Entrepreneurs have multiple responsibilities to different parties and tend to wear many different hats throughout the course of a typical day. But the more successful business owners know when, and how, to ask for help. Fortunately, state governments provide a wide range of resources to help small businesses get off the ground. After all, states have an interest in encouraging economic growth within their boundaries, so it makes sense to help with new ventures. States often provide helpful business start-up checklists (FindLaw has a more general checklist) with requirements specific to the state, information about license requirements, summaries of state employment laws, and more.
This section contains links to state resources for starting a business. "SBDC" refers to a Small Business Development Center. To suggest an item for this section, please contact us. For additional information about starting a business, see FindLaw's First Steps to Start a Business section.
| Alabama | Business in Alabama (alabama.gov) |
| Alaska | Starting a Small Business (Dept. of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development) |
| Arizona | Arizona Commerce Authority |
| Arkansas | Small Business Financing Resource Guide [MS Word Document] (Arkansas Dept. of Economic Development) |
| California | California Business Portal: Starting a Business |
| Colorado | Colorado Business Express (Colorado.gov) |
| Connecticut | Starting a Business (Secretary of State) Connecticut SBDC |
| Delaware | Delaware SBDC |
District of |
Start a Business (Government of the District of Columbia) |
| Florida | Florida Trend's Small Business (Florida Economic Development Council) |
| Georgia | First Stop Business Information Center Georgia SBDC |
| Guam | Pacific Islands SBDC |
| Hawaii | Starting a Business in Hawaii (Dept. of Business, Economic Development & Tourism) |
| Idaho | Starting a Business (idaho.gov) |
| Illinois | Step by Step Guide to Starting a Business in Illinois Illinois SBDC |
| Indiana | Guide to Starting A Business in Indiana (Indiana Secretary of State Business Services Division) |
| Iowa | Starting a Small Business (Iowa Dept. of Economic Development Business Resources) |
| Kansas | Starting a Business in Kansas (accessKansas) |
| Kentucky | Start a Business (kentucky.gov) |
| Louisiana | Starting a Business (la.gov) |
| Maine | Starting a Business (maine.gov) |
| Maryland | Starting a Business (Department of Business and Economic Development) |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts SBDC |
| Michigan | Guide to Starting a Small Business [PDF] (Michigan.gov) |
| Minnesota | Start a Business (Minnesota Dept. of Employment and Economic Development) |
| Mississippi | How to Start a Business (Mississippi Development Authority) |
| Missouri | Starting a New Business in Missouri (Missouri Dept. of Economic Development) |
| Montana | How to Launch a New Business (Montana Secretary of State) |
| Nebraska | Business Assistance Center (Nebraska Department of Economic Development) |
| Nevada | Doing Business In Nevada (Commission on Economic Development) |
| New Hampshire | Starting a Business in NH (New Hampshire Economic Development Division) |
| New Jersey | Online Business Resources (State of New Jersey) |
| New Mexico | New Mexico SBDC |
| New York | New York Start-Up Assistance New York SBDC |
| North Carolina | Starting a Business in North Carolina (Department of Commerce) |
| North Dakota | New Business Startup (discovernd.com) |
| Ohio | Starting a Business (ohio.gov) |
| Oklahoma | Starting a Business (State of Oklahoma) |
| Oregon | Starting A Business (Secretary of State) |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania Open for Business (Commonwealth of PA) |
Puerto Rico |
Virgin Islands SBDC Puerto Rico SBDC |
| Rhode Island | Starting a Business (RI.gov) |
| South Carolina | Starting A Business (South Carolina's Business One-Stop) |
| South Dakota | Start Your Business (South Dakota Dept. of Tourism and State Development) |
| Tennessee | Online Small Business Information Guide (Dept. of Economic and Community Development) |
| Texas | Texas SBDC - San Antonio Texas SBDC - North Texas Texas SBDC - Houston |
| Utah | Starting a Business (utah.gov) |
| Vermont | Start a Business (Department of Economic Development) |
| Virginia | Starting a Business (Commonwealth of Virginia) |
| Washington | Start a Business (Access Washington) |
| West Virginia | Smart Steps to Starting a Business in West Virginia (Secretary of State) |
| Wisconsin | Starting a Business in Wisconsin (Dept. of Commerce) |
| Wyoming | eGovermnent Business Site |
Get Legal Help Before Starting a New Business
Starting a successful business is exceedingly difficult, and the odds are not in your favor. In order to increase your chance of success, you may want to consult with a business and commercial law attorney who specializes in small businesses.
