A new site, honest about it.
Small Biz Primer launched in 2026 with fifteen guides. We would rather tell you that than dress it up as a decade of publishing.
Last updated [LAST UPDATED - set on publish]
Why this site exists
There is no shortage of writing about starting a business. There is a shortage of writing that tells you which steps are legally required, which are optional, and which exist mainly so somebody can sell you a service. Search "how to form an LLC" and most of the first page is written by companies that form LLCs for a living. That does not make them wrong. It does mean nobody on that page is going to tell you that you can file it yourself in twenty minutes for the state fee.
We started Small Biz Primer to write the other version. Plain English, the real order of operations, and a clear line between "you must" and "you could". Where the free official route exists - the IRS EIN application, your state's own filing portal, Google Business Profile - we point at it first, before we mention anything paid.
Who runs this
Every guide carries a byline. We do not publish anonymously and we do not use invented author personas.
[REAL BACKGROUND - 2 to 3 sentences of verifiable fact: what businesses you have actually run or formed, how long, what you did before. No invented years, no invented job titles.]
[RELEVANT QUALIFICATION, IF ANY - fill in or delete this line entirely. Do not claim attorney, CPA, EA or financial adviser status unless it is true and licensed.]
[CONTACT - e.g. LinkedIn URL or author email]
If you are reading this and those brackets are still here, the site is not finished. Tell us: contact page.
What we are not
We are not a law firm, an accounting firm, or a licensed financial adviser, and nothing on this site is legal, tax or financial advice. We write educational material about how things generally work in the United States. Rules differ by state, by industry and by your specific circumstances, and they change.
When a decision has real money or real liability attached to it - choosing between an S-corp election and staying a default LLC, handling payroll tax, signing a personal guarantee on a loan - we will tell you to talk to a licensed professional. That is not a disclaimer we bolt on at the bottom. It is in the body of the guide, at the point where it matters.
How we review services and software
Comparison pages are where a site like this can quietly go bad, so here is the process in full.
1. We define who the page is for before we look at any product
"Best accounting software" is a meaningless ranking without a buyer. A sole trader invoicing four clients a month and a contractor running payroll for twelve people need different things. Every comparison names its buyer in the first paragraph and ranks against that buyer.
2. We use published pricing, and we date it
Every price we quote comes from the provider's own public pricing page, and we record the date we checked. If a price is only available on request, we say so instead of guessing. We do not quote a promotional rate as if it were the standard one, and we call out what renews at a higher price - formation services in particular are cheap in year one and less cheap in year two.
3. We use the product where we can, and say so when we have not
Where we have hands-on time with a tool, the review says what we did with it and for how long. Where we have not, the page says that plainly and the assessment is based on documentation, published pricing, support terms and user reviews at named sources. We will not describe an interface we have never opened.
4. Commercial relationships do not move the order
Most services we cover have affiliate programmes, and we are in some of them. The ranking is set before anyone gets paid, and a provider cannot buy a position, a rating or a removal of criticism. If we recommend a free option over a paid one - and on several pages we do - that stands.
5. We re-check and re-date
Pricing and features move. Each comparison shows when it was last verified. If you find something out of date, tell us and we will fix it and note the correction.
How we make money
Two ways, and we would rather you knew both.
Affiliate commissions. If you sign up for a formation service, accounting tool, CRM
or business loan through one of our links, we may earn a commission. It costs you nothing extra. Those
links are marked sponsored and the page carries a visible disclosure above the content.
Full detail on the affiliate disclosure page.
Sponsored and contributed posts, later. Once this site has real traffic and real authority, we intend to sell a small number of sponsored placements to relevant B2B brands. Those will be labelled as sponsored, capped in volume, and subject to the same editorial standard as everything else. Details live on the advertise page. We are not selling them yet.
Corrections
We will get things wrong. When we do, we fix the page and add a dated correction note at the bottom rather than quietly editing it. If something here is inaccurate, out of date, or missing a step that tripped you up, tell us. Corrections from readers who actually filed the paperwork are the most useful mail we get.
Site details
- Site: Small Biz Primer, smallbizprimer.com
- Launched: 2026
- Operated by: [LEGAL ENTITY NAME - fill in]
- Registered address: [BUSINESS ADDRESS - fill in]
- Coverage: United States, in English
- Contact: contact page