Can I form a company, do business, and remain anonymous?

Let me go ask the drug pusher and the pimp across the street. They'll probably have some tips for you. I'll be right back.

Get somebody else to form the company for you. You write the book and they pay for the rights to sell that book from you. You of course write the manual under a fake name.

First, there's no law against taking a user manual and improving it. Many user manuals that come with all types of gadgets are confusing and mostly useless.

If you want to write a user friendly manual do it. Just be sure to make it 100 percent original. Don't pinch a single phrase from the original. Use a pen name. Problem solved.

EDIT: If you've signed something with your company that prohibits such a thing, then ignore my post.

My real name is yukon.

If you are using a word processor like MS Word, delete the document properties. Otherwise, they may autofill with your name.

If you convert to PDF, again check the file properties for identifying information.

If you have domain registration it will need to be in your company name, plus anonymous. The email will need to be anonymous.

If you have website hosting it cannot be on the same place where you have other sites.

If you are selling the product you will need a payment processor unattached to anything leading back to you insofar as name of the seller, emails, etc.

It can be done. But there have also been many who tried to be anonymous with a product and something tripped them up.

For instance, if you create a LLC the LLC ownership records may be publicly available online. Now you're looking at an expensive Nevada corp / llc (or some other jurisdiction) with anonymity - although Nevada is not as anonymous as you might think.

If an address is listed somewhere, you may be thinking PO Box. One problem is anyone can ask the postmaster if the owner of the PO Box and get it, if they promise the information is for litigation purposes. A private mail box may be better.

It might be better to create a partnership with a spouse / friend, as in many places partnerships do not need to be publicly registered.

Whew! Sure hope that manual is worth it, because the NSA, Google, etc., probably have all the information to connect the identifying dots anyway.

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To make it simple: just have a friend sell the manual.

You can offer to split profits with them or something like that so you both benefit.

Just use your imagination and read the laws.

Keep us posted on this one, I'm interested to see where you take this. All the best.

I wouldn't think the market is to great for user's manuals no matter the product. Don't do it if you could possibly lose your job.

You can go completely offshore, Seychelles is a good one for that.

http://www.wis-international.com/sey...companies.html

Combine that with some sketchy hosting in Russia, and you should be good to go

Incorporate in the state of Delaware.

Let me get this straight: You work for the company that makes the product. It's their product and you're their employee. You know about the product because you work for them and you know the documentation isn't any good for the same reason. I'm guessing here that you know who has bought this product because you happen to work for the company who makes it. Now you want to exploit this insider knowledge in a devious and underhanded way to make money for yourself.

I'm glad you don't work for me! I'd be looking to a) fire your a** and b) take out an injunction to stop you exploiting this knowledge you've gained at my expense. Your contract of employment may have a clause that prohibits you doing what you're proposing.

I suggest you write the first few chapters of the manual. Show it to your boss. Tell him (or her) how much extra money the company could make if they sold the manual you're proposing to write. Presumably you've worked this out as part of your own business plan. You do have a business plan, don't you? Unless your employer is incredibly stupid he (or she) will jump at the chance to make some extra profit. If writing manuals is outside your normal duties, negotiate some extra payment or overtime to write the manual.

If your boss is incredibly stupid, ask if they have any objections to you writing the manual and selling it. If they don't object, get permission in writing, then write your manual and sell it openly. If they do object: Game over.

Sure, you could form a corporation in the Cayman Islands or somewhere you can have nominee directors, but the process is incredibly expensive, and you'll need to be certain of making a massive profit. Doing what you're proposing isn't particularly ethical, anyway. I'd think again if I were you.

Maybe, but why would you want to do that? Branding is a very important aspect of any business!