Your domain is your address on the internet. It's behind your email, your website, and increasingly how people judge whether you're a real business. Register it before you do almost anything else.

The extension matters less than most people think. .com is the default — the safest choice if you're not sure. .ai is now widely used by tech and software companies. .io is common in developer tools and B2B software. Pick the one that fits your market and move on.

Turn on domain privacy protection when you register. Without it, your name, address, and phone number are publicly visible to anyone who looks up your domain. Most registrars include it free.

Forming an entity — an LLC or corporation — creates a legal separation between you and your business. Without it, you're a sole proprietor, which means if someone sues your business, they're suing you personally. Your savings, your car, your house — all of it is on the table.

Most founders choose between two structures. An LLC is simpler to run, has pass-through taxation (profits go straight to your personal return), and works well for most small businesses. A C-Corp is what venture investors typically require because it's easier to issue stock options and bring on institutional capital. If you're not planning to raise from VCs, start with an LLC.

Delaware is the default for C-Corps because its corporate law is the most developed in the country — most investors and lawyers know it well. For LLCs, form in your home state unless you have a reason to do otherwise.

Get your EIN from the IRS after you form. It's free, takes about 10 minutes at irs.gov, and you need it to open a business bank account, pay employees, and file taxes.

Open a business bank account before money starts moving. Not after your first client pays you. Before.

The startup banking market has changed a lot. Several banks now offer free business accounts built for founders — no monthly fees, no minimum balance, and features traditional banks don't have.

But since Silicon Valley Bank failed in March 2023, where you keep your cash matters more than the yield on it. SVB was the default bank for startups. It collapsed in about 48 hours after a $42 billion run, and 97% of its deposits sat above the FDIC limit — technically uninsured. Regulators ended up covering everyone, but for one weekend thousands of founders thought they would miss payroll.

That's why a large, traditional bank — Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo — now belongs in most founders' setup. Not instead of a startup account, but alongside one. These are 'systemically important' banks, held to the strictest capital rules and the least likely to fail. Keep a portion of your cash there, and never park your whole runway above the insured limit in a single institution.

One more thing to understand: neobanks like Mercury, Brex, and Relay are not banks. They hold your money at partner banks that carry the FDIC insurance — normal, and usually fine. Many now run sweep programs that spread your deposits across a dozen or more banks for $3M to $5M of coverage. But the model has its own weak point. When the fintech middleware firm Synapse collapsed in 2024, it froze $265 million for over 100,000 people because no one could reconcile who owned what — and FDIC insurance covers a bank failing, not a fintech failing. Know whether your provider is a bank or a fintech, and check its sweep program and partner banks.

Brand protection covers two things people often confuse. Reserving your handles across social platforms is free and takes 20 minutes — do it now. Filing a federal trademark is a different thing entirely: a legal process, 12 to 18 months, and $250 to $350 per class in USPTO fees.

For most early-stage founders, filing a trademark before you have real traction and revenue is getting ahead of yourself. Build the business first. Once you have customers, revenue, and a name worth protecting — that's when the trademark becomes a priority.

Social handles are different. Claim them now, regardless of where you are. Go to Namechk or manually check LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube. It takes 20 minutes and it's free.

Most early-stage founders spend too much time and money on branding before they've validated that anyone wants what they're building. A $5,000 logo does not help you find product-market fit.

You need a logo eventually. But it doesn't need to be expensive or perfect in year one. AI tools like Looka can produce something clean and professional for a fraction of what a design agency charges. If you're building a consumer brand where design is core to the experience, invest earlier. If you're selling software or services to businesses, it matters much less.

Forming your entity is not a one-time task. It creates ongoing obligations. Miss them and you can face penalties, lose your good standing, or — in the worst case — have your entity administratively dissolved by the state.

Your registered agent is the person or service that receives legal and government documents on behalf of your business. Every state requires one. If you used a formation service, they set one up for you. After the first free year, ongoing registered agent service costs $39 to $300 per year depending on the provider. Know who your registered agent is and make sure the service stays active.