Guides
Everything we've written for founders.
What it costs to form an LLC in your state, what a business actually owes where you live, how to get the first ten customers, what to spend on ads, how much runway you have. Written to be useful on their own — no signup, no email wall, and every figure has a source you can click.
80 guides15 with a calculator or tool50 states — fees, taxes and filing portal for eachUpdated September 2026
Velofound
5 guidesWhat Velofound is, what it does overnight, and how it compares to doing it yourself.
AI CofounderNot a chatbot with a landing page. An AI cofounder builds the website, takes the payments, runs the ads and answers the email — here it is, hour by hour.Includes a toolAI Agents for Small BusinessWhat an AI agent does for a plumber, a café or a consultancy: an orchestrator sends specialists to research and draft overnight. You approve at breakfast.AI Website Builder That Takes PaymentsBooking, menu, shop or waitlist: a live site with Stripe checkout into your own account, built from a description of your business and edited with a sentence.Free Business Plan Generator (One Page)Generate a lean one-page business plan free, then see what happens the week after: the website, the payments, the first customers. The plan is the easy half.Includes a toolAI Cofounder vs ChatGPT for Starting a BusinessWhere ChatGPT is better for a founder, where it stops, and what an AI cofounder does after the conversation: a live site, a card charge, a runway number.
Starting up
3 guidesGoing from an idea to a business that exists — what to check before you spend anything.
How to Start a Business With AIA week-by-week sequence from idea to a running business — what AI does well, what only you can do, and the gates that tell you when to move on.How to Validate a Business Idea in a WeekFour signals that predict whether an idea will pay, a scorecard that rates yours, and three tests you can run this week: waitlist, pre-order, conversations.Includes a toolHow to Get Your First 10 CustomersPick one channel by business type, know the numbers to expect at each step, and see a real launch timeline: leads, emails, replies, first paid order.
Legal & formation
9 guidesForming the company: which structure, which state, what it costs, and what you owe every year after.
How to Start an LLC in 2026The six steps that are the same everywhere, all 50 states' fees, taxes and official portals on one table, and a calculator for what year one really costs.Includes a toolHow to Start an LLC in CaliforniaFiling costs $70. Then the $800 annual franchise tax, the revenue-based LLC fee, and a Statement of Information due in 90 days — timed to your start date.How to Start an LLC in Texas$300 to file, no personal income tax, and a franchise tax most small LLCs won't owe but must still report by May 15. Two portals, one walkthrough.How to Start an LLC in Florida$125 to file on Sunbiz, a $138.75 report due every May 1 with a flat $400 late fee, no state income tax — and a compliance calendar you can subscribe to.Includes a toolHow to Start an LLC in New York$200 to file, then six weeks of newspaper publication within 120 days that can cost more than the filing — priced for your county, with the workaround.Includes a toolDelaware LLC for a Small BusinessDelaware plus a foreign registration at home costs more than a home-state LLC, every year. The comparison for your state, and when Delaware is right.Includes a toolHow to Start an LLC in Indiana on INBiz$95 online, a $32 report every two years, and one portal for formation, tax and licences. One of the simplest states — here is the short version.LLC vs Sole ProprietorshipWhat each actually protects, why the taxes are identical until an S-corp election, and a tool that answers with the year-one cost difference in your state.Includes a toolHow to Get an EINThe IRS issues EINs free online in about ten minutes. The sites charging hundreds are not the IRS. Who needs one, the steps, and how to spot the copycats.
Sales & leads
3 guidesFinding people who will pay you, and what to say to them.
Lead Generation Without a Sales TeamWhere leads come from for a local B2B business, how to pull real ones from Google Maps, qualify them before you write, and pace sends so they don't hit spam.Lead QualificationWhy BANT is wrong for a small business, the three questions that actually matter, and a scorer that turns a two-minute look at a company into hot, warm or cold.Includes a toolCold Email for Small BusinessSPF, DKIM and DMARC in plain words, a warm-up and send-cap planner, three sequences that work, and why a reply has to stop the sequence.Includes a tool
Marketing
3 guidesGetting found — ads, content, and what to do when nobody is visiting.
Social Media for Small BusinessA real fourteen-day calendar for a small business: five creative briefs, the AI photos, every caption and hashtag, on the day and platform each was scheduled.AI Reels for BusinessFour real AI-generated reels with the brief that produced each, the render time, what was edited afterwards — and one that didn't work, and why.Facebook Ads for Small BusinessA budget calculator tied to cash and runway, four ads on four angles published paused, and attribution that counts a Stripe charge rather than a scroll-past.Includes a tool
Research & money
4 guidesThe numbers behind the decision: market size, pricing, funding, what a customer is worth.
Market Research for a Small Business in a DayThe five questions a small business actually needs answered, the free datasets that answer them in an afternoon, and a complete worked report with its sources.Competitor Analysis Template With a Worked ExampleThe six things worth knowing about a competitor, where to find their prices, reviews and hiring, a filled example, and the template it follows.How to Raise Money for a Small Business, RankedRevenue first, then grants, SBA and microloans, friends and family, angels — who each actually fits, and a calculator for how much you should raise.Includes a toolHow to Find Investors for a StartupWhy fit beats volume, where the information lives, a real funding-finder output with its sources, and how to make the approach — warm paths first.
