Step 8 Complete Your Legal Legwork Be sure to research and meet the regulations in your field.

From a legal perspective, there's a good deal more tostarting your own business than simply coming up with a unique ideaand opening your doors. Once you've decided on your businessidea and name, composed your business plan, and selected the mostappropriate type of workplace, the time has come to take care ofall the necessary legal legwork.

Before opening day, you need to find out which of the numerousbusiness-related rules, regulations, licenses, permits and formsare applicable to your venture. Brush up on the specifics of eachand complete any required paperwork. Relevant tasks typicallyinclude: (1) obtaining a federal Employer Identification Number(EIN); (2) applying for state and city business licenses; (3)obtaining state sales tax and resale tax certificates; (4)investigating zoning regulations; and (5) registering your businessname.

Because state, county and local regulations vary dramatically,call around to find out what is--and is not--required in your area.A good place to start is by contacting the Small BusinessAdministration (SBA) office in your state. Inform the SBA thatyou're planning to launch your own business and wouldappreciate receiving a start-up information packet. Another helpfulresource in most areas is the local chamber of commerce, whichoften provides all of the regulation and application information inone convenient bundle.