Corporate Direct

What Corporate Direct does

Corporate Direct, Inc. is a Minden, Nevada-based paralegal service company founded by Garrett Sutton that specializes in business formation and asset protection for individual entrepreneurs, small businesses, and real estate investors across the United States. It operates four core formation products (RealShield for real estate, DigitalGuard for crypto/brokerage, SmartStart for first-time entrepreneurs, and FormForward for custom formations) built around its trademarked Armor8® proprietary legal language, which is designed to ensure that Wyoming and Nevada statutory protections take precedence over other jurisdictions in multi-state entity structures. The company also provides recurring registered agent services at $125 per year in all 50 states, with the first year bundled free for clients formed through Corporate Direct, alongside additional add-on services such as entity conversions, corporate cleanup, nominee services, dissolutions, and reinstatements.

The company's go-to-market is sales-led and direct-to-client, combining a toll-free phone operation (800) 600-1760 with a self-service website offering free 15-minute consultations and a structured referral program paying $100 per referral plus $100 off for the referred client. Its customer base spans SMBs and select enterprise accounts, with 13,000+ clients protected to date and documented multi-year retention (multiple named clients of 7-13 years). Marketing relies on content (educational articles, YouTube's Direct Answers series), social channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X), and email, amplified by a flagship partnership with Robert Kiyosaki / Rich Dad Company under which Sutton has served as Rich Dad's Legal Architect of Business Protection for over 25 years. Armor8® is registered as a trademark, and the legal work is supported by an affiliated law firm, Sutton Law Center, also founded by Garrett Sutton.

Revenue is generated through one-time formation fees, recurring registered agent subscriptions, and professional service fees for ongoing compliance work; the company is privately held with no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and no subsidiaries. It employs 11-50 staff with over 100 years of combined experience, holds an A+ BBB rating (as of August 13, 2025), and uses Sugar CRM for customer management with PCI-compliant payment processing via PayPal, QuickBooks Payments, and PDCflow.

Name

Corporate Direct

Legal name

Corporate Direct, Inc.

Website

https://corporatedirect.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Corporate Direct is a Nevada-based paralegal service company that forms and maintains LLCs and corporations, primarily for real estate investors and small business owners, using its proprietary Armor8® legal strategy and registered agent services across all 50 states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Minden

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Business Formation Services: One-time fees for LLC, corporation, and entity formation services including document preparation, filing, and initial setup. Packages include RealShield (real estate), FormForward (custom formations), DigitalGuard (crypto/brokerage), and SmartStart (first-time entrepreneurs).
2. Registered Agent Services: Annual recurring fee of $125 for registered agent services across all 50 states. First year free for new entity formations.
3. Additional Services: Entity conversions, corporate cleanup, nominee services, dissolutions, reinstatements, and compliance services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Corporate Direct is a paralegal services firm that forms LLCs and corporations across all 50 states and provides ongoing registered agent and compliance services for entrepreneurs and investors. Its core offerings are four formation packages (RealShield for real estate investors, DigitalGuard for crypto/brokerage holdings, SmartStart for first-time entrepreneurs, and FormForward for custom formations), all built around its proprietary Armor8® legal language that ensures Wyoming or Nevada protection laws take precedence. Ancillary services include registered agent service ($125/year), entity conversions, corporate cleanup, nominee services, dissolutions, and reinstatements.

Product overview

Corporate Direct is a paralegal service specializing in business formation and asset protection, offering four core formation products (RealShield, DigitalGuard, SmartStart, and FormForward) along with additional services including Registered Agent Services, Nominee Services, Entity Conversions, Corporate Cleanup, Dissolutions, and Reinstatements. The company's flagship protection brand is Armor8®, which provides Wyoming and Nevada-based holding company structures with enhanced privacy and asset protection features. The service is built around attorney-led guidance with paralegal document preparation, serving over 13,000 clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RealShield: Real estate asset protection LLC strategy using Wyoming or Nevada holding company with Armor8 protection.
• FormForward
• DigitalGuard
• SmartStart
• Armor8

