Howtostart.biz
Guides, stories, and playbooks on how to start and grow a business.
Browse by topic
- Business Ideas 193 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
-
Printables vs. Handmade: Which Side Hustle Should You Actually Start?
Printables and handmade products are the two most common Etsy side hustles — and they have almost opposite economics. Startup cost, time to first...
-
LLC Before or After Your First Sale? The Honest Answer
You don't need an LLC to make your first sale — but you do need to know when the free window closes. Here's exactly when forming before beats forming...
-
Wholesale vs. Retail Pricing: How to Price a Product You Sell Both Ways
How to set a wholesale price and a retail price for the same product without one undercutting the other. The keystone formula, a real cost breakdown,...
-
How Much Do Etsy Sellers Make? Real Numbers After Fees (2026)
Most Etsy sellers make under $200/month; the median is closer to $6,000-$8,000/year. Here's the real income breakdown by product type, the fees nobody...
-
Business Credit Card for a New LLC With No Revenue: What Actually Works (2026)
Yes, you can get a business credit card for a brand-new LLC with $0 revenue. Here's how approval actually works, which cards fit, and the...
-
How to Close or Dissolve an LLC: A Step-by-Step Guide (2026)
How to close or dissolve an LLC the right way: the vote, notifying creditors and the IRS, filing Articles of Dissolution, and the final tax return...
-
Virtual Business Address for an LLC: How It Works, What It Costs, and the Rules Nobody Mentions
Can you use a virtual address for your LLC? Yes — here's how it works, what it costs ($10–$50/month), the USPS Form 1583 step, what it can't do...
-
Best LLC Formation Services in 2026 (And When You Should Skip Them Entirely)
An honest comparison of the best LLC formation services in 2026 — Northwest, Bizee, ZenBusiness, LegalZoom — real all-in costs, the upsells to...
-
Do You Have to Pay Taxes on a Side Hustle? The $400 Rule and 2026's New 1099 Thresholds
Yes — side hustle income is taxable from dollar one. What the $400 rule actually triggers, the 2026 1099-K and 1099-NEC threshold changes, what you'll...
-
How to Trademark a Business Name in 2026 (Cost, Steps, and Whether You Even Need To)
How to trademark a business name yourself in 2026: the $350 USPTO fee, the clearance search that matters more than the form, use vs. intent-to-use,...
-
How Long Does It Take for a Business to Be Profitable? Real Timelines by Business Type
The average business takes 2–3 years to turn a profit — but a solo service business can do it in month one. Realistic timelines by business type, the...
-
20 One-Person Business Ideas You Can Actually Run Alone (No Hiring Required)
One-person business ideas that stay one-person: 20 solo-friendly models ranked by startup cost and realistic solo income ceiling, plus the systems...