Print this page. Nearly everything on it is free, and every fortune on Main Street started with one of these phone calls.
- SCORE (score.org) — free mentors; ask specifically for someone who ran your kind of business.
- SBDC (americassbdc.org) — free professional help with plans, loans, licenses, leases and books.
- SBA (sba.gov) — microloans to $50k, 7(a) guarantees through local banks, free courses, the license lookup.
- Your city clerk and county offices — the actual permit list for your exact business at your exact address. The magic words: “I’m opening a ___, what do I need?”
- The county health department — everything food; call before buying anything.
- State licensing boards — trades, contractors, cosmetology, pesticide applicators; where the dollar caps live.
- The local chamber of commerce — introductions, referrals, and the town’s actual politics.
- Community banks and credit unions — where main-street loans get approved by people, not software.
- IRS (irs.gov) — the free EIN; then a local CPA for quarterlies, and Gusto/ADP for payroll.
- A local business attorney — one hour for the lease, one for contracts. The cheapest insurance in this directory.
- Your state labor department — free posters, hiring rules, workers’ comp requirements.
The whole section in one line: mentor → one page → legal basics → the smallest sellable version → reviews → recurring revenue → then, and only then, scale. When the business outgrows the town, the 🚀 Business Startup section is the sequel — the world is the next neighborhood over.