Research Relay LLC -- Identity Separation Strategy¶
Overview¶
This document defines the strategy for separating the owner's personal identity from Research Relay LLC's business identity. The goal is not anonymity (which is impossible for a CA LLC) but minimizing casual discoverability -- making it harder for a random Google search to connect the owner's name to the business.
1. What Is Unavoidably Public¶
California Statement of Information (Form LLC-12)¶
California requires every LLC to file a Statement of Information within 90 days of formation and every two years thereafter ($20 filing fee). This document is a public record accessible on the CA Secretary of State website and scraped by third-party data aggregators.
The following is publicly visible:
| Field | What Gets Published |
|---|---|
| LLC Name | Research Relay LLC |
| SOS File Number | Assigned at formation |
| Principal Office Address | Required -- can be registered agent address |
| CA Business Address | Required if different from principal office |
| Manager/Member Name | Owner's full legal name (unavoidable) |
| Manager/Member Address | Can use registered agent or PO Box address |
| Agent for Service of Process | Northwest Registered Agent |
| Type of Business | Brief description of business activities |
The owner's name WILL appear. There is no way to avoid this in California. Unlike some states (e.g., Wyoming, New Mexico), California requires disclosure of all managers/members on the Statement of Information.
What CA Secretary of State Will Redact¶
- Social Security numbers
- Driver's license numbers
- Credit card information
- Banking information
These should never be included in filings, but if accidentally submitted, the SOS will attempt to redact them.
Mitigation for Public Records¶
While the owner's name must appear, the address can be controlled:
- Use Northwest Registered Agent's address as the principal office address
- Use the registered agent address for the member/manager address
- Do NOT use a home address on any filing
- Do NOT include email or phone number (not required by statute)
2. Identity Separation Matrix¶
Business Identity (Research Relay LLC)¶
Use the business identity for everything related to the company:
| Context | What to Use |
|---|---|
| Business email | hello@research-relay.com (or role-based aliases) |
| Business phone | OpenPhone/Quo VOIP number |
| Domain registration | Business email as registrant contact |
| Vendor accounts | Business email + business phone |
| Payment processors | Business email, business EIN |
| Shipping platforms | Business name + fulfillment/warehouse address |
| Social media (if any) | Business name only, business email to register |
| Website contact forms | Business email only |
| Customer communications | Business email + business phone |
| Bank account | Business name, EIN, business address |
Personal Identity (Owner)¶
Keep personal identity completely separate:
| Context | What to Use |
|---|---|
| Personal email | Personal email provider (not research-relay.com) |
| Personal phone | Carrier mobile number (never published as business) |
| Personal social media | No mention of Research Relay |
| Home address | Never on any business filing or account |
| Bank 2FA | Personal carrier phone number |
| Personal purchases | Personal cards, personal email |
Gray Area (Requires Both)¶
| Context | Strategy |
|---|---|
| CA Statement of Information | Owner name required; use RA address for everything else |
| Business bank account | Owner name as signer; use business address/EIN |
| Business credit card | Owner name on card; use business address |
| Tax filings | Owner SSN or EIN; handled by CPA, not public |
| Insurance | Owner name; use business address |
3. Email Separation Strategy¶
Accounts to Create¶
| Address | Purpose |
|---|---|
| hello@research-relay.com | Public-facing contact, website |
| admin@research-relay.com | Internal admin, vendor accounts |
| orders@research-relay.com | Order notifications, shipping |
| support@research-relay.com | Customer support (alias to hello@) |
All of these can be aliases within a single Zoho Mail Lite account ($1/mo for 1 user). Zoho supports multiple aliases on a single mailbox.
Rules¶
- Never use personal email for any business account. Every SaaS, vendor, bank, or service account for Research Relay gets a research-relay.com address.
- Never use business email for personal accounts. No signing up for personal services with @research-relay.com.
- Use unique aliases per vendor when possible (e.g., stripe@research-relay.com forwarding to admin@). This helps identify the source if an address is leaked or sold.
- Do not put personal email as a recovery/backup on business accounts. Use a separate, dedicated recovery address if needed.
4. Phone Number Separation¶
Setup¶
| Number | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Business VOIP | All business calls, vendor calls, website contact |
| Personal carrier | Bank 2FA, personal use, emergency contact for business bank |
Rules¶
- Never give out personal number to vendors, customers, or suppliers.
- Never use business VOIP for bank 2FA -- banks frequently reject VoIP numbers and you risk getting locked out.
- The business phone number goes on the website, business cards, and all vendor accounts.
- Personal number stays completely out of business context except where legally or financially required (e.g., as backup contact on business bank account).
5. Browser and Device Separation¶
Recommended Approach¶
Use browser profiles to create hard separation:
| Profile | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Business profile | Zoho Mail, business bank, vendor portals, admin panels |
| Personal profile | Personal email, personal banking, social media |
Browser Profile Benefits¶
- Separate cookies, sessions, and browsing history
- Separate saved passwords (though 1Password handles this better)
- Separate bookmarks
- Visual distinction (use different themes/colors) to avoid confusion
- No accidental cross-contamination of sessions
Implementation Options¶
- Chrome/Firefox profiles -- Free, built-in, easy to set up
- Separate browsers -- e.g., Firefox for business, Chrome for personal
- Brave browser -- Privacy-focused alternative for business browsing
Additional Device Hygiene¶
- Consider a dedicated browser profile for financial/banking only
- Use a VPN for business browsing if working from public networks
- Keep business bookmarks and personal bookmarks separate
- Do not sign into personal Google/Apple accounts in business browser profile
6. Social Media Considerations¶
Recommendation: Minimal Social Media Presence¶
For a RUO peptide/research chemical e-commerce business, social media carries more risk than reward in the early stages:
- Do NOT create personal social media tied to Research Relay. No LinkedIn mentions, no Twitter/X posts about the business from personal accounts.
