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 17 Find, validate, and choose what to build.
- Legal & Setup 15 LLCs, EINs, licenses, and registering your business.
- Funding & Money 20 Startup costs, loans, grants, and bootstrapping.
- Taxes & Bookkeeping 9 Self-employment taxes, write-offs, and keeping books.
- Marketing & Customers 17 Getting your first and next customers.
- Online & E-commerce 16 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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When Should You Quit Your Job to Go Full-Time on Your Business? (A Money-Readiness Checklist)
When to quit your job to go full-time: a money-readiness checklist covering replacement income, runway, repeatable demand, and health insurance.
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Do You Need a Business Partner? How to Decide — and Split Equity Without Regret
Do you need a business partner or just help? How to decide, why 50/50 is often a trap, and how to split equity with vesting and a written agreement.
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What Is a Registered Agent, and Do You Actually Need One?
What a registered agent is, who legally needs one, whether you can be your own, and when it's worth paying $100–$300/year for a service.
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How to Write an Elevator Pitch for Your Business (Templates + Real Examples)
How to write an elevator pitch for your business: a fill-in-the-blank formula, three lengths, real before/after examples, and mistakes to avoid.
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Do You Need a DBA? "Doing Business As" vs an LLC, Explained
Do you need a DBA? What 'doing business as' really is, how it differs from an LLC, who needs to file one, and what it does (and doesn't) protect.
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Employee vs. Independent Contractor: How to Classify Your First Hire (1099 vs W-2)
Employee vs independent contractor explained: the IRS test, 1099 vs W-2 costs, who to hire first, and how to avoid a costly misclassification.
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How to Accept Credit Card Payments as a Small Business (Options, Fees & Setup)
How to accept credit card payments as a small business: your options in person and online, real fee ranges, what you need to sign up, and payouts.
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How to Write a Refund & Return Policy for Your Small Business (Free Template)
How to write a refund and return policy for your small business: what to include, the US legal reality, and a free copy-paste template.
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How to Fill Out a W-9 (and Why Clients Keep Asking You for One)
How to fill out a W-9 line by line, why clients ask for one, SSN vs EIN, backup withholding, and how it differs from a W-4 and a 1099.
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How to Do a Competitor Analysis for a Small Business (Free, in an Afternoon)
A free, step-by-step competitor analysis for a small business you can finish in an afternoon — including a comparison template and where to find your...
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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...