net income is steady (~$40–50K+) General structuring info — confirm entity setup with a CPA / attorney before filing.
🏛️ The Structure
California LLC = the legal entity.

One company that files taxes, banks, and signs contracts. Everything legitimate flows through it except the two separate lanes below. Formed in CA because you live and physically work here — a out-of-state LLC would still owe CA's $800 franchise tax plus its own fees.

~$70 filing + $800/yr CA franchise tax
DBAs = public brand names under the LLC.

Each income line operates as a "doing business as" registered under the one LLC. Separate public identities, one set of books. Cheaper and simpler than separate LLCs.

Meridian Signing & NotaryDSCR Insider
🚫 Keep Separate
NEXA MLO commissions.

As a licensed loan originator, this income is tied to you as the individual under NMLS rules. Stays on your personal / W-2 side — not routed through the LLC.

Personal
Day trading.

Trading gains don't get business treatment and mixing them muddies taxes and liability. Keep in a personal brokerage account.

Personal
🏦 How to Describe It to a Bank
Nature of business (say this):

"Professional services — mobile notary, document signing, and media/content production." Lead with notary/signing; it's the cleanest, lowest-risk category.

NAICS codes:

541120 — Notary Public Services (PRIMARY)

561410 — Document Preparation Services

711510 — Independent Artists / Writers (content)

Risk profile to convey: low transaction volume · deposits from notary/signing fees and content revenue · no cash-intensive operations · no handling of third-party / client funds.

Do NOT say: mortgage · lending · loans · financial services · real estate · trading. Those trigger extra underwriting — and your MLO income doesn't run through this LLC anyway.

One-liner if they want it written: "Fields Enterprises LLC provides mobile notary, loan-document signing, and digital media/content services."

✅ Setup Sequence
  1. Form the California LLC — file Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1) with CA Secretary of State, ~$70
  2. Apply for the EIN online at irs.gov/ein — instant, screenshot it
  3. Wait ~1 week for the EIN to verify in the IRS database (this was the Novo denial cause)
  4. File Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) within 90 days, $20
  5. Open one business bank account — Lili, Relay, Found, or a branch
  6. Register a DBA / FBN for each brand at your county (~$26–50 each)
  7. Budget the $800 franchise tax — CA minimum, due annually (first-year exemption may apply — confirm with CPA)
  8. CPA reviews S-corp election once net income is steady (~$40–50K+) to cut self-employment tax
General structuring information — not legal or tax advice.
Confirm entity setup with a CPA / attorney before filing.
Jermaine Fields · Updated June 2026