Marketplace Tax & Compliance Advisor (U.S. Multi-Vendor Marketplace Startup)

We're launching a U.S.-based multi-vendor marketplace built on WordPress, WooCommerce, Dokan, and Stripe Connect. Before launch, we want to ensure our business has the correct tax, compliance, and operational foundation in place. This is a consulting engagement to help establish the proper tax and compliance structure before launch and provide clear documentation that our team can follow as we grow. We are a lean startup and are looking for a consultant who can efficiently establish this foundation within a defined consulting budget. Our goal is to build the right systems upfront so our team can operate independently, with only occasional future consulting as needed. Applicants from any country are welcome, provided you have significant experience advising U.S.-based businesses on U.S. tax and compliance requirements. Objectives The consultant will: - Review our planned business structure. - Recommend appropriate federal, state, and local tax registrations. - Advise on LLC structure and tax elections, if appropriate. - Determine our sales tax obligations and economic nexus considerations. - Advise on marketplace facilitator laws and how they apply to our platform. - Recommend the best approach for handling vendor tax responsibilities. - Review our planned Stripe Connect, WooCommerce, and Dokan configuration from a tax and compliance perspective. - Coordinate with our developer if technical tax configuration changes are needed. - Identify any additional licenses, permits, registrations, or compliance requirements before launch. - Produce a written compliance roadmap with prioritized action items. Deliverables By the end of the engagement, I expect: - A written tax and compliance roadmap. - A prioritized launch checklist. - Recommendations for registrations and required filings. - Documentation of ongoing compliance responsibilities. - Future compliance milestones as the business grows. - Clear documentation that allows our internal team to implement and maintain ongoing compliance with minimal outside support.