Hi Jon. Thanks for asking your question. My name is XXXXX XXXXX X will be assisting you. For most small companies, it makes sense to simply file the LLC in the state where you will reside and conduct your business. In fact, if your form a "foreign" LLC - an LLC outside the state where you conduct your business - your local state will almost always require you to register the LLC locally. Thus, even if you filed in Nevada, Virginia would require you to register your LLC to do business in Virginia, which is usually just an added level of paperwork. However, if you start in Virginia and form your LLC in Virginia, you can always leave it there when you move, so long as you register to do business in each state you move to. Or, there are also ways to convert the LLC to the jurisdiction of the new state when you move. To summarize, it usually makes the most sense to start local and then register later in each additional state where you end up conducting business.

Now, to address your original question of the advantages to forming in Nevada or Wyoming. Wyoming, for example, offers certain tax advantages to certain companies, which may or may not affect you. Wyoming also has lower annual filing rates (although the savings are minimal). Corporate formalities are minimal. Also. officers and directors may have better protection from debts of the corporation.

Anyway, while there may be some advantages to filing in a more friendly out of state jurisdiction, keep in mind that your company will still have to register locally and be governed as well by local law. Here is a very good article summarizing the differences between Wyoming and Nevada: http://www.corporateservicecenter.com/nevada-inc-whitepapers_files/wyoming_v_nevada.php

Unless any of these issues make a huge difference to your company, it would most likely make sense to keep things simple and start with an LLC in Virginia, which you can keep in Virginia and simply file for foreign corporation status in each state you end up in.

Please feel free to post follow up questions or comments if I can assist you further.

Thanks very much for your follow up. One of the formation companies on the Internet is probably not a bad thing. They charge you for the actual filing fees and costs and a fee on top of that to do the work. You may even take a stab at considering doing it yourself, if you are so inclined. An attorney is good to have available if you end up needing additional help in the future, such as drafting contracts for the business or taking in shareholders or investors. However, the Internet formation companies or even you yourself, can probably get you started just fine.

Here is the website if you want to take a look at the forms and requirements:

http://www.scc.virginia.gov/clk/dom_corp.aspx