Skill: corporate-intelligence-investigator
Time: ~45 minutes (varies by jurisdiction)

Goal

Build a chain of control from an operating company toward ultimate beneficial owners using public filings.

Steps

1. Identify operating entity and jurisdiction.
2. Pull parent from annual report or statement of information (names vary by state).
3. Repeat for each upstream LLC until you reach a natural person, public company, or trust (trusts may be opaque — document the gap).
4. For each hop, save filing PDF URL and filing date.
5. Cross-check PSC (UK) or equivalent BO register where available.
6. Note disclaimers: nominees, law firm addresses, and stale filings.

Pitfalls

• Same name directors across unrelated companies.
• Round-trip ownership through nonprofits — may need expert help.

Next steps

• Tutorial — Network mapping quickstart for graphing the chain