LLL for a craft business?

[mommy2abigail]

I want to start a small online business making a craft. I will also sell to a boutique here in town, so I will have a few wholesale inquiries. I am worried about liability and whatnot...should I get a LLC? Or a fictitious name? I checked online and the name I want for my business is not registered under .net or on Etsy, so I am good there but I am more worried about the liability aspect...

I am not good at the business side of all this, and have no clue what to do. Should I include a disclaimer on my products? Like, say I were to make baby carriers (I am not, but just for an example). If used correctly, they are totally safe, but if used incorrectly, the baby could fall and get hurt. Would I put something on the product about my business not being held responsible?

Or am I just worrying about nothing?

[savannah smiles]

See if you have a S.C.O.R.E. association in your area. This is a non-profit run by former small business owners who volunteer thier time to help out fledgling small businesses. It's free to meet with them and I'd recommend it! I went and met with my local SCORE chapter and asked them about liability since it's a concern of mine.
Their advice was to switch to an LLC in the near future if I decide to keep my business up and running. It's really to protect my assets in case anything were to happen. They mentioned that if I were to get into a car accident en route to a craft show I was in, that I could get sued since I was using my car for business purposes. Not that it's likely, but it is possible. Becoming an LLC is on my to-do list for this year!
Oh, and I do put a disclaimer on my hair accessories in my on-line store that they're not recommended for children under the age of 3 since they're made with beads and buttons and could come apart. I figure it doesn't hurt to put it in there.

Good luck!

[Woodland]

Thank you for the info on score, I just checked it out.