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Rachel Williams

Staff Editor

Small Business Formation, LLCs, Registered Agents, Business Licenses, DBAs

About

Rachel Williams has been an editor for nearly two decades. She has spent the last five years working on small business content to help entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses. She’s well-versed in the intricacies of LLC formation, business taxes, business loans, registered agents, business licenses and more.

Rachel Williams is a small business editor at Forbes Advisor, bringing nearly two decades of professional editing experience to her role. Over the last five years, she has focused on small business content, helping entrepreneurs start, manage and grow their businesses. Before joining Forbes Advisor, Rachel refined her expertise by editing small business content for Incfile/Bizee, working at a digital marketing agency, serving as an editor at a book publisher and spending eight years writing and editing HR and job-search content for FlexJobs.

At Forbes Advisor, Rachel ensures small business articles are accurate, clear and helpful to readers. Her expertise spans forming LLCs, LLC service providers, registered agents, business licenses and strategies for growth. She collaborates with writers to simplify complex topics and empower readers with practical, reliable information.

Rachel’s extensive experience gives her a deep understanding of starting a business and navigating the legalities of business formation. Beyond these areas, she provides insights on software recommendations, operational strategies and actionable advice for entrepreneurs. Driven by a passion for helping small business owners succeed, Rachel’s work equips readers with the tools and confidence to achieve their goals.

Expertise

  • Small Business Formation
  • LLCs
  • Registered Agents
  • Business Licenses
  • DBAs

Other Publications

FlexJobs

Education

  • Judson University (B.A., Communications)
  • What Is Digital Marketing? Types, Strategies And Best Practices In 2025

    Digital marketing is so ubiquitous now that it may as well be called simply “marketing.” Nearly every business needs an online presence to reach its audience. Digital marketing refers to any form of marketing for your business online, from social...
    What Is Digital Marketing? Types, Strategies And Best Practices In 2025
  • Critical Path Method (CPM): The Ultimate Guide

    The critical path method is a predictive project management methodology that can help project managers determine how long a project will take to complete. In addition, it can improve scheduling, enhance resource planning and help mitigate risks and scope creep....
    Critical Path Method (CPM): The Ultimate Guide
  • 9 Best Accounting Software For Mac Of 2025

    Finding accounting software that plays nicely with macOS can be surprisingly tricky. Many platforms still prioritize Windows users, leaving Mac-based business owners juggling workarounds and browser-only tools. To help, we tested dozens of accounting platforms across multiple devices to identify...
    9 Best Accounting Software For Mac Of 2025
  • Wix Vs. Shopify (2025 Comparison)

    Shopify might dominate the e-commerce conversation—like Coke does for soda or Google for search—but that doesn’t make it the right fit for everyone. Wix vs. Shopify is a battle of titans with two different viewpoints. Wix focuses on personalized design...
    Wix Vs. Shopify (2025 Comparison)
  • Indeed Job Posting Cost (Guide)

    If you’re considering posting your company’s opening on Indeed, you might be a bit confused about Indeed prices. The popular job board isn’t transparent about what it costs to post a listing. To help you better understand if Indeed will...
    Indeed Job Posting Cost (Guide)
  • How To Transfer A Domain To A New Host

    Your web hosting is the storage and delivery system for your website, but your domain registration is the address and directions for browsers to find your website. Without quality domain registration and nameservers, your website is often unreachable. When it's...
    How To Transfer A Domain To A New Host
  • How To Get A Google Voice Number In Just A Few Minutes

    Google Voice is one of the most user-friendly Voice over IP (VoIP) phone systems available, which is why it ranked on our list of the best VoIP services. The signup process takes just a couple minutes and can land you...
    How To Get A Google Voice Number In Just A Few Minutes
  • How Much Does It Cost To Post A Job On LinkedIn? Everything You Need To Know

    If you’ve ever tried to post a job on LinkedIn, you probably realized very quickly that the website is not up front about pricing. So, how much does it cost to post jobs on LinkedIn? Unfortunately, there’s no clear-cut answer....
    How Much Does It Cost To Post A Job On LinkedIn? Everything You Need To Know
  • Top Website Statistics For 2025

    As we enter 2025, the internet continues to evolve at a rapid pace, with websites and online presence becoming increasingly important for both individuals and businesses. From website traffic to mobile usage, it's crucial to stay up to date on...
    Top Website Statistics For 2025
  • 10 Best Employee Management Software Of 2025

    There’s a lot that goes into a good employee management software solution. You need it to do everything from attendance tracking to onboarding to retention analytics.To find the best employee management software, we combed through 18 of the market’s leading...
    10 Best Employee Management Software Of 2025
  • 11 Best Registered Agent Services Of 2025

    Legal businesses (LLCs and corporations) in nearly all states are required to designate a registered agent to receive legal documents on behalf of the business. A registered agent service is a great way to ensure your business meets all state...
    11 Best Registered Agent Services Of 2025
  • What Is A Contingency Plan And How Do You Create One?

