Swap is on a work visa (H1B). Those rules say he can own a business but he can't run it or get paid by it. That's a him problem, not a you problem.

Your work permit (H4 EAD) is the opposite. It lets you do everything: own a company, run it, sign things, get paid. So the simplest legal path is: you're the owner and operator, and Swap stays in the background.

Here's the honest list of your real jobs. It's short.

• Sign the company papers once at the start.
• Be the name on the bank account.
• Sign a client agreement now and then (Swap prepares it).
• Keep your work permit renewed on time so it never lapses.

That's really it. Swap handles building, hosting, invoices, and the tech. If a client ever needs the apps built or fixed, the company hires someone for that. Swap can't be the one doing that paid work, so we plan around it.

This isn't a scary thing, it's a normal "measure twice, cut once" step. If she says the plan needs a tweak, we tweak it. We simply don't file any papers until she gives the green light.

Three ways the company could earn, from most to least promising:

• Client and licensing work. A business pays to use one of Swap's tools, or hires the company to build something. One project can be a few thousand dollars. This is the fastest.
• Subscriptions. People pay a small monthly fee for an app. Slow. Most apps take a year or more to earn much, if they ever do.
• Ads and tips. Tiny money unless a site gets huge traffic. Nice bonus, not a plan.

Being honest: most free apps never make real money. We're not counting on getting rich. We're trying to turn a few of the strongest tools into a little income.

New Jersey makes this cheap, which is why we'd set it up here.

• About $100 once, to create the company.
• About $75 a year to keep it active.
• A bit for an accountant later, only once there's real income.

No expensive surprises. New Jersey doesn't make you post newspaper notices like New York does, and it doesn't tax our kind of web apps.

There's nothing to decide right this minute. The order is simple:

• 1. Lawyer confirms Swap's role is safe.
• 2. We try charging for one app the easy way, no company yet.
• 3. If something actually earns, we spend the $100 and make it real, in your name.

You're the owner because the rules make that the clean way, and because Swap trusts you completely with it. Your real job is mostly to say yes to a few signatures and keep your permit current.