For marketing, design and creative agencies that want to win clients, write better proposals, run projects, work with contractors and get paid on time.
Guide · Proposals and scheduling
Founders should close the first 10 to 20 customers themselves, in protected weekly blocks for prospecting, calls, follow-ups and a pipeline review. Write the process down as you go. Hire salespeople once deals follow a pattern you can teach, and hire two rather than one.
· 9 min read
Guide · Compliance and filings
A single-member LLC owned by a non-US person files Form 5472 with a pro forma Form 1120 every year, by fax or mail, due April 15 for a calendar year. Putting money in or taking it out counts as a reportable transaction, so almost every such LLC has to file. Missing it costs $25,000.
· 7 min read
Guide · Branding and design
A name that's free in your state can still infringe a trademark, and a federal trademark application costs $350 per class of goods or services. Check the USPTO database, your state's name rules and the domain before you print anything. Here's how to clear a name, and what each registration does and doesn't protect.
· 7 min read
Guide · Collaboration and productivity
Start with a domain you control, email on that domain, a simple website, a business bank account, accounting software, a way to take payments, a CRM, shared docs, a password manager and light automation. Most have free plans that last a two-person company months. A five-person stack runs about $180 a month at list prices.
· 7 min read
Guide · Business banking
Mercury accepts US companies with founders living abroad, but may ask for proof of US business activity and can close accounts that have none. Relay asks every owner for a physical US address. Airwallex's US service needs a US principal place of business. Wise Business works alongside any of them for currency. Here's how to choose.
· 7 min read
Guide · Cross-border payments
If Stripe doesn't serve your country, you either form a US company and open a US Stripe account, or sell through a merchant of record such as Paddle, Lemon Squeezy or Stripe Managed Payments, which charge around 5% or more but take on sales tax and VAT. Here's how the three routes compare.
· 7 min read
Guide · Collaboration and productivity
Google Workspace Business Starter and Microsoft 365 Business Basic both cost $7 a user a month on annual billing. Zoho Mail's free plan covers five users. Forwarding through Cloudflare is free but only receives, and from January 2027 Gmail stops letting a personal account send as an outside address.
· 8 min read
Guide · Web hosting and cloud
A basic DigitalOcean Droplet costs $6 a month, a managed cloud server on Cloudways starts at $11, and managed WordPress hosting from Kinsta at $35. The cheap option comes with a job description: operating system updates, runtime upgrades, backups, firewalls, certificates and monitoring. Here's how to tell whether that job is worth it for you.
· 7 min read
Guide · Website builders
Launch with a home page, a page per offer, pricing, about, contact, a privacy policy and terms. California's CalOPPA requires a privacy policy on any commercial site that collects personal information from its residents. Cookie-free analytics avoid an EU consent banner. Aim for LCP under 2.5 seconds, INP under 200 milliseconds and CLS under 0.1.
· 7 min read
Guide · Cross-border payments
On a $10,000 invoice, Wise's US account details cost $186.97 in fees including GST, Payoneer's published rates come to between about $219 and $496, and PayPal comes to about $727. Services exported under an LUT carry no GST, but you still need the paperwork. Here's how to choose.
· 7 min read
Comparison · Web hosting and cloud
A 2GB DigitalOcean server costs $12 a month and you look after it. Cloudways runs a 2GB DigitalOcean server for you from $24 a month. Kinsta's managed WordPress starts at $35 a month, or $30 billed yearly, with a 20GB monthly bandwidth limit. Here's which fits one small business site.
· 7 min read
Comparison · Security and passwords
A team of eight pays $24.95 a month on 1Password's Teams Starter Pack, $32 on Bitwarden Teams and $17.90 on NordPass Teams with a two-year plan. NordPass Teams includes Google Workspace sign-in, Bitwarden is open source, and 1Password's flat pack is simplest until ten people. Here's which suits which team.
· 7 min read
Comparison · No-code and automation
Ten thousand units a month cost $9 on Make's Core plan, $16 on Pabbly Connect's Standard plan and $129 on Zapier's Professional plan, all billed yearly. But Make counts every step including the trigger, while Zapier and Pabbly only count actions. Here's what one real automation costs on each.
