Milestone 01
Starting your business
Before your first hire, get the foundation right: the legal entity, a tax ID, a business bank account and simple books. It’s cheap now and expensive to untangle later.
Your growth path
Each step has a guide
What you need now
- Pick and register your business entity. Most small businesses choose an LLC or a corporation. Your accountant can help you decide.
- Get an EIN. It’s your federal tax ID, it’s free from the IRS, and you’ll need it to open accounts and run payroll.
- Open a business bank account. Keeping business money separate protects you and makes taxes far simpler.
- Set up bookkeeping. Simple accounting software from day one beats a shoebox of receipts at tax time.
What can wait
- A PEO. There’s nobody to cover yet. Revisit when you hire.
- HR software. Nothing to manage until you have employees.
- A business credit card with rewards. Nice to have, not urgent.
Coming next: Your first hire brings payroll, tax withholding, workers’ comp and new-hire paperwork.
Guides and tools for this stage
Get matched with a provider
Tell us about your company. A person reviews it and suggests one or two providers that fit.
Do I need a PEO? Take the 2-minute quiz
Six questions. We'll tell you whether a PEO makes sense yet, or what to look at instead.
How we get paid. GetAStart is free for you. When a business we introduce signs up with a provider, that provider may pay us a referral fee. It never changes the price you pay.
Not sure where to start?
Answer six quick questions and we’ll tell you whether a PEO makes sense for your company yet, or what to look at instead.