Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC
One of the largest beverage companies in the US, structured as an LLC subsidiary of AB InBev.
LLC examples
LLCs aren't just a small-business structure. Some of the largest companies in America are LLCs — alongside millions of single-owner LLCs. Here are real examples and the main types you'll encounter.
By ClearFormation editorial Updated June 17, 2026·9 min readOriginally published June 12, 2026
Examples of well-known LLCs
Most people associate "LLC" with one-person consulting outfits. The reality is that the LLC structure scales all the way up — these are six examples of LLCs you've almost certainly heard of, plus the quiet majority of small LLCs that look nothing like them.
Alphabet's subsidiaries (Google LLC, YouTube, LLC)
Google itself is an LLC — "Google LLC" — wholly owned by Alphabet Inc. Many of Alphabet's operating units are LLCs for liability segregation and tax flexibility.
Chrysler Group LLC (Stellantis North America)
The US arm of the global automaker has historically operated as an LLC.
Westinghouse Electric Company LLC
Nuclear and power tech, organized as an LLC for tax efficiency and ring-fencing liability.
Blackberry Limited's US subsidiaries
Many global brands hold their US operations through LLCs even when the parent is a foreign corporation.
Local examples — restaurants, agencies, rentals
The vast majority of US LLCs aren't household names — they're single-member LLCs for freelancers, two-partner agencies, family rental-property holdings, and small e-commerce stores. The structure works the same regardless of size.
Examples are illustrative; corporate structures change. Verify current entity type on the relevant Secretary of State business search if you need the official record.
LLC examples by industry
The "right" LLC setup depends on what you actually do. Here are the eight most common patterns we see at ClearFormation — what the entity looks like, why founders pick the LLC structure, and the default setup most CPAs and attorneys recommend.
Freelancers & solo consultants
Example: "Jane Doe Consulting, LLC"
Single-member LLC. Cheapest legitimate way to put a liability shield between client work and personal assets. Taxed exactly like a sole prop (Schedule C) unless they elect S-corp at higher revenue.
Typical setup: 1 owner · member-managed · disregarded-entity tax · home state · ~$50–$300 to form.
E-commerce & DTC brands
Example: "BrightLeaf Coffee Co. LLC" running a Shopify store
LLC isolates inventory, payment-processor risk, and product-liability exposure from the founder personally. Multi-member if there are co-founders; often elects S-corp once net profit clears ~$60–80k.
Typical setup: 1–3 owners · member-managed · Schedule C or S-corp · home state or Delaware if raising.
Real-estate investors & landlords
Example: "Maple Street Holdings, LLC" owning one rental — or a Series LLC holding ten
One property = one LLC is the classic pattern. Once you hit 5+ properties, a Series LLC (Delaware, Texas, Nevada) consolidates filings while keeping liability walled off per property.
Typical setup: Member-managed · partnership tax · formed in the property's state · Series LLC for portfolios.
Agencies & professional services
Example: "Hudson Creative Agency LLC" — 4 partners, 12 employees
Multi-member LLC with custom profit splits in the operating agreement. Liability shield for client work; S-corp election lets owner-employees split salary and distributions for payroll-tax savings.
Typical setup: 2+ owners · manager-managed · partnership or S-corp tax · home state.
Restaurants, retail & physical-location businesses
Example: "Brookline Pizza Co., LLC" running one location
Multi-location operators often form a parent LLC that owns one operating LLC per restaurant — a slip-and-fall at one location can't reach the others. The real-estate is usually held in a separate LLC and leased to the operator.
Typical setup: Parent + child LLC per location · member-managed · partnership tax · state of operation.
SaaS & startups (pre-fundraising)
Example: "Acme Software LLC" before a priced VC round
Many founders start as an LLC because it's cheap, pass-through, and avoids C-corp double tax while pre-revenue. They convert to a Delaware C-Corp before raising priced rounds — VCs and ISOs require a C-Corp.
Typical setup: 1–3 founders · member-managed · partnership tax · convert to DE C-Corp before Series A.
Holding companies & family offices
Example: "Smith Family Holdings, LLC" owning rental real estate, an operating business, and a brokerage account
Holding LLCs sit on top of operating entities to centralize ownership, simplify estate planning, and isolate liability between business lines. Often formed in Wyoming or Delaware for privacy and charging-order protection.
Typical setup: 1+ owners · manager-managed · partnership or disregarded tax · Wyoming / Delaware common.
