How to Set Up a TC Business in a Day
There’s a myth floating around that starting a TC business is some long, complicated process. It’s not. You can go from zero to a fully set up, ready-to-operate business in about a day. We’ve done it. We could walk anyone through it in an hour.
Table of Contents
▼Here’s every step, in dependency order — each step gives you something the next step needs. Move as fast as you can.
Step 1: File Your LLC
Time: 15-30 minutes online Cost: $50-300 depending on your state
Go to your state’s Secretary of State website and file online. In most states it’s a simple form — business name, registered agent (that’s you), address, and a filing fee. You’ll get confirmation within minutes to a few days depending on the state.
A word about naming your LLC — this trips people up.
Your LLC name is your legal name. It goes on contracts, bank accounts, and tax filings. It does NOT have to be the name you advertise under. That’s what a DBA (Doing Business As) is for.
Here’s the mistake we see constantly: someone names their LLC “Sunshine Transaction Coordination, LLC” because that’s their brand. Great. Then a year later they want to do something unrelated — maybe bookkeeping, virtual assistant work, or some completely off-the-wall side business like custom boat covers or artisan candle making. Now they’re signing contracts with “Sunshine Transaction Coordination, LLC” for work that has nothing to do with transaction coordination. It looks weird. It confuses people. And if they want to advertise as just “Sunshine Transaction Coordination” without the LLC, most states won’t allow that without a DBA filing anyway.
What we’d suggest based on our experience: Name your LLC something generic — “Smith Ventures, LLC” or “Coastal Group, LLC” or “JM Enterprises, LLC.” Then file a DBA for your TC brand name — “Sunshine Transaction Coordination” or whatever you want to call yourself publicly. Now you advertise under the DBA, it looks clean to clients, and your LLC can house any future business you decide to start without looking strange on a contract. Another DBA costs almost nothing and attaches right to the same LLC.
A DBA filing is cheap. In Texas, for example, the LLC itself costs $300 to file and the DBA (assumed name certificate) is $25 with the Secretary of State. Other states are similar — usually under $50 for the DBA. It saves you from having to restructure later when your business evolves — and businesses always evolve.
If you have questions about whether an LLC is the right structure for your situation, a quick call to a small business attorney or CPA will sort it out.
Step 2: File Your DBA
Time: 10 minutes online Cost: $25-50 depending on your state
If you went with a generic LLC name (which we recommend), file your DBA now while you’re still on the Secretary of State website. Same session, same sitting. This is the name you’ll actually use — on your website, your business cards, your email signature. Get it filed.
Step 3: Get Your EIN
Time: 5 minutes Cost: Free
Go to IRS.gov and apply for an Employer Identification Number. It’s free, it’s online, and you get it immediately. Think of it as a Social Security number for your business — you’re going to need it for almost everything: bank account, taxes, insurance, contracts. Do not pay a third-party service to do this for you — it’s literally a 5-minute form on the IRS website.
Step 4: Open a Business Bank Account
Time: 30-60 minutes (in person) or 15 minutes (online) Cost: Whatever minimum deposit your bank requires (often $25-100)
Take a copy of your articles of organization (the document you get back from your LLC filing) and your EIN to a bank, or open one online. That’s all they need. Keep your business finances separate from personal from day one. This isn’t optional — it protects your LLC’s liability shield and makes tax time dramatically easier.
You don’t need a fancy business account with monthly fees. A basic free business checking account is all you need to start.
Do you need a physical business address? You don’t need one to start, but if you want a mailing address that isn’t your home, a UPS Store mailbox or a Mailboxes Etc. box gives you a real street address (not a PO Box). The post office will also give you a street-style address now that looks better than a traditional PO Box. Not cheap, but doable if you want the separation.
Step 5: Get a Dedicated Phone Line
Time: 10 minutes Cost: $15-25/month
Do not use your personal cell phone as your business line. Get a dedicated number.
We recommend Line2, Grasshopper, or OpenPhone. Try not to spend more than $20-25/month. Stay away from Google Voice — it’s free but limited. And stay away from RingCentral — they sound cheap upfront but everything’s an add-on.
What to look for (consider these mandatory):
- Auto-attendant / IVR — the caller presses 1 to reach you. This one feature cuts spam calls by about 90%. Trust us on this.
- Business hours — set them and make calls roll to voicemail outside those hours. Agents will call at 3 AM. We promise. Those calls never lead anywhere good. Let it go to voicemail.
- Voicemail to email — they leave a message, you get an audio file in your inbox. Voicemail transcription is even better if the service offers it.
- Mobile app — load the client on your personal phone and carry one device. Your business line rings through the app, your personal line rings normally. One phone, two numbers.
- Desktop client with SMS — this is a big one. You want to be able to send and receive text messages from your computer using a full keyboard. When you’re discussing a complex contract issue or coordinating with a lender, typing on your computer is ten times faster than tapping on your phone and fighting autocorrect. Copy-paste alone makes it worth it. OpenPhone and Line2 both have desktop apps. Make sure whatever you pick does too.
