Activate MLS access and start selling
Join the MLS and associations your brokerage and market actually use.
Read the guide →Build an investor list that funds you
30-50 names who actually fund your stage and sector.
Read the guide →Buy a domain name that's easy to trust
Short, spellable, and .com if you can get it.
Read the guide →Pick a website platform that fits you
Builder, WordPress, or hire out — pick by budget and skill.
Read the guide →Raise startup funding, or not at all?
Most small businesses shouldn't; know your reason.
Read the guide →Package your service offer to sell
Decide exactly what you sell and what you don't.
Read the guide →Get business cards that build credit
Separate cards keep expenses clean and start building credit.
Read the guide →Get your cosmetology license first
Meet the licensing rules for salon services.
Read the guide →Get your EIN free from the IRS today
Apply free on the IRS site; it takes minutes.
Read the guide →Get your real estate license faster
Complete the coursework and exam your market requires.
Read the guide →Join a brokerage or go independent
Choose the umbrella you start under.
Read the guide →Find real small business support fast
Loans, rare grants, tax credits, and free advice — be realistic.
Read the guide →Map your startup funding options
Bootstrapping, loans, angels, VC, crowdfunding — different games.
Read the guide →Meet SCORE and SBDC, free expert advice
SBDC and SCORE mentoring costs nothing.
Read the guide →Open a business bank account early
Separate business money from personal from day one.
Read the guide →Pick two marketing channels that work
Go where your customer already is; ignore the rest.
Read the guide →Practice your pitch out loud ten times
In front of people who will interrupt you.
Read the guide →Prepare for tough investor questions
Competition, moat, why now, why you.
Read the guide →Register your business, shield your home
Choose a legal structure and register your business name.
Read the guide →One page business plan that ships
Summarize what you sell, to whom, and how you make money on a single page.
Read the guide →Every guide here is a checkbox in the app.
Join the waitlist and work through them with an AI coach on your side.
Start for free →Free plan available · No credit card required
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Don't rely on second-hand deadline dates — confirm the next batch's application window on ycombinator.com/apply before you plan around it.ToolClerkyClerky handles startup incorporation and legal paperwork specifically for founders raising venture capital, generating Delaware C-corp filings, founder stock, and fundraising documents. It focuses on getting the legal details right for future investment.ToolGoogle WorkspaceA business suite bundling professional email on your own domain plus Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Drive, Meet, and Calendar.ToolLegalZoomLegalZoom helps you form an LLC or corporation and access legal documents, registered agent service, and attorney consultations. It walks non-lawyers through business formation filings.TermBootstrappingBuilding a company using your own money and the revenue it generates, rather than raising outside investment.TermEIN (Employer Identification Number)A unique nine-digit number the US IRS assigns to your business for tax and identification purposes, like a Social Security number for your company.TermLLC vs. C-CorpThe two most common US business structures: an LLC offers pass-through tax and flexibility; a C-corp is standard for raising venture capital.TermMVP (Minimum Viable Product)The simplest version of your product that delivers core value and lets you test key assumptions with real users.AI advisorAjummaRelentless drive & hustle