Non-resident founders (US LLC from abroad)
Example: Berlin-based founder running a US Stripe account through "Aurora Studio LLC"
A Wyoming or Delaware LLC lets non-US founders bill US customers in USD, run Stripe/PayPal, and stay disregarded-entity for federal tax — usually zero US income tax if there's no US trade or business.
Typical setup: 1 owner · member-managed · disregarded entity · Wyoming, Delaware, or New Mexico · ITIN-free EIN.
Mini case studies: three household-name LLCs
"LLC" is often dismissed as a small-business badge. These three examples show why that's wrong — and what each one teaches about why a large company would choose the LLC structure instead of (or underneath) a C-Corp.
Google LLC
Structure: Single-member LLC, wholly owned by XXVI Holdings Inc., itself owned by Alphabet Inc.
What it teaches: Public companies use LLCs as operating subsidiaries even at hundreds of billions in revenue. The LLC layer lets the public C-Corp parent absorb tax flexibility (disregarded for federal tax, taxed inside Alphabet) without giving up the corporate scaffolding investors expect.
Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC
Structure: US operating subsidiary of Belgian-listed AB InBev SA/NV.
What it teaches: Foreign parents routinely hold their US operations through an LLC so the US business can be treated as a check-the-box entity (disregarded or partnership) for the foreign parent — much simpler than running a US C-Corp subsidiary.
Chrysler Group LLC (Stellantis NA)
Structure: Successor to the post-2009 Chrysler restructuring, organized as an LLC.
What it teaches: LLCs scale to tens of billions in revenue. "LLC" is not a small-business marker; it's a choice about tax treatment and ownership flexibility, not size.
Types of LLC
The seven LLC variants below cover essentially every situation you'll encounter. Most US LLCs are single-member, member-managed, taxed as a disregarded entity — the simplest possible setup. Everything else is a structural overlay on that base.
Single-member LLC
One owner. Taxed as a disregarded entity by default — income flows to the owner's Schedule C. The most common LLC type. See our single-member LLC guide.
Multi-member LLC
Two or more owners. Taxed as a partnership by default — files Form 1065 and issues K-1s. Custom profit splits via the operating agreement.
Manager-managed LLC
Members appoint a manager (who may or may not be a member) to run day-to-day. Useful for passive investors or when one member runs operations.
Series LLC
Available in some states (DE, TX, NV, others). One LLC with internal "series" that have separate assets and liability. Common for real-estate portfolios. See our Series LLC guide.
Anonymous LLC
LLC formed in a state (WY, NM, DE) that doesn't list owners publicly. See our anonymous LLC guide.
Holding LLC
An LLC that owns other LLCs or assets. Common for real-estate investors, multi-brand operators, and family offices.
Professional LLC (PLLC)
For licensed professions (doctors, lawyers, accountants) in states that require a separate filing for licensed entities.
What an LLC isn't (common confusions)
- An LLC is not a corporation. "Limited liability corporation" is a common misnomer. Corporations issue stock, have shareholders, hold board meetings, and file Form 1120. LLCs have members, an operating agreement, and pass-through tax by default.
- An LLC is not a tax election. The LLC is the state-law container. How it's taxed (disregarded, partnership, S-corp, C-corp) is a separate IRS choice you can change without re-forming the entity.
- An LLC is not the same as a DBA. A DBA ("doing business as") is just a registered trade name attached to a person or another entity — it provides zero liability protection. An LLC is its own legal person.
- An LLC is not always "small." See above — Google LLC alone generates hundreds of billions in annual revenue. The LLC tag tells you about legal/tax structure, not size.
- Picking a fancy structure too early
Most founders don't need a Series LLC, holding LLC, or PLLC on day one. Start with a single-member or multi-member LLC in your home state — you can restructure later when the asset base or partner count actually warrants it.
- Copying a Fortune 500 setup
Google LLC is owned by Alphabet Inc. because that structure serves a public parent. Replicating it for a one-person consulting business creates pointless filings and tax complexity.
- Forming in Wyoming or Delaware while operating in your home state
You'll just end up paying foreign-qualification fees in the home state on top of the original. For a local business, form where you actually operate.
- Forgetting industry-specific licensing
Restaurants, contractors, real-estate brokers, doctors, and lawyers all need professional licenses on top of the LLC. The LLC is the legal wrapper; it does not replace the license.