As I got closer to launching my first application, I felt it was time to set up a legal entity to do business as. To set up a corporation in Texas is pretty easy. You fill out some forms with the Secretary of State, pay them $300 and they will register your business. Just before I was going to hit submit on my application, I started to get cold feet. Not so much about starting the company, but more around all that I will need to do once the company is started (taxes, accounting, etc).

As I was searching the web for answers to the questions that I had, I learned about the Small Business Development Centers (SBDC). The SBDC is part of the U.S. Small Business Association. The SBDC provides counseling and training to small business and startups. Even though I am not really a people person, I decided to go outside my comfort zone and schedule a meeting with them. I wanted to talk things over and make sure I am doing all the right things, and I’m glad I did.

The thing that I am most grateful for is that I learned that in Texas, the state will wave the $300 registration fee if you are a veteran starting a business. Not only did my advisor inform me of the program, he helped me through every step, from getting the verification letter from the Texas Veteran’s Commission to filing my formation paperwork and getting my EIN ID from the IRS. For each document I needed to fill out we had a Zoom meeting where he took me through step by step to make sure I was submitting the correct documentation and filling out the forms correctly. It made things so much easier.

There are still a lot of things that I need to learn and figure out, but I would recommend to anyone in the U.S. to reach out to the SBDC and make sure you are doing all the right things. It is a free resource, and they might even save you some money.