Start a small business and make your first sale
A friend has invited you to do this with them.
Turning something you know into something a stranger pays for is a real test of an idea. The first sale, however small, tells you more than any business plan.
Demanding£100 to £500 / $130 to $650MonthsIndoors or outAlone or with othersUK and US
Someone who has done it
How to start
- Read the official government guide to setting up a business in your country.
- Write one page covering what you sell, to whom, and what it costs you.
- Register in the way the guide describes, then ask for a free mentor if one is offered.
Where to go
- GOV.UK: set up a business UK
- US Small Business Administration: business guide US
- SCORE: find a business mentor US
We opened these links on 6 October 2026 and found them to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
This is general information, not financial or business advice for your own circumstances.
Plan this
Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. Projects run over months and stall without a rhythm, so the plan sets milestones you can see.
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