Howtostart.biz
Guides, stories, and playbooks on how to start and grow a business.
Browse by topic
- Business Ideas 177 Step-by-step guides to starting specific businesses.
- Ideas & Validation 14 Find, validate, and choose what to build.
- Legal & Setup 12 LLCs, EINs, licenses, and registering your business.
- Funding & Money 19 Startup costs, loans, grants, and bootstrapping.
- Taxes & Bookkeeping 8 Self-employment taxes, write-offs, and keeping books.
- Marketing & Customers 16 Getting your first and next customers.
- Online & E-commerce 15 Selling online, dropshipping, and digital products.
- Freelancing & Services 8 Going pro: pricing, clients, and agencies.
- By Situation 5 Starting out as a student, parent, by state, and more.
Latest guides
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Your Business Idea Already Exists? Good. Here's How to Win Anyway
What to do when your business idea already exists: a tactical playbook to niche down, out-position competitors, and win a market that already has...
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When Should a Freelancer Form an LLC? (The Income & Risk Thresholds That Actually Matter)
When should a freelancer form an LLC? Use these concrete income bands, a liability-risk test by service type, and the S-corp break-even math to...
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What's a Reasonable Salary for an S-Corp Owner? (How to Pick a Number the IRS Won't Flag)
What is a reasonable salary for an S-corp owner? Use market-rate data plus the 50-70% guideline. Get the IRS factors, the tax math, and a...
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What Order Do You Do Things When Starting a Business? The Exact Step-by-Step Sequence
What order to do things when starting a business: the exact sequence with a dependency map (entity before EIN, EIN before bank account) and a fast...
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What Is an EIN and Do You Actually Need One? (How to Get One Free in 10 Minutes)
What is an EIN and do I need one? Get a plain-English answer, a yes/no table by business type, and step-by-step on how to get your EIN free from the...
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What Can You Actually Use a Business Loan For? (Allowed Uses, Restrictions & Smart Plays)
What can you use a business loan for? Allowed vs. restricted uses by loan type, what triggers default, the 7 highest-ROI ways to spend it, and a...
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Sole Proprietorship vs LLC for a Side Hustle: Which Do You Actually Need?
Sole proprietorship vs LLC for a side hustle: a real-trigger decision tree, state-by-state cost reality, and exactly when staying a sole prop is the...
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Small Business Startup Costs: The Real Checklist (With a Free Calculator)
A complete small business startup costs checklist: low/high ranges, one-time vs. recurring splits, hidden costs founders forget, and a free budget...
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Small Business Grants for Women, Minorities & First-Timers: Where to Actually Find Them
Learn how to find small business grants for women and minorities: real sources, who qualifies, certification shortcuts, scam red flags, and a...
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Self-Employment Taxes for the First Time: A Plain-English Guide (Quarterly, Deductions, 1099s)
Facing self-employment taxes for the first time? Learn the 15.3% SE tax, the 25-30% set-aside rule, quarterly payments, deductions, and 1099s,...
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Self-Employed Tax Write-Offs: The Deductions Most Beginners Miss (2026 Checklist)
What business expenses can I write off self-employed? A categorized 2026 checklist of legit deductions, the commonly-missed ones, and what does NOT...
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Sales Tax for Online Sellers: How to Collect, Remit, and Stay Compliant (2026)
Learn how to collect sales tax when selling online: economic nexus explained, marketplace facilitator rules, Shopify and WooCommerce setup, plus a...