Set up your bank account and bookkeeping software (preferably online, so it syncs with your bank records) before you open your business. Find a good accountant who works with small business. Meet with them at least once before you open. Take their advice about tax filing, opening a retirement planning (SEP IRA or whatever), etc.

Insurance is a big deal. Your landlord will require it, and many insurance brokers will be reluctant to give you a policy because your LLC is new. Ask other small business owners who their insurance broker is. Be prepared to try with several before you get one that gives you a policy that fits your requirements and doesn’t make you broke.

I know exactly what I need to do to expand the business and grow in profitability; however, I hate this industry…I don’t want to just “give up” when the company could be successful, but I can’t stand this industry…

A lot of people think that success leads to happiness, but I think it goes the other way around. If there’s no emotional payoff to you, it’s much harder to invest yourself into your business. That, in turn, lowers your chances of success.

Life is short. If you hate what you’re doing, stop.

Find something that’s meaningful, that’s inherently motivating, and that would help give you the life you want. From what you’ve said in your OP, what you’re doing now isn’t any of that. Go do something that is.

Is your LLC in New York State?

If so, changing the state where your LLC is filed is going to be a pain, no matter what state you go to. New York doesn’t let you export your LLC, so you’d have dissolve the LLC in New York and then form a new one in your new state. (I learned this the hard way when I moved from New York to California and wanted to take my LLC with me.)

You might be better off just leaving your LLC in New York and then filing as a foreign (that is, out-of-state) entity doing business in your new state.

From what I understand, your taxes would be the same either way, and you’d get to keep your EIN. (Having a continuously-used EIN is useful if you ever need to open a line of credit or get a loan. EINs for businesses that have been open for at least two years get much better terms than those that haven’t been operating for as long.)

I used to have lots of it. It was a big part of why I went into the profession I chose.

During busy periods, I did nothing but work. I’d go for a month or two with 16- to 20-hour days, 6 or 7 days a week. But then I could take off for long stretches, with some planning.

I used to take off mid-June through mid-August. I could stretch Thanksgiving into a 9- or 10-day break. I could also take three weeks in winter (mid-December through the first week of January) and a week in spring, usually around Passover/Easter.

Now, I’m lucky if I get a full day off at all. My last actual break was in the summer of 2019. I get the same peak season craziness, but not the relief afterward. Feh.

It might be a good idea to ask this question in r/psychotherapists, r/therapists, and r/llc.

You could also contact a small business lawyer in California. Yes, it might cost you a little, but setting up your entity correctly could save you a lot of time, effort, and money later on.

It might be a good idea to ask this question in r/psychotherapists, r/therapists, and r/llc.

You could also contact a small business lawyer in California. Yes, it might cost you a little, but setting up your entity correctly could save you a lot of time, effort, and money later on.

Your local branch of SCORE and SBDC could help.

The State of Texas would be happy to help you, too. Their list of things to do is geared towards bigger undertakings than yours, but the basic idea is the same.

As far as a business plan goes–you probably don’t need tons of info. Just make sure you know what your costs are, and keep track of how much money comes in.

Here are some things I learned the hard way. I hope my pain can be your gain:

1. Before you make your first sale, set up a separate bank account specifically for your business. Deposit some of your own money to start. Then, all your revenue goes to that account and all your expenses come out of it–no exceptions.
2. Get some kind of online bookkeeping thing (Quickbooks, Wave, Freshbooks, etc.) Before you even make your first sale, link that new bank account to your online bookkeeping. Once you start selling, keep up on categorizing your transactions.
3. Once you’re off the ground and running, file your quarterly estimated taxes. Be generous in your estimations of your income. See an accountant if you have to. (I had to. It was worth every penny.)
4. Set up your business name and URL as part of your marketing. Use Google Keywords to find out what terms people looking for your crafts use when they search. Come up with a few names that make it clear what you sell and include some of those key words. Then search for URLs with your prospective names and things close to your prospective names. Pick a name that has a URL that’s unclaimed and that’s unlikely to be mistaken for a different URL.

Good luck! Once you’re all set up, post a link here, so we can all see your stuff.