In all the discussion of making money online there is little mention of the fact that is necessary to have some form of business to support the endeavor. Depending on the scope of your business, its legal form can vary from a Corporation to a individual proprietorship. Simply starting to conduct campaigns online to further your profit motive is not enough. By soliciting sales and receiving revenues means that you are indeed conducting business and are subject to all of the rules and regulations that go with it.
In the United States, most states require that business entities be registered in one form or another. In addition, as the business will be receiving revenue and hopefully earning a profit, various taxing agencies also require registration and subsequent reporting and in most cases payments of taxes.
There are various federal agencies that have regulations defining when and how such items as fair labor practices, equal employment opportunity, immigrant registration and a whole host of other rules that could pertain to your business. Obviously a lot of these items only come into play when you have employees that are active in your business.
The most direct route to dealing with these business nuts and bolts items is to seek professional help and engage the services of a qualified business lawyer as well as a dependable certified public accountant.
The professional help that you need will have a background in setting up and operating small businesses. They should be able to provide guidance as to what registrations and certifications are necessary as well as preparing suitable forms and reports in a timely fashion. Certainly income tax reports will be necessary at the minimum on an annual basis or if your business is quite profitable be required on a quarterly basis.
These professionals will also give you guidance and new rules and regulations as they come out of government and other agencies. It is a mistake to try and save a little money for not engaging this professional help) start of your business operations. While at the beginning your venture may seem more like a hobby than a true business enterprise, in the eyes of the regulators your engaging in business practices and as such are fully responsible for the proper conduct. The prospect of facing fines and other penalties for noncompliance can be costly and time-consuming.
My considered advice is to "do it right" from the beginning. You will save yourself a lot of trouble and give yourself time pursue the development of your business.