· 7 min read
Comparison · Collaboration and productivity
Notion's free plan is built for one person. Once a second owner joins, the workspace gets 1,000 blocks in total. ClickUp's free plan allows unlimited members but only 60MB of storage. Paid plans cost $10 per member a month on Notion Plus and $7 on ClickUp Unlimited, both billed yearly. Here's which fits a small team.
· 7 min read
Comparison · No-code and automation
An internal tool for ten colleagues costs $99 a month on Softr Pro and $199 a month on Glide's Business plan, both billed yearly, because both count users. Bubble's Starter plan is $29 a month with no user count, but you build more yourself and pay for server workload. Here's which fits an internal tool, which fits an MVP, and when code is the better bet.
· 7 min read
Comparison · Website builders
A marketing site with a blog costs $10 a month on Framer's Basic plan and $25 a month on Webflow's Premium plan, both billed yearly, because Webflow's Basic plan has no CMS. Framer is quicker for a designer's eye. Webflow gives more CMS room and more structure. Here's which fits a founder working alone.
· 7 min read
Post · Cross-border incorporation
Forming the company takes days. Everything that has to follow it, from the EIN by fax to a bank account, Stripe, a card and the first year's filing calendar, takes most of three months for a founder abroad. Here's the order I'd follow, with a link to the full guide for each part.
· 7 min read
Guide · Contractors
To pay a contractor abroad, collect a Form W-8BEN, sign a contract that covers scope and IP, and pay through a low-cost rail like Wise, Airwallex or a contractor platform rather than a bank wire. For work done outside the US, there's no US withholding and no 1099. Here's the full process.
· 7 min read
Guide · Business banking
Opening a business bank account takes your formation documents, your EIN, ID for each owner and about 15 minutes online. Here's exactly what to have ready, the fees that matter, and how to choose between an online bank and a branch.
· 7 min read
Guide · Cross-border incorporation
You don't need to live in the US or hold a visa to form a US company. Here's the full process for founders abroad: LLC or C corp, Delaware or Wyoming, an EIN without an SSN, banking, payments, and the filings that catch foreign owners out.
· 8 min read
Guide · Accounting and bookkeeping
Good bookkeeping isn't complicated: separate accounts, software connected to your bank, a short list of categories and an hour a month. Here's the whole system, from setup to the year-end handoff to your accountant.
· 7 min read
Guide · Company formation
Forming an LLC takes a few hundred dollars in state fees and one to two weeks. Here is every step in order, what each one costs, and which paid extras you don't need.
· 8 min read
Guide · Business taxes
A single-member LLC owner pays themselves with an owner's draw, not a salary, and is taxed on the LLC's profit whether or not they take it out. Partners use distributions and guaranteed payments. S corp owners must take a reasonable salary. Here's how each works.
· 7 min read
Guide · Company formation
For most owners, the best state to form an LLC is the state where they live and work. Forming in Delaware or Wyoming usually means registering at home too and paying both states. Here's the math, and the exceptions.
· 7 min read
Guide · Compliance and filings
Most states require an annual or biennial report to keep an LLC active, from $7 in Pennsylvania to $138.75 in Florida, and some add a yearly tax, like California's $800. Miss it and the state can dissolve your LLC. Here's what's due and when.
· 7 min read
Guide · Contractors
Whether someone is a 1099 contractor or a W-2 employee depends on control and independence, not on what the contract says. The IRS weighs behavioral control, financial control and the relationship, and states like California apply a stricter ABC test. Here's how to decide.
· 7 min read
Guide · Business taxes
If you expect to owe $1,000 or more in federal tax, you generally need to pay estimated tax each quarter. Pay at least 100% of last year's tax, or 90% of this year's, and you avoid the underpayment penalty. Here's how to work it out and pay.
· 7 min read
Guide · Company formation
Every LLC needs a registered agent: a person or company with an address in the state who accepts legal papers during business hours. You can be your own for free, or pay $125 to $249 a year. Here's how to choose.
· 7 min read
Guide · Cold outreach
Send cold email from a separate domain that redirects to your website, with two or three mailboxes per domain. Add an SPF record, turn on DKIM, publish a DMARC record starting at p=none, and warm each mailbox up over a few weeks. Here are the records and the checks.