Products and services

• RealShield Asset protection formation package for real estate investors that includes an Armor8®-shielded Wyoming or Nevada holding company plus the first property LLC, with the ability to add additional property LLCs as the portfolio grows. Designed for landlords and rental property owners seeking to isolate properties from liability.
• DigitalGuard Asset protection formation package for cryptocurrency and brokerage account holders, providing a Wyoming LLC with charging order protection, a brokerage and crypto custody agreement, and enhanced privacy that keeps the owner's name off public records.
• SmartStart Business formation package for first-time entrepreneurs that includes a single-entity LLC or corporation formation with Armor8® protection, operating agreement or bylaws, EIN setup, banking setup, and initial compliance handling.
• FormForward Flexible LLC or corporation formation service available in all 50 states, with structure tailored for protection, privacy, or partnerships and Armor8® eligibility when the entity is formed in Wyoming or Nevada.
• Registered Agent Services Annual registered agent service providing receipt of legal documents and notifications across all 50 states, priced at $125 per year, with the first year free for new entities formed with Corporate Direct and state change fees covered up to $60 per entity when switching existing entities.
• Entity Conversions Service that converts a sole proprietorship business into an LLC in order to shield the owner's personal assets from business liabilities.
• Corporate Cleanup Documentation service that helps clients maintain their limited liability status by ensuring proper corporate formalities and compliance records are in place.
• Nominee Services Service that places a third-party nominee on required LLC filings to conceal the owner's name from public records while the owner retains full control of the entity.
• Dissolutions Service that properly winds down and dissolves a business entity to protect the owner from lingering liabilities, outstanding tax obligations, and statutory penalties.
• Reinstatements Service that revives a previously dissolved business entity and restores its legal good standing and liability protection.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% of piercing the veil court cases succeed because owners are not following corporate formalities - highlighting importance of proper entity maintenance
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Sutton Law CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated law firm providing corporate legal services and asset protection for businesses. Specializes in incorporation and business structure strategies. Garrett Sutton is founder of both Corporate Direct and Sutton Law Center.
• Robert Kiyosaki / Rich Dad CompanyflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerGarrett Sutton serves as Rich Dad's Legal Architect of Business Protection. Works alongside Robert Kiyosaki shaping how investors think about structure, control, and long-term protection. Endorsed by Kiyosaki who states 'If it hadn't been for Garrett's protection years ago, I'd have lost everything... I trust Garrett implicitly.'

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Incfile (now Bizee): Online business formation and registered agent service offering low-cost LLC and corporation formation packages. Direct competitor in the entry-level formation segment that Corporate Direct's SmartStart product targets.
• Rocket Lawyer: Subscription-based online legal services platform offering business formation, registered agent, and ongoing legal documents and consultations. Overlaps with Corporate Direct on formation while adding a broader legal subscription layer.
• Anderson Advisors: Asset protection and business structuring firm offering Wyoming/Nevada LLC formations, holding company strategies, and related legal services. Closest niche competitor in the high-net-worth asset protection segment Corporate Direct serves with Armor8® and RealShield.
• ZenBusiness: Online LLC formation and registered agent service targeting SMBs and entrepreneurs. Competes on price and ease-of-use, offering similar formation products to Corporate Direct's FormForward and SmartStart tiers.
• Harvard Business Services: Delaware-focused incorporation and registered agent provider with long operating history. Comparable service mix (formation + registered agent + compliance) and comparable legacy/SMB customer base, though skewed to Delaware C-corps.
• Northwest Registered Agent: Specialist in registered agent services and business formation across all 50 states, known for privacy-first positioning and bundled formation + RA packages. Closest direct competitor to Corporate Direct's core formation and registered agent offering.
• Swyft Filings: Online business formation service offering LLC and corporation formation across all 50 states with registered agent add-ons. Competes in the same SMB formation market as Corporate Direct's FormForward product.

Broad incumbents

• LegalZoom: Large, well-funded online legal services platform offering LLC/corporation formation, registered agent, and a broad legal services marketplace. Direct overlap on formation and registered agent but with a much wider portfolio and lower price-point positioning.

Emerging players

• Firstbase: Tech-forward business formation and incorporation service targeting startups and online-first entrepreneurs. Less overlap on registered agent and asset protection, but adjacent competition for first-time entrepreneur formation spend.
• Doola: Formation and compliance platform aimed at non-US founders setting up US entities, with bundled registered agent, EIN, and banking setup. Adjacent competitor pursuing a different (international) customer slice of the same formation market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GarrettSutton
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/GarrettSutton
• Facebookfacebook.com/corporatedirect
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/corporate-direct-inc-
• Instagraminstagram.com/corporatedirect

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Corporate Direct