    Business owners, project managers and a whole host of other people create robust plans that can help them achieve their goals, whether business or personal. With as much work that goes into creating the plans, you would think they would...
    What Is A Contingency Plan And How Do You Create One?
  • What Is Agile Project Management? The Ultimate Guide

    Walk into a project team meeting, and chances are, the word “agile” will be thrown around like it’s going out of fashion. But what is agile? In this agile guide, you’ll learn about this iterative approach to work that champions open communication, flexibility and efficiency. You’ll learn about its values, common agile frameworks and the project management software that can help you manage simple and complex agile projects. By...
    What Is Agile Project Management? The Ultimate Guide
  • How To Start A Blog And Make Money In 2025

    Anytime someone asks how to start a blog and make money, someone else yells that blogging is dead. Blogging isn’t dead, it’s thriving as the increase in remote work and school have pushed people to find community online more frequently....
    How To Start A Blog And Make Money In 2025
  • 6 Disadvantages Of A Sole Proprietorship

    A sole proprietorship is an unregistered business owned by one person. When you operate a business as a sole proprietorship, there’s no distinction between you and the business (as there is with a limited liability company or corporation, for example). ...
    6 Disadvantages Of A Sole Proprietorship
  • How To Do Payroll: The Ultimate Guide

    You can have a great company culture and excellent benefits, but at the end of the day, getting paid is still your employees’ top priority. That’s why you need to get payroll right every time. Even a small mistake could...
    How To Do Payroll: The Ultimate Guide
  • Best Business To Start With Little Money Today

    You don’t need millions of dollars in the bank or investors with deep pockets to start a business. You can launch a successful business with a few tools, a bit of elbow grease and a skill you already have. Whether...
    Best Business To Start With Little Money Today
  • Executive Assistant Job Description [With Examples]

    Behind every good C-level executive is an executive assistant who’s running the show. Sure, the CEO might have their name on the company, but it’s the executive assistant (EA) who manages their workload and makes sure they have what they...
    Executive Assistant Job Description [With Examples]
  • What Is DNS Failure? (And How To Fix It)

    Sometimes the internet feels like the old joke about “you can’t get there from here.” DNS errors and DNS failures are especially frustrating. “DNS server isn’t responding,” “DNS lookup failed,” “NXDOMAIN” and “DNS resolution timeout” are just some of the...
    What Is DNS Failure? (And How To Fix It)
  • .Org Vs. .Com: What’s The Difference?

    There’s a lot of pressure when choosing a domain name, including picking the best top-level domain for your brand. Choosing between .org and .com (or the hundreds of other options like .net, .ai, .io, .shop, .biz or .cv) can make...
    .Org Vs. .Com: What’s The Difference?
  • Receptionist Job Description Template

    Being a receptionist is a thankless job, but it’s arguably one of the most important. The receptionist greets clients and visitors, helping to form their first impression of your business. A grumpy receptionist might turn potential customers away and harm...
    Receptionist Job Description Template
  • How To Write An Effective Business Proposal

    Stop thinking of a business proposal as a boring document and start treating it as the high-stakes sales pitch that it is. An effective business proposal is not about filling in templates. It is about telling a story that persuades...
    How To Write An Effective Business Proposal
  • Payroll Service Cost Guide (2025)

    Payroll processing needn’t be a burdensome administrative task for small businesses. Today’s payroll services deliver fast and reliable payment to employees and contractors with minimum effort and at affordable prices. Our guide to payroll service costs identifies options that range...
    Payroll Service Cost Guide (2025)
  • How To Start A Business With No Ideas

    Sick of the 9-to-5 grind and want to start your own business, but don’t actually have an idea for a business? You are not alone. Plenty of would-be entrepreneurs have the drive to build something of their own but don’t...
    How To Start A Business With No Ideas
  • 10 Best Online Fax Services Of 2025

    Many businesses still rely on faxing as a crucial part of day-to-day operations. Faxing enables you to securely transmit and store important documents, such as medical records, legal paperwork, financial reports and more. Best of all, modern faxing services make...
    10 Best Online Fax Services Of 2025
  • 10 Best Online Fax Services Of 2025

    Many businesses still rely on faxing as a crucial part of day-to-day operations. Faxing enables you to securely transmit and store important documents, such as medical records, legal paperwork, financial reports and more. Best of all, modern faxing services make...
    10 Best Online Fax Services Of 2025
  • Clover POS Pricing (2025 Guide)

    Clover’s point-of-sale (POS) system is versatile but somewhat expensive, with features and plans to serve all types of small businesses: restaurants, retail, online stores, services and more. The platform also has user-friendly hardware, which earned it a spot on our...
    Clover POS Pricing (2025 Guide)
  • How to Start a Business With No Money

    Have you always dreamed of running your own business, but the idea of needing a hefty bank loan has kept you from moving forward? Stop waiting for that investor or that "perfect" bank balance.  This guide is your complete playbook...
    How to Start a Business With No Money
  • 10 Best Answering Services Of 2025

    Answering services handle business calls on your behalf, recording details about the caller and interaction. This saves you time while ensuring customers reach a real-life virtual receptionist whenever they dial your business number. Since providers charge per-minute rates and let...
    10 Best Answering Services Of 2025
  • PayPal Vs. Stripe (2025 Comparison)

    Stripe and PayPal are two point-of-sale (POS) systems, but they’re very different. I like to think of Stripe as the custom designer outfit, built to your exact size and proportions. PayPal POS, on the other hand, is more like an...
    PayPal Vs. Stripe (2025 Comparison)

About

Rachel Williams has been an editor for nearly two decades. She has spent the last five years working on small business content to help entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses. She’s well-versed in the intricacies of LLC formation, business taxes, business loans, registered agents, business licenses and more.