Thanks!
I use ancestry--so much is digitized now, it makes life a lot easier. My current client had taken a stab at it but she's not tech-savvy and ancestry can be complicated to use. Many people on there simply accept other people's word for things, and that's not how I roll--I want a source for everything, and only make guesses about stuff when those guesses are well-founded in context and evidence. When I need to, I've called various clerk's offices, hospitals, libraries, you name it. A former student of mine once did me a solid, going into a state hospital archive many states away to get records for me :) That was for my own tree.
In my state, I needed to file a sales tax and use form, as genealogical services are a taxable service here. The umbrella company I filed--just my name and "Consulting Services"--also covers the blog I run (on an entirely different topic) and the stuff I sell there. Since I'm just a sole proprietor, I don't need to file paperwork with the secretary of state's office and since it's in my name, I don't need to file DBA paperwork with the town.
I'm debating now on whether it's worth getting a separate bank account. The biz I started years ago had one, but it had much more complex overhead costs than my current endeavor.
