Startup Guides, Business Ideas, and the Stories Behind Companies That Made It
Over 700 step-by-step startup guides, plus company histories, founder biographies, and lessons from businesses that came before you.
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Business Ideas
Over 500 ideas by industry, budget, and skill level.
Starting a Business
Registration, licensing, insurance, equipment, and the setup steps that come first.
Management Tips
Hiring, leading a team, organizing operations, and keeping costs under control.
Marketing Tips
Reaching customers, building a local presence, and getting repeat business.
Startup Stories
How real founders got their businesses off the ground, and what it cost them.
Business Lessons
Hard-won lessons from companies that grew, stumbled, or changed direction.
Biographies
The people behind the companies, and the decisions that defined them.
Companies to Explore
Profiles of established companies and the strategies that built them.
Want a Shortcut? Try the Idea Matcher
Answer a few questions about your budget, skills, and lifestyle and get matched instantly from the full library. No email address, no registration.
What You Get From a Startup Guide
Every guide walks the same ground: what the business actually does, what it costs to open, the equipment and software you need, the licenses and insurance that apply, the mistakes that sink people in year one, and an FAQ that answers what most people ask next.
The point is to let you rule a business in or out before you spend a dollar on it.
Written by Acey Gaspard. A Touch of Business has published research-backed startup guidance since 2000, with a growing library of company histories and founder biographies. Every guide is reviewed and edited before publication. More about this site.