· 7 min read
Guide · Contracts and legal
An operating agreement sets out who owns your LLC, who decides what, and what happens when someone wants out. Here's what it should cover, which states require one, and when a free template stops being enough.
· 7 min read
Guide · International hiring
Start with a contractor for a defined project, move to an employer of record when someone works for you full time, and price up an Indian subsidiary once the EOR fees for a growing team pass what running your own company would cost. Here's the math at one, five and fifteen developers.
· 8 min read
Guide · Prospecting and lead data
Define the companies and roles you sell to, collect companies from free sources like job boards, event lists, review sites and public registries, find the right person at each, and verify every email before you send. Paid databases like Apollo and Hunter save time once the free sources run dry.
· 7 min read
Guide · CRM
Start with a CRM that records every contact and email automatically, shows your deals in a simple pipeline and reminds you to follow up. HubSpot's free CRM covers two users and Attio's free plan three. Pay for more when automation, sequences or reporting start to save real time.
· 7 min read
Guide · Legal structure
Electing S corp status lets an LLC owner take part of the profit without self-employment tax. Whether that's worth it depends on your profit, a reasonable salary and the extra running costs. Here is the math at three profit levels.
· 7 min read
Guide · Compliance and filings
US-formed LLCs and corporations no longer file beneficial ownership information reports with FinCEN. The final rule took effect on August 14, 2026. Only foreign companies registered to do business in a US state still report. Here's what that means for you.
· 7 min read
Guide · Payroll and benefits
Every paycheck involves taxes you withhold from the employee and taxes you pay yourself. In 2026 that's 6.2% Social Security and 1.45% Medicare from each side, federal unemployment tax on the first $7,000, state unemployment tax and income tax withholding. Here's how it all works.
· 7 min read
Guide · Cold outreach
Good cold email is a small, well-chosen list, a short first email about the recipient's problem, two or three follow-ups and a sending setup with SPF, DKIM and DMARC on a separate domain. CAN-SPAM applies to B2B email too, with penalties up to $53,088 per message. Here's the full playbook.
· 8 min read
Guide · Payroll and benefits
Before your first employee starts, register as an employer with your state, set up payroll, and get workers' compensation. On day one, collect a W-4 and complete the I-9 within three business days, then report the hire within 20 days. Here's every step.
· 7 min read
Guide · Legal structure
An S corp isn't a separate kind of company, it's a tax election an LLC can make. The real choice is between an LLC, taxed simply or as an S corp, and a C corporation built for investors.
· 7 min read
Guide · International hiring
Use a PEO when you have a US company and want better benefits and HR help for your US employees: from $79 to $125 a month per employee. Use an EOR when you want to employ someone in a country where you have no company: around $599 a month. Here's the full comparison.
· 7 min read
Guide · Company formation
An EIN is free from the IRS and takes about 15 minutes online. Here is what to have ready, the hours the online application is open, the mistakes that cause trouble later, and the fax, mail and phone routes for everyone else.
· 7 min read
Guide · Business taxes
A business can deduct ordinary and necessary expenses, but the biggest savings come from the ones owners forget: start-up costs, the home office, mileage at 72.5 or 76 cents a mile in 2026, equipment under Section 179, and health insurance. Here's the list, with the records each needs.
· 7 min read
Comparison · Accounting and bookkeeping
Online bookkeeping services range from Pilot's $99-a-month Essentials plan to Bookkeeper360 at $399 and QuickBooks Live from $300. Here's what each includes, when a service beats software plus a part-time bookkeeper, and why you should insist on books you own.
· 7 min read
Comparison · Proposals and scheduling
For one person, PandaDoc's Starter is $19 a month billed annually and Proposify's Build is $35. At ten users, PandaDoc Business costs $490 a month on annual billing and Proposify's Grow about $650. PandaDoc also has a free plan with five documents a month. Here's which one fits.
· 7 min read
Comparison · Business banking
Mercury suits startups and founders abroad, but takes no cash. Relay gives you 20 free checking accounts and free cash deposits at Allpoint+ ATMs. Bluevine pays interest on its free plan if you meet a spending or deposit target. Here's the full comparison.
