Founder Library
Free guides for every stage of your business.
162 plain-language guides, checklists, worksheets and templates — from your first idea to selling your business. Free to download. No account needed.
Current as of November 2026. This library is general education from the Project Underdogs Founder Library. It is not legal, tax, accounting, immigration or investment advice, and it is not an offer of investment or a promise of funding. Figures are general examples and ranges, not quotes. Rules change and every business is different, so check your situation with a qualified professional. Full terms: Disclaimer and Terms of Use.
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About the Library
- LIB-01
Library Index
Every document in the Project Underdogs Founder Library, by section and code, with its type.
Tool · Everyone · look up as needed
- LIB-02
About the Project Underdogs Founder Library
Why the library exists, who it's for, how it's written, and what it is not.
Guide · Everyone · 4 minutes
- LIB-03
Disclaimer and Terms of Use
The terms that apply to the Project Underdogs Founder Library and every document in it.
Policy · Everyone · 10 minutes
- LIB-04
Privacy Policy
What information Project Underdogs collects, how we use and protect it, and the privacy rights available to you under state law.
Policy · Everyone · 12 minutes
- LIB-05
Accessibility and Language Support
How the library is designed to be easy to read and use, and how to ask for help in another format or language.
Guide · Everyone · 4 minutes
- LIB-06
How We Write and Review the Guides
Our editorial standards, how often guides are reviewed, and how corrections are handled.
Guide · Everyone · 4 minutes
- LIB-08
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers about the library, the program, and where to go next.
Guide · Everyone · 5 minutes
Inside the Program
- UD-01
How Project Underdogs Works
A fully online program for first-time founders: real support, a real first check, and a path to bigger investors.
Guide · Everyone · 6 minutes
- UD-02
Who the Program Is For
First-time founders building tech startups or main-street businesses, especially young and immigrant founders.
Guide · Everyone · 5 minutes
- UD-03
Your Readiness Quiz Result, Explained
What each of the four results means, and the library guides to read next for your stage.
Guide · Everyone · 6 minutes
- UD-04
Applying to Project Underdogs: A Walkthrough
What each section of the application asks, why we ask it, and how to give answers that help us understand your business.
Guide · Everyone · 7 minutes
- UD-05
The Graduation Standard, Explained
What it takes for your business to graduate, criterion by criterion, for both tech startups and main-street businesses.
Guide · Intermediate · 12 minutes
- UD-06
Getting Ready to Meet Investors in Our Network
A checklist of what to prepare before investor introductions, so your first meetings go well.
Checklist · Intermediate · use over several weeks
Start Here
- S-01
Start Here: How to Use This Library
A free library of plain-language guides for first-time founders. Here's how to find what you need for where your business is today.
Guide · Everyone · 5 minutes
- S-02
Is Starting a Business Right for You Right Now
An honest look at the time, money, risk and support a new business takes, so you can start with your eyes open.
Guide · Beginner · 8 minutes
- S-03
Tech Startup or Main-Street Business Choosing Your Path
The two kinds of businesses grow, get funded and get valued differently. Knowing which one you're building shapes every decision after.
Guide · Beginner · 8 minutes
- S-04
The Life of a Business: Idea to Exit in 7 Stages
The big picture of how businesses grow, what each stage asks of you, and the guides that help at each one.
Guide · Beginner · 8 minutes
- S-05
Starting a Business as an Immigrant
Tax ID numbers, banking, building credit from scratch, and the questions to take to an immigration attorney before you start.
Guide · Beginner · 10 minutes
- S-06
Starting Young: Founders Under 25
Contracts if you're under 18, getting your parents involved, balancing school, and turning being young into an advantage.
Guide · Beginner · 8 minutes
- S-07
Building a Business Around a Job or School
How to start part-time, protect your time and energy, and know when it's time to make the jump.
Guide · Beginner · 8 minutes
- S-08
Finding Mentors and Building a Network From Zero
You don't need to know anyone important to start. Here's where to meet people and how to ask for help.
Guide · Beginner · 8 minutes
- S-09
Pacing Yourself: Building Without Burning Out
A business is a long road. Here's how to keep your health, relationships and energy intact while you build it.
Guide · Everyone · 7 minutes
- S-10
Business Words Made Simple: Glossary A–Z
Plain-language meanings for the business and finance words you'll see in this library and from lenders and investors.
