Last summer I started an LLC in New York State, where new businesses are required to announce themselves in a newspaper for 6 weeks. A print paper. I stuck my head in the sand for a month, then started Googling how to get it done: which newspapers were acceptable, how much it would cost, etc.
Not only was the information hard to find, it turns out that in NYC this is an especially stupid and expensive process. A rude Kings County clerk told me I needed to go downtown for the details, because he’s not allowed to provide them over the phone or through email (“I don’t make the laws, lady”).
Confused about what century I was living in, I went back to Google looking for ways to get out of the publishing obligation. Surely this was just a silly technicality that wouldn’t really affect my business, right?