How to Start a Business

Most small business owners have asked some version of this question: “Can I just pay this person on a 1099 instead of putting them on payroll?” The instinct is jrbonner

Most personal finance advice tells you the same thing: keep six to twelve months of household expenses in an emergency fund. If you lost your job tomorrow, that cushion small business cash reserve

If you’re building a new business, you’ve probably already heard the advice: “go join a networking group.” Maybe BNI. Maybe a local chamber. Maybe one of the chapter-based national jrbonner

Most advice about getting your first client is some version of “build a network, do good work, ask for referrals.” That’s not wrong. It’s just not enough — and jrbonner

Create a Business Plan Many small businesses feel they must create a business plan. This may or may not be true, and there is nuance in this topic to jrbonner

How to Register a Federal EIN Not every business will register a Federal EIN (employer identification number). When you start to consider how to obtain a Federal EIN, you jrbonner

Register Your Business: Secretary of State To register your business, if you are a sole proprietor, you may not do this step. However, if you want a business name jrbonner

Legal Form of Business Selecting your legal form of business is not as daunting as it may sound. I am not a lawyer, but I will describe how I Read more

Learning how to register a business name is one of the first real, concrete steps in starting a business — and it’s two decisions, not one. First you have jrbonner