- If business social media is needed, create accounts using:
- Business email (hello@research-relay.com)
- Business phone number
- Business name only (no owner name in bio or about)
- Platform-specific notes:
- LinkedIn: Do not list Research Relay as employer on personal profile
- Instagram/Twitter: If created, use business name only
- Facebook: Avoid -- FB aggressively links personal and business identities
- Reddit: If engaging in research communities, use a separate account with no personal identifying information
Content Strategy (If Social Media Is Used)¶
- Focus on educational/informational content about research chemicals
- Never include owner photos or personal details
- Use the business name and logo exclusively
- Do not cross-post between personal and business accounts
7. Shipping and Return Address Strategy¶
Outbound Shipping (To Customers)¶
| Field | What to Use |
|---|---|
| From Name | Research Relay LLC |
| From Address | Fulfillment center / warehouse address |
| Return Address | Same as from address (fulfillment center) |
Never use a home address as a return address. Options:
- Third-party fulfillment center (3PL) -- Best option. Their address appears on packages. You never touch inventory.
- PO Box / UPS Store mailbox -- Acceptable for a return address. UPS Store gives you a real street address (not a PO Box format).
- Virtual mailbox service -- Services like Traveling Mailbox or Earth Class Mail scan your mail and forward packages.
Inbound Shipping (From Suppliers)¶
- Ship supplier inventory directly to fulfillment center if possible
- If self-fulfilling, use a PO Box or UPS Store address for samples/small orders
- Avoid having supplier shipments come to home address
Returns from Customers¶
- Returns should go to the fulfillment center or a UPS Store address
- Clear return policy on website should list the business address, not home
8. Address Strategy Summary¶
| Purpose | Address to Use |
|---|---|
| CA Secretary of State filings | Northwest Registered Agent address |
| Business bank account | Registered agent or virtual office address |
| Website / public contact | No street address needed (email + phone only) |
| Outbound shipping labels | Fulfillment center address |
| Return address on packages | Fulfillment center or UPS Store address |
| Vendor/supplier accounts | UPS Store or virtual mailbox address |
| Home address | Never used for any business purpose |
9. Operational Security Basics¶
Account Security¶
- Use 1Password (Research Relay vault) for all business passwords (unique, strong passwords everywhere)
- Enable MFA/2FA on every business account that supports it
- Use TOTP (1Password One-Time Password) over SMS 2FA wherever possible
- Use personal carrier number only where SMS 2FA is the only option (banks)
- Print and store 1Password Emergency Kit in a secure physical location
Information Hygiene¶
- Never Google your own name + business name from a logged-in browser
- Set up Google Alerts for "Research Relay LLC" and your name to monitor exposure
- Periodically check data broker sites (Spokeo, WhitePages, BeenVerified) and request removal of personal info
- Do not leave reviews or comments on business-related sites from personal accounts
- Be cautious with who you tell about the business in personal contexts -- word of mouth is a real vector for linking personal and business identity
Financial Separation¶
- Separate business bank account (never use personal account for business)
- Separate business credit card
- Never pay for business expenses with personal payment methods
- Use the business EIN (not personal SSN) wherever possible on forms
- Business accounting should be completely separate from personal finances
Digital Footprint Management¶
- Regularly review what comes up when you Google "Research Relay LLC"
- Check CA Secretary of State business search for your filings
- Monitor WHOIS records for domain privacy status
- Review any data broker listings that link your name to the business
- Opt out of data broker sites that expose personal information
10. Threat Model Summary¶
| Threat | Mitigation | Residual Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Casual Google search linking owner to business | RA address on filings, no personal social media mentions | Medium -- CA SOI is indexed by aggregators |
| Home address exposure | Never use home address anywhere | Low |
| Personal phone exposure | Separate VOIP for business | Low |
| Personal email exposure | Separate business domain email | Low |
| Data broker linking | Regular monitoring and opt-out | Medium |
| WHOIS exposure | Free WHOIS privacy from registrar | Low |
| Customer discovers owner identity | CA SOI is public; accept this risk | Medium |
| Supplier discovers home address | Use UPS Store / virtual address | Low |
Accepting Residual Risk¶
The owner's name on the CA Statement of Information is the single biggest unavoidable exposure. Anyone who specifically searches the CA SOS business database for "Research Relay LLC" will find the owner's name. This cannot be prevented in California.
The strategy is not to make it impossible to find the connection, but to: 1. Keep the owner's name off of easily-Googleable surfaces (website, social media, WHOIS) 2. Keep the home address completely out of all business records 3. Maintain clean separation so a casual search does not surface the connection 4. Ensure that the only path to linking owner and business requires a deliberate Secretary of State database search
Sources¶
- CA Statement of Information Requirements: https://www.sos.ca.gov/business-programs/business-entities/statements
- CA Privacy in Public Filings FAQ: https://www.sos.ca.gov/business-programs/pi-faqs
- California LLCs and Privacy: https://djholtlaw.com/california-llcs-and-privacy-understanding-the-statement-of-information/