<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYou would have to look pretty far and wide to find someone who has spent as much time researching registered agents as I have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Becoming an expert on registered agents was never a goal of mine, but as I started to research registered agents for my own business, I learned two things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
First, I learned how critical a registered agent is. They are the thin line between your personal identity and your company\u2019s identity. Your name and address are kept off the public record because your registered agent assumes the responsibility of being your point of contact with the Minnesota Secretary of State and accepting service of process and other legal documents on your behalf. That\u2019s a huge responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Second, I realized there was a lack of coherent, comprehensive reviews. I couldn\u2019t find a really good source breaking down the registered agent universe and reviewing the major players, so I decided to create one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I started with a simple search of Minnesota registered agents and quickly found over 60. I went through the websites of all of them from the splashy, banner promotions on the top of the page to the tiniest of small print at the bottom. I put together a database of all of them and what they offered as a part of their service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My next step was to dive deep into the abyss of online reviews. I read as many as I could about each company and tried to come up with consensus opinions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally, I got on the phone and actually talked to the companies themselves, provided that I could get past their automated guardians and get hold of a real person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All of this is to say that I have done my homework and then some. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As I was working on all of this, I also talked to others in my small business network who were searching for a Minnesota registered agent. They were as baffled about the business as I had been and encouraged me to share and publish my findings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The result is this website, which has already helped thousands find their Minnesota registered agent. I hope it can be of help to you too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>How I Selected the Best Registered Agent<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nHere is a detailed breakdown of the four-step process I used to select the best Minnesota registered agent service for your Minnesota LLC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Stage 1: Reviews<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\nAfter I had identified more than 60 Minnesota registered agents, I tried to narrow down the field a bit using online reviews. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I went through the reviews on Google Business, TrustPilot, the Better Business Bureau, and Facebook, among others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since you never know the agenda of the author, I always take online reviews with a grain of salt, but if you read enough of them you can come up with something resembling a consensus opinion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The most common complaint was about dishonest pricing, which seems to be pretty widespread in the registered agent business. There are a number of registered agents that advertise one low price, sometimes as low as $39, but they don\u2019t make it obvious that this price is just a one-time, introductory sign-up fee. On an annual basis, the real cost to you is substantially higher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since one of the most important factors in selecting a registered agent is finding a company you can trust, I eliminated any registered agent that used this bait-and-switch scam to lure in customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nearly 50 Minnesota registered agents used this scheme. When I got rid of the scammers, I had only 12 agents left on my list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Stage 2: Website Analysis<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\nNext, I took a really hard look at the websites of the 12 remaining Minnesota registered agents. Mainly, I was mining them for information, but I also wanted to get a feel for which registered agents seemed to invest in their online system and which ones didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The most important information I was looking for at this stage was exactly what each company included with their Minnesota registered agent service. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
All registered agents offer a physical street address at which they accept service of process and legal documents on behalf of your company, but some offer a good deal more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What made this a little tricky is the fact that some registered agents, like ZenBusiness, charge extra for \u201cpremium\u201d services, such as compliance alerts, so I went through the fine print to see what services cost more than the standard rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Stage 3: Speaking with Real Customers<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\nI am blessed to have a pretty large network of fellow small business owners so I reached out to anyone who had recently hired a Minnesota registered agent service or had an LLC formed in Minnesota and really picked their brain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m grateful that a number of business owners took the time to talk to me, as I found these conversations to be much more honest and informative than the online reviews. I was also able to ask specific questions which was a big help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now that this website is live, I am getting a lot of feedback from readers which helps keep my ratings current and providing me with new information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Stage 4: Speaking with Their Sales Teams<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\nWhen I was sure I had a really good grasp of the strengths and weaknesses of the remaining 12 registered agents, I talked directly to the companies themselves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
My goal was to get a really good feel for each registered agent\u2019s company culture. I challenged the sales reps with specific questions based on my research to see how they\u2019d respond. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I wanted to know how open they were to customer complaints, how eager they were to fix mistakes, and how dedicated they were to improving their service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n