One of the first decisions any founder has to make — and one of the most consequential — is how to structure their business. LLC or S-Corp? Sole proprietor or C-Corp? The answer affects how much you keep at the end of the year, how you pay yourself, and what your liability looks like if things go sideways. Most early-stage founders either guess, default to whatever their accountant set up years ago, or pay for advice they're not ready to act on yet.
TakeHome is a free tool built to help SMB founders and self-employed professionals run those numbers before they're in a room with a lawyer or CPA. Created by Darlin Alberto — a consultant within the Uristocrat Studios network — TakeHome walks you through the key variables that drive the LLC vs. S-Corp decision: your income level, how you're paying yourself, your self-employment tax exposure, and what a reasonable salary structure might look like if you elect S-Corp status.
The tool is designed for founders in the early stages of that decision — people who want to understand the tradeoffs before they commit to a structure or pay for a professional setup. You enter your projected income, your expected business expenses, and some basic details about how you want to be paid, and TakeHome models what your take-home would look like under different scenarios. It's not about gaming the system. It's about understanding how the structure you choose affects what lands in your pocket after taxes.
A quick note before you run your numbers: TakeHome is a decision-support tool, not a substitute for professional advice. Nothing in it constitutes accounting or legal guidance. What it gives you is a framework — a way to enter a conversation with your accountant or attorney already knowing the right questions to ask. That's the gap it fills, and it fills it well.
For founders at the stage where they're generating real revenue but haven't formalized anything yet, this kind of clarity matters. The difference between operating as a single-member LLC and electing S-Corp status can mean several thousand dollars a year once you're past a certain income threshold. Knowing where that threshold sits for your specific situation — before you're paying someone to tell you — is a legitimate competitive advantage.
TakeHome is free and lives at takehome.money. If you're building a business and haven't thought hard about structure yet, it's worth fifteen minutes of your time.
Darlin Alberto
Uristocrat Studios works with founders building companies at the intersection of culture, technology, and commerce. Tools and resources featured here are vetted by our network — but always consult a licensed CPA or attorney before making legal or tax decisions for your business.
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