First Steps: Planning & Legal
For new founders writing a plan and handling the legal basics.
Start here
Find Your Local SBDC (Small Business Development Center)
OrganizationFreeSCORE — Free Business Mentoring
ProgramFreeSCORE Small Business Basics Workbook
DocumentFreeSCORE Business Plan Template
DocumentFreeSCORE Financial Management Workbook
DocumentFreeForming an LLC or S-Corp for Your Tech Business or Consulting Practice
DocumentFreeBplans Sample Business Plan Library
WebsiteFree
More in Start & Grow a Business
View all
147 resources
Ideabrowser
ToolFreePatagonia Redesigns Worn Wear Resale Site (Fast Company)
ArticleFreePSI · Physical Superintelligence
The site of PSI, a company describing itself as an AI-native laboratory applying AI to physics problems in energy, computation, materials and sensing.
WebsiteFreeYou Need a New CFO (a16z)
Essay from the a16z.news newsletter (October 8, 2026) by Andreessen Horowitz on the chief financial officer role.
ArticleFree4 Strategies for Deciding Which Listings to Promote
Four approaches from Etsy for choosing which listings to put ad budget behind.
GuideFreeAbout Reddit Pro
Reddit's help articles explaining what Reddit Pro is and who it is for.
GuideFreeAnalyzing the Success of Your Marketing Campaigns
Shopify's guide to measuring how marketing campaigns perform.
GuideFreeChecklist: Get Your Listings Ready to Advertise
Etsy's checklist for preparing listings before promoting them with Etsy Ads.
GuideFreeChecklist: Optimize Your Shop for Etsy Search
A checklist from Etsy covering the shop and listing details that affect search visibility.
GuideFreeCreate a Content Marketing Strategy
Shopify's guide to planning content that brings shoppers to a store.
GuideFreeDeveloping a Marketing Plan
Shopify's walkthrough for putting together a store marketing plan.
GuideFreeEtsy Fees
Etsy's official fees and payments policy, listing the fees charged for listing, transactions and payment processing. Check the page for current figures.
PolicyFreeEtsy Forums
Etsy's official community forums, where sellers ask questions and share advice.
CommunityFreeEtsy Help Center
Etsy's official help center, with seller articles on shop management, listings, finances, marketing and policies.
GuideFreeEtsy Seller Events
Etsy's calendar of seller events, including online sessions and workshops.
CommunityFreeEtsy Seller Handbook
Etsy's free library of seller guides, the Etsy Success podcast and stories from other sellers, organized by topic.
GuideFreeEtsy Success Podcast
Etsy's own podcast for sellers, with episodes on running and growing a shop.
CommunityFreeGetting Started With Etsy Ads
Etsy's guide to launching an Etsy Ads campaign, from setting a budget to what to expect in the first 30 days. Free to read; ads themselves cost money.
GuideFreeGive Your Team Shared Access to Your Shop
How to invite up to five team members to help run an Etsy shop with their own logins, without sharing a password or financial details.
GuideFreeHow Etsy Search Works
Etsy's explanation of how its search ranks listings for shoppers.
GuideFreeHow Meta Business Suite Works
Meta's help article explaining how Business Suite and business portfolios are set up and what they manage.
GuideFreeHow to Spot Trends and Keywords With Marketplace Insights
How to use Marketplace Insights, Etsy's search-data tool in Shop Manager, to see what buyers are searching for and how competitive each term is.
GuideFreeImproving Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Shopify's guide to SEO settings and practices for a store.
GuideFreeInstagram Best Practices
Instagram's creator education hub with best practices for posts, Reels and Stories.
GuideFree