Calculators
3 guidesCalculators you use rather than read. Nothing is saved and nothing is sent anywhere.
Runway CalculatorCash divided by average net burn, break-even revenue and the runway date, calculated the way the product does. See what a cost cut or a price rise changes.Includes a toolPricing Strategy for a Small Service BusinessCost-plus, value and market pricing for a small business, a break-even and margin calculator by hour or by job, and the five checks a pricing review runs.Includes a toolStartup Costs CalculatorReal state formation fees plus typical first-90-day costs for a service, food, retail or online business, in one editable calculator with three worked budgets.Includes a tool
State by state
50 guidesOne page per state, because the cost of running a business is set locally. Each gives that state's LLC filing fee, the annual report and franchise tax it charges, its income and sales tax, the specific trap that catches people there — Ohio's city income tax, New York's publication requirement, California's $800 minimum — and a link straight to the official filing portal.
Start a Business in Alabama: County LicencesIn Alabama the licence comes from the county probate judge and local sales tax is often collected by a private firm. Workers' comp starts at five staff.Start a Business in Alaska: Local Sales TaxesAlaska has no state sales tax and no state sales tax authority — boroughs and cities levy their own, and you register with each town you trade in.Start a Business in ArizonaArizona’s transaction privilege tax is legally the seller’s, so an untaxed invoice costs you 8.6% — plus a $12 per-city licence renewing every 1 January.Start a Business in ArkansasArkansas caps local sales tax at the first $2,500 of a transaction, but you claim the excess back yourself on form ET-179A — and $150 falls due each 1 May.Start a Business in California: City Business TaxCalifornia cities tax gross receipts, not profit — and Los Angeles removes its under-$100,000 exemption entirely if the annual renewal is filed late.Start a Business in ColoradoAbout seventy Colorado home-rule cities collect their own sales tax, each with its own licence, return and taxable base. The state’s own share is just 2.9%.Start a Business in Connecticut: Tax on ConsultingConnecticut charges 6.35% sales tax on management consulting and 1% on website work, and the permit costs $100. What to collect, withhold and file.Start a Business in Delaware: Gross Receipts TaxDelaware has no sales tax but a gross receipts tax on your revenue, a $75 licence to trade at all, and an LLC franchise tax rising to $400 from tax year 2026.Start a Business in Florida: the 1 April ReturnFlorida's DR-405 taxes your desks and laptops every 1 April, and the $25,000 exemption only exists if you file it. Plus two local receipts per address.Start a Business in Georgia: the Occupation TaxGeorgia's occupation tax is charged on gross receipts times a profitability ratio for your NAICS code — unless you elect the $400 flat fee nobody mentions.Start a Business in Hawaii: Employer Health LawHawaii is the only state that makes employers buy health insurance — 20 hours a week triggers it. Plus GET, the gross-income tax that is not a sales tax.Start a Business in Idaho: Costs & Resort TaxesIdaho charges 6% sales tax almost everywhere — the exceptions are resort cities that set their own rate and collect it themselves, not the Tax Commission.Start a Business in Illinois: Replacement TaxIllinois charges pass-throughs 1.5% Personal Property Replacement Tax at entity level. A single-member LLC escapes it, so adding a partner creates it.Start a Business in Indiana: County Tax RulesAll 92 Indiana counties levy an income tax, and the rate you withhold is set by where each employee lived on 1 January, not by where your business is.Start a Business in Iowa: School District SurtaxIowa school districts levy a surtax of up to 20% of your state income tax liability and no employer withholds it, so it lands on your April return.Start a Business in Kansas: Intangibles TaxKansas counties tax interest, dividends and receivables on Form 200, due 15 April to your county clerk, and workers comp starts at $20,000 of payroll.Start a Business in Kentucky: Taxable ServicesKentucky taxes thirty-odd services and you register at $6,000 of receipts. Cities, counties and school boards tax payroll and net profits separately.Start a Business in LouisianaLouisiana parishes collect their own sales tax — a separate registration, return, deadline and auditor for each — plus a gross-receipts occupational licence.Starting a Business in MaineMaine repealed the Service Provider Tax on 1 January 2026 and folded those services into the 5.5% sales tax. One rate statewide, and registration is free.Start a Business in Maryland: 3% on IT ServicesMaryland has charged 3% sales tax on data and IT services since July 2025, and $300 a year for the annual report whatever you earned. Plus county income tax.Start a Business in Massachusetts: The PFML CliffAt 25 covered individuals Massachusetts PFML jumps to 0.88% with a 0.42% employer share — and 1099 contractors can push you over the line without warning.Start a Business in Michigan: The 24 CitiesTwenty-four Michigan cities levy an income tax, Detroit at 2.4% resident and 1.2% non-resident, and Detroit binds employers merely doing business there.Start a Business in Minnesota: