Starting a Business: The First Five Steps

Simpler than it looks, once you see it in order

Pick your setup (most small owners choose an LLC), file your formation paperwork directly with your state’s business registry — the add-on sites just charge more to type it in for you — name a registered agent, and write the operating agreement most states don’t require but your bank and future self will want.

The steps people miss

• A trade name (DBA) usually needs its own registration — and in some states it expires and must be renewed
• Your EIN from the IRS is always free — never pay a site for one
• The registered agent needs a real street address in your state, and that address becomes public record

Then the money plumbing

Bank account, bookkeeping, and the tax elections that depend on your goals — which is where the one-page guide ends and a discovery call begins, if you want help choosing.

Questions about how this applies to your business? Book a free discovery call — thirty minutes, no cost, no jargon. Or head back to all free resources.