Guide · Everyone · look up as needed
From Idea to First Customer
- I-01
Finding a Business Idea Worth Pursuing
The best ideas usually start with problems you know well, skills you already have and communities you belong to.
Guide · Beginner · 8 minutes
- I-02
Who Is Your Customer
Describe the exact person you serve, what they need, and where to find them, so every decision gets easier.
Guide · Beginner · 8 minutes
- I-03
Talking to Customers: Learning What They Really Need
How to ask questions that get honest answers, not polite compliments, and what to do with what you hear.
Guide · Beginner · 9 minutes
- I-04
Sizing Your Market Without Fancy Research
Simple ways to estimate how many customers and how much in sales are possible, using numbers you can find for free.
Guide · Intermediate · 9 minutes
- I-05
Checking Out the Competition
Who else serves your customer, what they do well and badly, and how you'll stand out.
Guide · Beginner · 8 minutes
- I-06
Testing Your Idea Before Spending Big
Low-cost ways to prove people will pay, before you sign a lease, buy inventory or build an app.
Guide · Beginner · 9 minutes
- I-07
Building Your First Version (Tech)
What an MVP really is, how to build one with little money, and how to learn from your first users.
Guide · Beginner · 9 minutes
- I-08
Testing a Main-Street Idea: Pop-Ups, Markets and Pre-Orders
Try your food, shop, service or salon idea in real life before you sign a lease or buy equipment.
Guide · Beginner · 8 minutes
- I-09
Making Your First Sale
How to get from "sounds great" to a paying customer, and what to do right after they pay.
Guide · Beginner · 8 minutes
- I-10
The One-Page Business Plan
Your whole business on a single page: who you serve, what you sell, how you make money and what comes next.
Template · Beginner · 45 minutes
- I-11
Customer Interview Script and Notes
A ready-to-use interview script and a fillable notes page, so every conversation teaches you something.
Worksheet · Beginner · 20 minutes per interview
- I-12
Idea Scorecard
Score up to three ideas on the same seven questions, and see which one is most worth testing first.
Worksheet · Beginner · 20 minutes
Setting Up Your Business
- B-01
Choosing a Business Structure: Sole Proprietor, LLC or Corporation
What each structure means for your personal protection, your taxes and your ability to raise money.
Guide · Beginner · 10 minutes
- B-02
Registering Your Business, Step by Step
How to make your business official with your state and local government, and what it usually costs.
Guide · Beginner · 9 minutes
- B-03
Getting a Tax ID Number (EIN and ITIN)
Which tax numbers you and your business need, how to get them for free, and what to do without a Social Security number.
Guide · Beginner · 7 minutes
- B-04
Opening a Business Bank Account
What banks ask for, how to choose one, and options if you're new to the country or have little credit history.
Guide · Beginner · 7 minutes
- B-05
Licenses and Permits: Finding What You Need
The city, county, state and industry licenses businesses commonly need, and how to find yours.
Guide · Beginner · 8 minutes
- B-06
Business Insurance Basics
The main kinds of business insurance, when you need each, and how to buy coverage without overpaying.
Guide · Beginner · 8 minutes
- B-07
Picking and Protecting Your Business Name
How to choose a name that works, check that it's available, and secure it before someone else does.
Guide · Beginner · 7 minutes
- B-08
Trademarks, Copyrights and Patents in Plain Language
What each kind of protection covers, when it matters for a small business, and how to make sure your business owns its ideas.
Guide · Beginner · 9 minutes
- B-09
Contracts Every New Business Needs
The agreements that protect you with customers, vendors, contractors and partners, and what each should cover.
Guide · Beginner · 9 minutes
- B-10
Co-Founder Agreements: Splitting Ownership Fairly
How to split ownership, use vesting, and agree on roles and exits before money or friendship gets in the way.
Guide · Beginner · 10 minutes
- B-11
Operating Agreements and Bylaws Explained
The rulebook for how your company is owned and run, and why you need one even if you're the only owner.
Guide · Beginner · 8 minutes
- B-12
Working With Lawyers and Accountants on a Budget
Where to find free and low-cost help, when it's worth paying, and how to get the most from every hour.
Guide · Beginner · 7 minutes
- B-13
Renting Your First Space: Leases Explained (Main Street)
What a commercial lease really costs, the terms that matter most, and what to negotiate before you sign.
Guide · Intermediate · 10 minutes
- B-14
Business Taxes: What You Owe and When
The main taxes a small US business deals with, how they depend on your structure, and a simple yearly calendar.
