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Starting Your Business

Starting a business can be complicated

Not only do you need a great idea but there are several steps that need to be taken to make the business official.

StartingYourBusiness.com is a free resource

To help people understand the steps to start a business, like writing a business plan, selecting a legal structure, registering a business name, getting a business license, finding financing, etc.

Step-by-Step Guides to Starting a Business

Business Plan

Business plans are usually written to get a business loan, but more importantly writing a business plan gets the ideas out of the entrepreneur’s head and helps to create a roadmap for where they want the business to go.

Select a Business Entity

A business entity (sometimes referred to as the business structure or legal structure) is how a business is legally organized to do business.

Register a Business Name

After deciding on a business entity, the next step in starting a business is to register a business name. 

File for an EIN

The EIN is short for Employer Identification Number and is a unique 9 digit number that identifies business entities.

Apply for Business Licenses & Permits

Whether you are starting a retail store, service business, or running a business out of your home, you may be wondering what business licenses are needed.

Find Financing

Having a great business idea is an important piece of starting a business, but even great ideas are sometimes unable to get the funding they need.

Hire Employees

There’s more to hiring an employee than finding the right person for the job, interviewing, and training. In addition to finding the right person, an employer is also responsible for paying payroll, withholding taxes, reporting and state and federal agencies and more.

Set up your Bookkeeping

Properly accounting for a business’s income and expenses is critical to having a successful business. When starting a new business, many entrepreneurs know that bookkeeping is important, but many are not really sure what all is required.

Start Marketing

There are lots of things to do before opening the doors of a small business. You’ve put in the blood, sweat, and tears getting the shop perfect, inventory on the shelves, and employees hired. Now it’s time to reap the windfall from all your hard work. That means letting people know your business is open.

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Rules and regulations for starting a business change frequently. While we do our best to keep this information fully up-to-date, its very difficult to stay on top of the changes for every state. Also, this site is for informational purposes only and does not provide legal or tax advice.


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