How To Form A Company In Mississippi

With our 5-step process, forming a company in Mississippi is simple. A company may be formed by submitting formation paperwork with your state and forming a board of directors.

We’ll teach you how to form your own company in Mississippi.

It is simple to establish a corporation in Mississippi.

In Mississippi, you may form a company by submitting the Certificate of Incorporation, drafting corporate bylaws, and naming your first director (s).

To get started, follow the steps in our How to Start a Corporation in Mississippi tutorial below:

Step 1: Give Your Mississippi Corporation a Name

Step 2: Select a Registered Agent.

Hold an Organizational Meeting in Step 3

Step 4: Submit your Articles of Incorporation.

Step 5: Obtain an EIN

Step 1: Give Your Mississippi Corporation a Name

The first step in forming a company is to choose a business name. You must choose a distinct name that conforms with Mississippi company naming regulations.

1. Mississippi naming conventions:

Your name must include the words “corporation,” “company,” “incorporated,” “limited,” an abbreviation of one of these phrases, or words or abbreviations having the same meaning in another language.

Your name must be distinct from any other businesses in your state. Mississippi reserved names are included.

Your name cannot indicate that the company was formed for any illegal or unauthorised purpose, as stated in its articles of formation.

2. Is my business name accessible in Mississippi?

Your Mississippi company name must be distinct and distinct from existing Mississippi business names. To see whether your selected company name is available, use the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Business Search Portal.

Visit our How to Name a Business guide and pick Mississippi from the drop-down box for further information on Mississippi corporation name searches.

3. Is the URL accessible?

Before forming your Mississippi company, check to see whether an appropriate URL for your preferred business name is accessible. Even if you don’t intend to create a company website right immediately, we recommend purchasing a web domain right away to avoid other companies from obtaining it.

Step 2: Select a Registered Agent in Mississippi.

When you file your company with the Secretary of State, you must choose a Mississippi registered agent.

What exactly is a Registered Agent? A registered agent is a person or organisation chosen by an LLC or corporation to accept service of process, government communications, and compliance paperwork on behalf of a company.

Who Is Eligible to Be a Registered Agent? An person, a corporate organisation, or a professional registered agent service may serve as your registered agent. Any organisation or individual may act as your Mississippi registered agent as long as the person:

is at least 18 years old

has a physical address in the state where business is done

is accessible during regular business hours (in person).

Step 3 Hold an Organizational Meeting

Before filing the Articles of Incorporation formally in Step 4, you must conduct an organisational meeting to perform the following tasks:

Complete and sign the Articles of Incorporation.

Establish and approve bylaws

Choose your first director (s)

Determine your ownership structure.

Fill out an Incorporator’s Statement.

Establish and Approve Corporate Bylaws

Bylaws are the rules that regulate and control how your organisation is governed and operated. Consider the bylaws to be your corporation’s constitution. It clarifies the norms and priorities for all parties involved.

The bylaws of a company will augment any regulations established by the federal government or the state.

Include the following in your bylaws:

The governance of the company, including the roles of directors and officials

Meeting processes, voting procedures, and the election of executives or directors

How will records be preserved and managed?

How will disagreements be resolved?

How will bylaws be added/modified in the future?

The annual shareholders’ meeting date

Contract Negotiation Techniques

Fiduciary responsibilities to the company (i.e. acting in the best interests of the corporation)

What is a quorum for voting purposes?

What exactly is a quorum? A quorum is the minimal number of members of an assembly that must be present at a meeting in order for the meeting or any votes taken within to be legitimate.

Appoint the First Directors

At least one director must be appointed to monitor your Mississippi company until the first shareholders’ meeting. This might be done in the Articles of Incorporation or by the incorporator(s).

A corporate director is in charge of operational bylaw adoption, modification, and repeal, as well as the election, monitoring, and removal of officers.

Following the incorporation of the company, the incorporator(s) — or initial director(s), if listed on the formation papers — shall convene an organisational meeting. During this inaugural meeting, either the incorporator(s) or the initial director(s) will elect the board of directors.

Selecting a Share Structure and Strategy

A share of stock is a corporation’s unit of ownership. Each share of stock reflects a proportion of the company’s ownership. If a business issues one share of stock, the shareholder (stock owner) owns 100% of the corporation.

Shares may be divided into classes. Each class, known as a share class, has unique rights and advantages. There may be several classes, and each class can have an unlimited number of shares.

Strategy for Distribution

The Articles of Incorporation form in Mississippi enables you to specify whether the company will issue more than one approved share class or series. You must specify whether the shares are common or preferred.

Preferred Stock vs. Common Stock

Preferred stock does not offer its shareholders voting rights, although common stock does. Preferred shareholders are compensated before regular stockholders when it comes to corporate assets.

Make and implement an Incorporator’s Statement

The incorporator(s) shall sign and preserve an Incorporator’s Statement with the full names and addresses of all initial directors in the corporate records book.

This document identifies the first director(s) who will serve until the board of directors is chosen at the first shareholder meeting. It should be kept with the rest of your company’s records.

Step 4: Submit the Mississippi Articles of Incorporation to the Secretary of State.

To form a company in Mississippi, you must first submit the Mississippi Articles of Incorporation. The Articles of Incorporation are the legal documents that establish your Mississippi company. You must register with the Mississippi Secretary of State and submit your application online. The application cost is $50.

This paper will address the fundamentals of your company, such as:

Name of the company, email address, and NAICS code

Name and location of the corporate registered agent

The quantity and kind of authorised shares that a company may issue.

Name(s) and address of incorporator(s) (es)

Step 5 Get an EIN for Your Mississippi Corporation

What exactly is an EIN? The federal government uses an Employer Identification Number (EIN) or Federal Tax Identification Number (FTIN) to identify a company organisation. It is effectively the company’s social security number.

Why do I need an EIN? An EIN is necessary for the following activities:

To establish a commercial bank account for the firm

In terms of federal and state taxation

To recruit workers for the firm

How can I get an EIN? After founding the firm, the business owner obtains an EIN from the IRS (free of charge). This may be done online or in the mail.