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Set up your company

Having a great product idea is the first step. Then what?

10 min read

Register your company

Create a name and register a domain. Choose a name where you can get the .com from the start. But if that's not impossible, a good second-best is to register a .co (or add a word in the .com) for a domain where the .com is not used for anything popular. That way you can acquire it later. Pieter Levels, for example, started RemoteOK on remoteok.io, but was able to purchase remoteok.com later. After he did this, he saw a large boost in traffic
Two services I have seen used and loved are: 
1. Stripe Atlas is a popular one that allows you to create a bank account and a Stripe account at the same time.
2. Clerky.com is what we used for SafetyWing in the US. You pay $500 (sometimes more for additional documents), and go through the process of registering by filling out a series of forms. 
Using these services does not take long, usually just an hour or so. You can also use their tools to issue shares to founders, get investments later on a SAFE (a legal document for taking in investments), as well as hiring. Using a service like this is a great option instead of wasting time by learning these things yourself. 
This would also be great timing to apply to Y Combinator! Anyone can apply, and it is the most helpful way to think through your idea, even if you don't get in. 
Page 1 of 3

Register your company

Create a name and register a domain. Choose a name where you can get the .com from the start. But if that's not impossible, a good second-best is to register a .co (or add a word in the .com) for a domain where the .com is not used for anything popular. That way you can acquire it later. Pieter Levels, for example, started RemoteOK on remoteok.io, but was able to purchase remoteok.com later. After he did this, he saw a large boost in traffic
Two services I have seen used and loved are: 
1. Stripe Atlas is a popular one that allows you to create a bank account and a Stripe account at the same time.
2. Clerky.com is what we used for SafetyWing in the US. You pay $500 (sometimes more for additional documents), and go through the process of registering by filling out a series of forms. 
Using these services does not take long, usually just an hour or so. You can also use their tools to issue shares to founders, get investments later on a SAFE (a legal document for taking in investments), as well as hiring. Using a service like this is a great option instead of wasting time by learning these things yourself. 
This would also be great timing to apply to Y Combinator! Anyone can apply, and it is the most helpful way to think through your idea, even if you don't get in. 
Page 1 of 3
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