A short story about starting my own business

A few months ago I wrote a post about wanting an “angel investor” for a business idea I had.  I’ve had three angels offer to help out, and my business is pretty much set and ready to roll.  The only thing I need now is an angel at the Nevada Department of Taxation, because I’ve been waiting since July to receive my business license.  It’s been so frustrating because my contract with IFAW didn’t get renewed in late May, but I figured I could have a new business running and generating income by August at the latest.  With the all the red tape I’ve encountered just trying to get a permit to buy items at wholesale, however, my launch has already been delayed by six weeks and this could continue for at least another month.  Yes, I can start to sell inventory I have on hand, but I can’t buy anything new, so the money I’d set aside for inventory purchases is getting used up to pay bills.  It should have been used to buy inventory, and then the profits used to pay bills, but if there are no profits and there are still bills, well… one must occasionally pay the vultures.

The delays began because I had one simple question: if I run two different online retail business from my home, and they each have a different name and offer different products, but if they’re both in the business of selling to consumers and are both owned by the same corporate umbrella, do I need one sales tax certificate for each of them, or just one tax certificate to cover the corporation?  Generally you need a sales tax certificate for each location, but beyond that, the Dept. of Taxation website doesn’t explain what to do in other scenarios.  The question was important because each sales tax cert. requires a hefty deposit, and if I didn’t need to make two deposits, I didn’t want to.  Also, each cert requires report filing, and it would be nice to just file one report.  I can’t imagine this question should be too taxing (excuse the pun), but as of today, I still don’t have an answer.  I phoned the tax dept. with my question back in July (had to leave it on voicemail), and they still haven’t called back to answer me.  When I’ve tried to call again, I’ve been told not to ask repeat questions, as it only slows down the queue further.  I thought everyone bitched about “big government”—here in Nevada I don’t think the Department of Taxation even has any employees!

I finally gave up trying to get an answer and just filed for my business license online, and the forms seemed to suggest I could get away with one sales tax certificate.  So, I filled them out, and paid my $115 (minus the $100 or so deposit which had to be mailed in).  I ended up getting a business license almost immediately, but the license is useless without the sales tax permit because I still can’t buy anything wholesale.  It turns out that my online application somehow got messed up to the point that my sales tax security deposit was going to be almost $600, instead of $100, and I can’t afford that.  I’ve been trying to get this fixed since the end of August, but it’s tough to do when no one answers the phone.  I finally got some attention when I sent a fax to Carson City, which is the head office of the Dept. of Taxation, and the only contact number other than a phone number.  For whatever reason, someone in Carson City then mailed my fax to the local office in Las Vegas, where a very nice gentleman FINALLY emailed me and explained how the problem could be rectified.  However, he doesn’t have the authority to rectify it.  So, he’s going to mail instructions for the necessary changes back to Carson City, and hopefully then I can pay my $100 security deposit and get my sales tax certificate, but the fellow in Las Vegas has absolutely “no idea” how long this all might take.  In the meantime, my business license’s one year term continues to tick away (renewable at $100 per year), nothing more than an expensive bookmark without a sales tax permit to accompany it.

Isn’t it amazing the amount of money and garbage you need to wade through just to try to make a living working for yourself?  You’d think any state would be begging for small businesses with the economy being lousy, but apparently it’s just another day at the office.  I haven’t even begun the additional process of getting a business license for my county, and paying for those fees and permits—following the rules is already expensive enough without wading into another pool of red tape.  It’s difficult to stay motivated and optimistic, to say the least, and it makes me angry that it would be faster for me to get food stamps and welfare than it’s been for me to get permission to work for a living.

Ah, blogging… where would I rant if I didn’t have you?

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 09/17 at 02:48 PM

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  1. Un-beeee-lievable!

    On a side note, I am thrilled to see you back and blogging again, my friend. You are right. Depression takes the soul right out of a person. Many squishy hugs to you and Flippy in all this. I missed you.

    (And that was quite possibly the nicest thing anyone has ever written to me. I’ve thought of you often over the many months that you weren’t able to blog as you had, especially when something comes on the radio as I’m driving along that makes me think of you. Given the various projects and trials in your life, that’s quite often. Mad-Kitty and Molly-Dog send their love as well. Molly’s love has a hint of submissive pee to it and Mad’s has moth breath.)

    Posted by Diana  on  09/18  at  04:05 AM
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