Stage 1 of 6 · Get set up
Start
From idea to open for business
Turn a skill or side hustle into a real business: structure, banking, pricing, and the taxes nobody warns you about.
Your path through Start
- 1
From Hobby to Business: When Your Side Hustle Gets Serious
Up nextHow the IRS tells a hobby from a business, why the difference matters for your taxes, and the first moves to make when your side hustle starts to grow up.
7 minFoundations - 2
Sole Proprietor, LLC, or S Corp? Choosing Your Structure
A plain comparison of the common business structures, what each one changes about liability, taxes, and paperwork, and when an S corp election starts to make sense.
9 minFoundations - 3
Separate Your Money: Business Banking From Day One
Why mixing personal and business money costs you at tax time, weakens your liability protection, and makes lenders nervous, plus the simple setup that fixes it.
5 minFoundations - 4
Pricing for Profit: What to Charge
Three ways to set prices, how to make sure your own pay is built in, and the markup versus margin mix-up that quietly drains profit.
8 minFoundations Interactive tool - 5
Taxes When You Work for Yourself
How self-employment tax works, when quarterly estimated payments are due in 2026, how much to set aside, and the deductions and records that lower your bill.
9 minFoundations - 6
A One-Page Business Plan You'll Actually Use
Skip the 40-page binder. A single page that captures who you serve, how you make money, and what you will do next keeps you focused and helps lenders understand you.
6 minFoundations - 7
Shopping for a Bank
Finding a bank is like choosing a pair of shoes: You want the right style and size at the right price.
5 minFoundations Lightbulb Library - 8
Prepaying Taxes: Withholding and Estimated Payments
You get a Hobson’s choice with taxes: You can prepay or you can prepay.
5 minFoundations Lightbulb Library