You need this phone number for your business cards, logo design, and website — that’s why it comes before those steps.
Step 6: Register a Domain Name
Time: 5 minutes Cost: $10-15/year
Go to Cloudflare and purchase a domain. They sell domains at cost — no markup, no upsells. Match it to your DBA/brand name.
Don’t stress over the domain name too much. Get something short that’s close to your business name. People will click to send you an email — they won’t type your domain manually. So sunshinetc.com is fine even if your business name is “Sunshine Transaction Coordination Services.” Close enough.
You need the domain for your email and website — that’s why it comes next.
Step 7: Set Up Professional Email
Time: 10 minutes Cost: $6/month (Google Workspace)
yourname@yourbusiness.com — not yourbusiness.tc@gmail.com. A professional email address costs almost nothing and immediately makes you look legitimate.
Go to Google Workspace and buy the cheapest plan ($6/month). Google will connect to your Cloudflare domain and walk you through the setup — you don’t need any technical ability. Once it’s done, you log into Gmail and start using your business email. You also get Drive and Calendar on your domain.
You need this email address for your business cards, logo design, and website — that’s why it comes before those steps.
Step 8: Get a Logo
Time: 15 minutes (DIY) or 4-8 hours (Fiverr rush) Cost: Free-$50
You can YOLO a logo out of ChatGPT or Canva if you’re comfortable — either will give you something clean enough for day one.
If you want something more polished, go to Fiverr and hire a designer. Put a rush on it — some Fiverr designers can turn a logo around in 4-8 hours. And here’s the trick: if they’re doing the logo, they can usually do your business card design too. Give them your phone number, email, domain, and business name and they’ll hand you back both.
Step 9: Order Business Cards
Time: 10 minutes to order (once you have the design), delivered in 3-5 days Cost: $25-50
Use GotPrint.com — way better quality and pricing than Vistaprint. Keep them clean: your name, title (Transaction Coordinator), business name, phone, email, website. You’ll hand these out at networking events, leave them at title companies, and give them to agents after closings.
This is why you set up the phone number, domain, and email first — you need all three before you can order cards.
Step 10: Build a Basic Website
Time: 1-2 hours Cost: Free to $15/month
Your website doesn’t need to be fancy. For day one, you need one page with:
- Your business name and what you do
- The services you offer (TC, LC, compliance)
- Your service area (states you cover)
- Your contact information (business phone, professional email)
- A short “about” section — who you are and why you’re qualified
That’s it. Set up a free Wix site or a Squarespace site. One page. Use ChatGPT to generate the content — tell it what services you offer, what states you cover, and it’ll write the page for you in five minutes. If you’re not comfortable building it yourself, there are people on Fiverr who will set up a basic Wix or Squarespace site for you for $50-100. Don’t spend a week designing it. Get something live that looks professional and move on. You can improve it later when you have clients and revenue.
Step 11: Get E&O Insurance
Time: 15-30 minutes to apply Cost: $300-500/year
You definitely want E&O (Errors and Omissions) insurance for your TC business. It protects you if something goes wrong on a file — a missed deadline, a document error, anything that causes financial damage to a client. Most agents will ask if you have it, and some won’t work with you without it.
Important: When you talk to insurance providers, you are an administrative assistant — not a real estate agent. TC E&O insurance is different from real estate agent E&O insurance. You are not performing licensed activity for your clients. Do not perform licensed activity for your clients. That’s probably the best advice anyone can give you on this topic. If you’re concerned about where the line is in your state, look up your state’s laws or talk to an attorney.
CRES, Hiscox, and several other providers offer E&O policies for administrative professionals and real estate support staff. Apply online, get a quote, and bind the policy. Don’t skip this.
The Finished Checklist
By end of day, you have:
- LLC filed with your state
- DBA filed for your brand name
- EIN from the IRS (free, 5 minutes)
- Business bank account open (bring articles of organization + EIN)
- Dedicated business phone line active (Line2, Grasshopper, or OpenPhone — with auto-attendant and business hours)
- Domain name registered (Cloudflare)
- Professional email address working (Google Workspace on your domain)
- Logo created (ChatGPT, Canva, or Fiverr rush)
- Business cards on order (GotPrint.com — needs phone, email, domain, and logo first)
- Basic website live (Wix or Squarespace — one page is enough)
- E&O insurance applied for (you’re an administrative assistant, not an agent)
Total cost: Under $500 Total time: One focused day
That’s a real business. Not a someday plan. Not a 6-month project. One day.
What Comes Next
Now you need two things: knowledge of the transaction process and your first clients.
The business infrastructure is done. The rest is learning the work and finding people who need it.
- TC Startup Kit (free download) — overview of the TC role and how to get started
- TC Training Course — our comprehensive course built on real workflows
- How to get your first TC clients
- How to set your TC fees
