US LLC Formation as a Non‑US Solo Founder With Northwest Registered Agent

Why I Even Needed a US LLC in the First Place

I was not trying to "expand internationally" or impress investors. I just run a small online business from my laptop, and Stripe made the most sense for payments.

The catch: Stripe wanted a US business entity and proper business details, not just "me as an individual somewhere on the internet". So overnight I went from "let me finish this landing page" to "apparently I need to form a US LLC, pick a registered agent service, and not screw up anything legal".

My main fears were:

• filling the wrong form
• missing a deadline
• accidentally creating a tax/compliance mess

Hiring a full law firm did not make sense for an early‑stage one‑person company. I just wanted:

• a simple, legit US LLC Stripe would accept
• a registered agent that does not overcharge or spam me
• some help avoiding obvious compliance mistakes

That sent me down the rabbit hole of LLC services for small online businesses, and eventually to Northwest Registered Agent.

What Northwest Registered Agent Actually Does (In Plain Language)

Ignoring all the formal wording, here's what I explained to my fellow indie business owner friend: it basically does two things:

• LLC formation service for small businesses and solo founders — they prepare and file the paperwork to form your LLC (or corporation) with your chosen state.
• Registered agent service in all 50 US states — they give you a real physical address in the state, receive official/legal mail there, scan and upload it to your dashboard, and email you when something important arrives.

For a one‑person online business, side‑effects that matter:

• In many cases you can use their address instead of your home address on public records.
• You get compliance reminders for things like LLC annual reports.
• The whole vibe is "quiet operations partner", not "upsell funnel".

So in practice they are a privacy‑focused registered agent with free document scanning and reminders, very much suitable for small business owners and solo founders.

Why I Picked Northwest Instead of a $0 LLC Platform

Like everyone else, I first clicked on the big "$0 LLC formation" ads. On the surface they looked cheaper, but once I went through the checkout flows it felt like:

• everything was an upsell — EIN, operating agreement, "compliance kits", "priority" filing
• a bunch of extras were pre‑checked by default
• the whole thing was optimized to extract maximum lifetime value, not to make my life simple

By contrast, Northwest Registered Agent felt calm and readable.

What sold me:

• Straightforward pricing — a clear fee for LLC formation and a clear annual registered agent fee, no mystery bundles.
• Privacy — they explicitly care about keeping your home address off public records where possible.
• Real humans — I emailed a basic question about which state made sense for a small online‑only business, and got a plain‑English reply that did not push the most expensive option.

I did not feel like "a lead in a funnel". I felt like a normal person getting help with a one‑person business.

How the LLC Formation Actually Went

Choosing the State and Service

My situation:

• remote, online‑only business
• no physical US office
• simple product setup

With guidance from their support and my own reading, I picked a state with reasonable fees and simple annual report rules.

On the Northwest Registered Agent site I just:

• chose the state
• chose LLC formation
• accepted that I needed their registered agent service there

There were no Bronze/Silver/Gold packages or add‑on mazes. That simplicity mattered more than saving an extra $20 somewhere.

Filling in the Details

The online form was straightforward. They asked for:

• my LLC name
• a short description of the business
• owner info and contact details

The important part: they clearly showed which fields would become public record and where I could use their address instead of my own.

Waiting, Then Connecting Stripe

After I submitted and paid the formation fee, I got a confirmation email and then waited.

Within about a week (depends on state), I received:

• an email that my LLC was approved
• access to my articles of organization
• a simple operating agreement template

Plugging that information (plus EIN) into Stripe and other tools was straightforward. That was the real test: did this actually get me to "I can accept payments"? It did.

Day‑to‑Day With Northwest After the Setup

Registered Agent & Mail

They receive state and legal mail at their address, scan and upload everything, and send me an email if something important arrives.

I log in, glance at the dashboard, and see what mail came in, what services are active, and what needs attention. For a small online business LLC, that reliability and scanning is all I really need.

Compliance Reminders & Annual Reports

Each state has its own version of an annual report or statement of information. Northwest Registered Agent:

• emails me well before the deadline
• shows the due date and status in the dashboard
• offers a paid service to file the annual report if I want

The year my LLC effectively made $0, I decided to DIY the annual report to save money. Northwest’s reminders made sure I did not forget, but they did not pressure me into paying them to file it.

Pricing: Not the Cheapest, But Predictable

You can find cheaper headline prices, especially from sites that advertise "$0 LLC". But for my use case — non‑US solo founder, remote online business, cares about privacy — Northwest Registered Agent landed in the "worth it" zone.

What I actually pay for:

• a one‑time LLC formation fee (plus state fee)
• a recurring annual registered agent fee

What I do not have to deal with:

• surprise subscriptions
• mandatory bundles of stuff I do not need
• my home address being plastered on public records

If you purely want the absolute rock‑bottom cost and you are happy to use your own address everywhere and manually track filings, you can DIY through the state. If you want a low‑stress, privacy‑friendly registered agent for a small or solo business, Northwest’s pricing is reasonable.

Who Northwest Is Right For

I would recommend Northwest Registered Agent if you:

• are a solo founder / indie maker / one‑person online business owner
• need a US LLC for Stripe or other US‑based tools
• work from home (possibly outside the US) and care about keeping your address private
• are happy to pay a clear annual fee for a reliable, privacy‑focused registered agent service

If your only goal is to pay the absolute lowest fee and you’re happy to spend hours clicking around state websites, Northwest probably isn’t for you — it’s built more for founders who value time, privacy, and not having to babysit compliance.