Paid Leave 2026Minnesota Paid Leave premiums began in 2026 at 0.88% of wages, 0.66% for small employers, first payment due 30 April. The real cost of hiring here.Start a Business in MississippiMississippi’s 3.5% contractor’s tax hits non-residential contracts over $10,000, prepaid above $75,000. Otherwise: one 7% rate, one return, one filing.Start a Business in Missouri: Earnings TaxesKansas City and St Louis each levy a 1% earnings tax and St Louis adds a 0.5% employer payroll tax. Everywhere else in Missouri there is no local one.Start a Business in Montana: Contractor RulesMontana settles the contractor question with a $125 certificate. Without one, the state treats your contractor as your employee — and there is no sales tax.Start a Business in Nebraska: Occupation TaxNebraska cities levy occupation taxes by ordinance, Omaha at 2.5% on restaurants and 5.5% on hotels, and an itemised one is taxed again by sales tax.Start a Business in NevadaNevada taxes payroll instead of income: 1.17% on quarterly wages above $50,000, plus $200 a year for the state business licence and $425 before you trade.Start a Business in New HampshireNo sales tax and no wage tax in New Hampshire, but the 0.55% Business Enterprise Tax falls on payroll rather than profit — a loss-making year still owes it.Start a Business in New Jersey: Four DeductionsNew Jersey withholds four state deductions from every paycheque, and Newark and Jersey City charge a 1% employer payroll tax the state never reminds you of.Start a Business in New MexicoNew Mexico’s gross receipts tax falls on the seller and reaches services, so it comes out of your margin — unless the buyer is out of state and certifies it.Start a Business in New York: the 4% UBTNew York City's Unincorporated Business Tax takes 4% of an LLC's city-allocated income on top of everything else — but a credit erases it below about $85,000.Start a Business in North Carolina: Taxed LabourNorth Carolina taxes repair, maintenance and installation labour, not just parts, and stating it separately doesn't help. No local business licence anywhere.Start a Business in North Dakota: Sales Tax CapsNorth Dakota caps local sales tax on a single invoice — $50 in Fargo, $100 in Minot — and tax software rarely applies it, so your customer claims it back.Start a Business in Ohio: City Income TaxAround 600 Ohio cities tax business net profit through RITA or the CCA, and the state one-return fix excludes single-member LLCs. What Ohio really costs.Start a Business in OklahomaOklahoma cities can’t levy property tax, so they live on sales tax: 4.5% state, 8.625% in Oklahoma City, 476 jurisdictions and a $20 three-year permit.Start a Business in Oregon: Portland's 3 TaxesInner Portland stacks three business taxes — 2.6% city, 2% county, 1% Metro — on top of Oregon's. Outside the metro there is no local income tax at all.Start a Business in PennsylvaniaPennsylvania's Earned Income Tax is collected by private firms appointed county by county, withheld at the higher of two rates, plus a $52 Local Services Tax.Start a Business in Rhode Island: TDI at 1.1%Rhode Island's TDI deduction starts at employee one: 1.1% on a wage base that jumped to $100,000 for 2026, with no private-plan opt-out anywhere in the state.Start a Business in South Carolina: LicencesSouth Carolina's business licence tax is charged on gross income by every jurisdiction you work in. Act 176 gave them one 30 April date, not one bill.Start a Business in South Dakota: Service TaxSouth Dakota taxes the sale of all services, so a consultant charges tax on their own time — and construction pays a 2% excise tax bid at 2.041% instead.Start a Business in Tennessee: Two Business TaxesTennessee levies a business tax on gross receipts separate from franchise and excise, licensed by the county clerk and collected by the state.Start a Business in Texas: Tax and CompTexas taxes SaaS as data processing on 80% of the charge, and workers’ comp is optional — what non-subscribing gives up, and the deadlines that come with it.Start a Business in UtahUtah city licence fees can scale with your employee count, so hiring raises the bill — while every local sales tax rides on a single state return.Start a Business in Vermont: Two Payroll TaxesVermont's Child Care Contribution takes 0.44% of payroll from the first dollar; the health care assessment bills quarterly per uncovered employee past four.Start a Business in Virginia: the BPOL TaxUnder Virginia's threshold a licence is a flat fee capped at $50; over it, BPOL is up to 58 cents per $100 of gross receipts, levied by your locality.Start a Business in Washington: the B&O TaxWashington's B&O tax falls on gross receipts, so a loss-making year still owes it — and workers' comp is charged per hour worked, by the state alone.Start a Business in West Virginia: the B&O TaxWest Virginia cities tax gross receipts quarterly — 1% services, 2% contracting in Charleston — with a zero return due even in a quarter you earned nothing.Start a Business in Wisconsin: The $500 RuleWisconsin workers comp turns on $500 of gross wages in a quarter, not three employees, and once you are subject to the Act you stay subject to it.Start a Business in Wyoming: Workers' Comp RulesWyoming decides workers' comp by NAICS code, not headcount — and where cover is compulsory only the state fund may sell it. 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