· 7 min read
Comparison · Cross-border payments
Wise charges a one-time $31 and conversion fees from 0.23%. Airwallex is free to open with a 0.5% markup on major currencies. Payoneer suits marketplace sellers and freelancers, but charges 1% to receive many payments and an annual fee on low volumes. Here's how to choose.
· 7 min read
Comparison · CRM
For three people, Attio's free plan costs nothing, Pipedrive's Lite plan starts at $42 a month and HubSpot's Starter is listed at $60. At ten seats, the gap widens, and HubSpot's Professional tier adds a $1,500 onboarding fee. Here's how they compare and who each suits.
· 7 min read
Comparison · Prospecting and lead data
Hunter is the cheapest way to find and verify emails, at $49 a month for 2,000 credits. Lusha is simple and strong for phone numbers, from $49.90 a month for 400 credits. Apollo combines a large database, filters and email sequences, with a free plan and paid plans from $49 per user. Here's how to choose.
· 7 min read
Comparison · Email marketing
Kit's free plan now covers up to 10,000 subscribers, beehiiv's free plan up to 2,500 and MailerLite's up to 250. Paid plans start around $12 to $49 a month. The right pick depends on whether the newsletter supports a business or is the business. Here's how they compare.
· 10 min read
Comparison · CRM
GoHighLevel's plans are $97, $297 and $497 a month, but SMS, calls, email and AI are billed on top through a wallet. A five-client agency on the $297 plan pays roughly $465 to $475 a month before AI add-ons. It suits agencies that resell marketing systems, and it's the wrong buy for most others.
· 8 min read
Comparison · Accounting and bookkeeping
For most small businesses, QuickBooks Online Simple Start ($38 a month) or Xero Growing ($59 a month, unlimited users) is the right starting point. FreshBooks Plus ($43 a month) suits freelancers and agencies who live in invoices. Here's the full comparison at list prices.
· 7 min read
Comparison · Invoicing
Zoho Invoice and Wave Starter invoice for free. FreshBooks Plus ($43 a month) adds real accounting for service businesses. Bonsai Essentials ($25 a month, or $19 billed annually) wraps proposals, contracts and invoices into one workflow. Here's how to choose.
· 7 min read
Comparison · Business banking
Ramp is the easier corporate card to qualify for, with a $25,000 minimum balance and a strong free plan. Brex suits funded startups with $50,000 or more and wants to grow with them. Neither suits a sole proprietor or a brand-new company with little cash.
· 7 min read
Comparison · Accounting and bookkeeping
Zoho Books' free plan is the most complete, including bank reconciliation, as long as revenue stays under $50,000. Wave's free plan has unlimited invoices but no automatic bank import. QuickBooks' free plan allows two invoices a month. Here's how to choose.
· 7 min read
Comparison · Payroll and benefits
For most small businesses, Gusto is the simplest payroll to buy and run: $49 a month plus $6 per person for one state, $80 plus $12 for several. ADP and Rippling price by quote. ADP suits businesses that want a large, established provider, Rippling teams that want payroll, HR and IT in one system.
· 7 min read
Comparison · Cold outreach
Instantly starts at $47 a month for 5,000 emails and 1,000 contacts. Smartlead starts at $39 for 6,000 sends and 2,000 contacts. At higher volumes the two land close together, and Smartlead's client workspaces make it the more natural fit for agencies. Here's the full comparison.
· 7 min read
Comparison · Company formation
The best LLC formation service depends on what you need after the filing. Northwest has the lowest ongoing cost and the best privacy, Bizee the cheapest first year with an EIN, ZenBusiness the most bundled compliance, LegalZoom the attorney access.
· 7 min read
Comparison · International hiring
Deel and Remote both charge $599 a month per employee and Oyster charges $699. Deel covers the most countries, 130+, and Remote asks most customers for no deposit. For contractors, Remote and Oyster charge $29 and Deel $49. Here's the full comparison.
· 9 min read
Guide · International hiring
You can hire someone abroad as a contractor, through a contractor of record, through an employer of record, or by opening your own company there. Here is how to choose without overpaying or taking on risk you did not mean to.
· 7 min read
Comparison · International hiring
Deel and Remote both charge $599 a month per employer-of-record employee. For contractors, Remote charges $29 and Deel $49. What decides it is where you hire, deposits and penalty cover.
· 7 min read