Shore Things

There’s a lot of advice out there about starting a business, and a frustrating amount of it is vibes. Follow your passion. Build your brand. Show up authentically. All lovely. None of it tells you what to actually do on a Tuesday when you’ve decided you’re really doing this. So here’s the un-vibey version: what you actually need to handle in your first 30 days, roughly in order, so that the foundation is solid before you build anything fun on top of it. Week 1: Decide and nam

I talk to a lot of people who started their business in the wrong order. Not wrong like catastrophically wrong — wrong like they’re going to have to redo some things and it’s going to be annoying. Here’s the order I recommend: 1. Name your business and check availability. Before you fall in love with a name, make sure it’s available as an LLC in your state, check the USPTO trademark database, and grab the domain. In that order. 2. Form your LLC. File with your state’s Secreta