Now I know where in Idaho I will live

[jmowreader]

It will be Post Falls.

Check this shit out: My brother-in-law who knows every logger and chip hauler in North Idaho is legally blind. Today I got a call from him. He found about eight more of his buddies who'd like to hire me, so I'll be talking to them. Then he comes out with the kicker: I didn't know he owns a 30x40 shop building. So we have decided to go into the furniture business on at least a part-time basis. My dad and I will build the pieces, he will finish them.

So...anyone know what documents I would need to file (business license, sales tax permit, etc., etc., etc.) to set this up? Getting materials is no problem--we're probably going to use quite a bit of plywood, and he's a Potlatch retiree so can use his discount--they don't mind you buying stock for commercial purposes so long as you're not selling sheets of plywood; you can make things out of it and sell them but they don't want you to go buy someone a truckload of plywood. (And Potlatch's plywood is very good stuff--much better than the cheap shit Georgia-Pacific sells.)

[datasuspect]

1. what kind of starting capital are working with?

ballpark

[jmowreader]

2. Not much, couple grand really

What I think we're going to start out doing is buying ugly solid-wood pieces at garage sales, tearing them down, repairing the broken pieces and recreating bits too far gone to save, refinishing them, reassembling them with good glue and selling them through consignment shops my sister knows about. This will give us enough startup capital that we can buy the big tools we're going to need--table saw and lathe.

Right now I've got quite a few of the expensive tools we'll need, like chopsaw and router. I also have a small but useful selection of hand tools.

[datasuspect]

3. hold off on the equipment purchases and don't take a paycheck

if this is family, i assume you'll be living in a situation where everyone shares expenses. this can be good.

if you have a large shop, you have to figure your nut will include: lights; utilities; property tax; possibly a note?

then you have to figure out how much you'd spend in consumables . . . then the cost of acquiring some pieces dirt cheap and restore them

whatever your margin is on one unit will drive how quickly and how many you need to process/sell. if you can gouge customers on the markup, this might give you cashflow.

if you buy some lumber and sell handcrafted furniture, that might work, maybe.

i dunno, there's lots of things to consider, primarily, what your niche is and who your "message" will appeal to and how much disposable income they have.

[Moondog]

7. Dood -

you're a capitalist! Notwithstanding your siggie line graphic. I am aghast. Heh.

[Bertha Venation]

4. I didn't know you'd made the decision

Congrats, and congrats on the side business. I can't help with documents or anything, but I can wish you the best of luck. :hi:

[woo me with science]

5. If I had to live in Idaho, I'd buy Carole King's place,

for sale here:

http://realestalker.blogspot.com/2007/11/carole-king-is-natural-woman-in-idaho.html

[jmowreader]

6. Wrong part of the state, and TOO ISOLATED!

I have lived in North Idaho and South Idaho. South Idaho (aka North Utah) is not for me, thanks. Also, $16 million is a bit out of my price range.

I would like to buy a half-acre close enough to town that there's electricity, and build a house out of ten 40-foot high cube shipping containers.

[Jersey Devil]

10. LOL, my daughter lived in S Idaho for a few years

Mountain Home (formerly known as "Rattlesnake Junction") - First day she was there she saw tumbleweed blow across the road and scorpions in the yard. To be honest she couldn't wait to get out of there (hubby in the Air Force, now in NC), though she still owns a home there (thanks to the recession).

[jmowreader]

11. I was born in Mountain Home on that Air Force Base

My dad was in the Bureau of Public Roads, who built the ammo supply roads on MHAFB. All the BPR families were receiving medical care from the Air Force because there wasn't much of a hospital in Mountain Home--it either didn't exist, wasn't very good or wasn't big enough to handle the BPR crew.

Sometimes the speech Rutger Hauer made in Blade Runner just before he died resonates: "I've seen things you people would not believe."

[Demoiselle]

8. All the best to you! A family business in beautiful country.

My fingers, eyes and toes are all crossed for you.

[Jersey Devil]

9. Not an Idaho lawyer but I could recommend this

If you are making furniture then there is a possibility that somewhere along the line someone could sue you for personal injuries if they get hurt due to an alleged defect in the furniture. So my recommendation is that you file an LLC (limited liability company), which will protect your personal assets from any liability of that nature.

After that I'm sure it will just be the usual - get a FEIN (federal tax ID number) and an Idaho tax number if required, plus licensing if required in your area.

Most of this stuff you could do yourself imo if you are on a limited budget. But at least see an Idaho lawyer for a consultation so you'll know everything that must be done.

[jmowreader]

12. Sounds like a trip to St. Maries is in order here

A retired judge named Dick McFadden is an old family friend through my brother-in-law, who was chief of police in St. Maries for about five years. I figure $100 and five pounds of high-quality pipe tobacco should get us all the information we'll need.

I was planning on going to a Subchapter C corporation rather than an LLC. Never heard of LLC personhood, y'know?

Now here's the big one: air quality. Some of the finishes I like have lots of VOCs--shellac is one, although I would NEVER use it on a commercial project--not durable enough, and sure as shit someone would set a beer on it and leave white rings. So I'm thinking a good water-soluble polyurethane. Fire safety is another big one--I need a dust collector like this one: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=98872. I WANT an Oneida but shit those are expensive.