The first problem
A new owner can find hundreds of “how to start a business” articles and hundreds of payroll comparisons. The hard part is knowing what must happen, in what order, for the owner’s state—and recognizing when a page is stale or a paid service is optional.
The publishing model
Business Launch Index is an independently operated educational publisher. It builds dated, source-linked routes and will earn revenue from clearly disclosed partner relationships after approval.
The first coverage lane
California formation through first payroll, plus the federal baseline. Additional states will be added only when their pages contain genuinely reviewed state evidence—not a template with the state name replaced.
The standard
Primary sources first. Direct government route visible. Optional paid help labeled. Uncertainty and escalation points preserved.