Starting a Business: First Steps

Starting a business is never easy, nor is success a guarantee. Confidence is important but so is an honest evaluation of your business plan, an understanding of the legal aspects of entrepreneurship and a realistic expectation of how your business will make money (and when). The following articles cover the critical first steps every entrepreneur should take before starting a business.

Overview:

Is Entrepreneurship for You? - What to consider before committing.
Risky Businesses - Factors that can make a business more risky.
Evaluating Your Business Idea - Deciding whether to turn your idea into a business.
Starting the Right Business - Tips for researching and planning your business.
Will Your Business Make Money? - How to conduct a break-even analysis.
Start-Up Basics - Questions to help you get started with your business.
Tips for a Successful Small Business - Overview of how to run a start-up.
Start Your Own Business: 50 Things You'll Need to Do - Checklist of business start-up necessities.
Start-Up Advice for Entrepreneurs - Suggested steps for launching a small business.
Finding a Niche - How to determine your target market segment.

Legal Considerations:

Starting a Business: Legal FAQs - Answers to common business law questions.
Legal Dos and Don'ts of Starting a Business - What to do and what not do from a legal standpoint.
Legal Limitations to Consider When Starting a Business - Overview of permits, licensing, zoning and surety bonds.
How a Lawyer Can Help Your Business - Reasons to hire a lawyer for your business.

Tools & Resources:

Do Your Have What it Takes? - Traits common to successful entrepreneurs.
Start-Up Assessment Tool - Resource for deciding whether you're ready to start a business (SBA).
Checklist for Starting a Business - Basic steps for starting a business (IRS).
Business Start-Up Information Questionnaire - Information to provide your business law attorney.
Starting a Business: Glossary - Definitions of terms related to starting a business.
State Resources for Starting a Business - Links to state resources for starting a business.
The FindLaw Small Business Blog - FindLaw's regularly updated Free Enterprise blog.

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