· Bylaws

"Bylaws" is a document that is created soon after incorporation that establishes the governance mechanics of a company and how its shareholders, board, and officers will interact. It is one of the first documents you'll need as a new company.

Some examples of what the bylaws lay out:

• Information regarding the board of directors like the process of determining who's on the board (this is mostly the general process of selecting people, not a list of specific people that are on the board) and the process of determining how long the board members can serve
• Shareholder meeting information like the frequency of shareholder meetings
• How the bylaws can be amended

You'll know when you're looking at your bylaws because they will clearly have a large heading (or sometimes an entire cover page) that states, "Bylaws."

Additional Resources:

Incorporation