Who should I meet up with first to help setup business

[Brandon Brinn]

Hey everyone, first post here and I am fairly new so I apologize if my question seems dumb. My partner and I who are going into business together are in the process of getting our funds together. He already has his and I am just waiting for the bank on mine. While we are waiting for my funds to get started, we both agreed we want to setup a legal entity before we go to make any deal. Our plan is to have everything setup correctly from the start so we minimize any risks or inconveniences. I’ve wanted to sit down with a real estate attorney to help structure our business so we’re following all laws and regulations with no hassle. I’ve also wanted to speak with a CPA to help structure our business to help reach our financial goals. The main goal is to approach this the right way from the start. So my question is this.

Would you recommend meeting with an attorney first or a cpa first? What would make more sense to do first, then second. Or would meeting with both be a little redundant? 

Again we are new to this but have high hopes and goals. We are both very committed to reach our financial goals and both do pretty well with our financial life from our day job. Both my partner and I are in this for the long haul with great dedication. This is a new venture for us but plans of being our full time career once it takes off so I apologize if this question may seem a little dumb or doesn’t make the most sense. Thanks in advance to anyone who wouldn’t mind taking time to reply to help us keep the ball rolling!

[Dan Fowers]

There are no dumb questions, my answer would be to interview at least 3 of each and once you decide on one, get both the CPA and the lawyer in the same room (or zoom call) at the same time with you while you go over financial plans, business structure, goals, expectations ect. so you all can be on the same page so you know exactly what to expect from them and they know exactly what to expect from you. Make sure to have regular meetings with them and update them on progress of the business and any deals you have done and or questions you have. These meetings are better done separately after the initial meeting since they likely have other clients they need to attend to. I am so happy you guys decided to consult a professional with such a serious topic! I wish you guys great wealth!