Guide · Beginner · 9 minutes
- B-15
Business Setup Checklist
Every step to make your business official and organized, in the order most founders do them.
Checklist · Beginner · use over 2 to 6 weeks
- B-16
Co-Founder Conversation Worksheet
The questions to answer together before you split ownership, with a fillable page to record your answers.
Worksheet · Beginner · 1 to 2 hours, together
Money Basics
- M-01
Bookkeeping Basics: Tracking Money In and Out
What to record, how often, and a simple weekly routine that keeps your books ready for taxes, lenders and investors.
Guide · Beginner · 9 minutes
- M-02
Choosing Bookkeeping Software
What to look for, how the main options compare, and when a spreadsheet or a bookkeeper makes more sense.
Guide · Beginner · 7 minutes
- M-03
Keeping Business and Personal Money Separate
Why mixing them hurts you with lenders, investors and taxes, and how to separate them for good.
Guide · Beginner · 6 minutes
- M-04
Reading a Profit and Loss Statement
The report that shows money in, money out and what's left, explained line by line with a real example.
Guide · Beginner · 10 minutes
- M-05
Reading a Balance Sheet
What your business owns, what it owes, and what's left for you, on a single day.
Guide · Beginner · 8 minutes
- M-06
Cash Flow: Why Profitable Businesses Still Run Out of Money
Profit is what you earn. Cash is what you have. Here's how timing can sink a good business, and how to stay ahead of it.
Guide · Beginner · 9 minutes
- M-07
Pricing Your Product or Service
Three ways to set a price, how to check it covers your costs, and how to raise prices without losing good customers.
Guide · Beginner · 9 minutes
- M-08
Costs, Margins and Break-Even
How many sales you need to cover your costs, and how to use that number to price, plan and pay yourself.
Guide · Beginner · 10 minutes
- M-09
Unit Economics: What Each Customer Is Worth
What it costs to win a customer, what that customer is worth over time, and why the second number has to be bigger.
Guide · Intermediate · 10 minutes
- M-10
Building a Simple Budget
Plan your money a month and a year ahead, so you can see problems coming and decide where to spend.
Guide · Beginner · 8 minutes
- M-11
Building Business Credit
How business credit scores work, and the steps to build them from zero so lenders and suppliers say yes.
Guide · Beginner · 8 minutes
- M-12
Paying Yourself as a Founder
Owner draws, salaries, and a simple plan for paying yourself without starving the business.
Guide · Beginner · 8 minutes
- M-13
Sales Tax, Payroll Tax and Staying Current
The taxes many small businesses collect or owe during the year, when they're due, and what happens if you fall behind.
Guide · Beginner · 9 minutes
- M-14
Monthly Money Checklist
A 30-to-60-minute routine to close out each month, catch problems early and keep your books investor-ready.
Checklist · Everyone · 30 to 60 minutes a month
- M-15
Break-Even Calculator
Enter your price and costs, and this worksheet calculates your margin, your break-even point and the sales you need to pay yourself.
Worksheet · Beginner · 15 minutes
- M-16
12-Month Cash Flow Forecast
Plan the money coming in and going out each month for a year, and see a cash shortfall months before it happens.
Worksheet · Beginner · 30 to 45 minutes
- M-17
Profit and Loss and Balance Sheet Templates
Fillable financial statements with the totals built in, for two periods side by side.
Worksheet · Beginner · 30 minutes
Raising Money
- R-01
The Money Map: Every Way to Fund a Business
All the main funding options by stage and size, what each one costs you, and how to choose.
Guide · Beginner · 10 minutes
- R-02
Bootstrapping: Growing With Your Own Sales
How to fund your business from savings and customer revenue, and when that's the smartest choice.
Guide · Beginner · 8 minutes
- R-03
Friends and Family Money: Doing It Right
How to ask, how to structure it as a loan or investment, and how to protect your relationships.
Guide · Beginner · 9 minutes
- R-04
Grants and Pitch Competitions
Money you don't pay back: where to find it, how to apply, and how to spot fake grant offers.
Guide · Beginner · 9 minutes
- R-05
Microloans and Community Lenders
Small, flexible loans from mission-driven lenders, often with coaching, for founders who can't get a bank loan yet.
Guide · Beginner · 9 minutes
- R-06
Small Business Loans and SBA Loans
How bank and government-backed loans work, what lenders look for, and how to get ready to apply.
Guide · Intermediate · 10 minutes
- R-07
Equipment Financing and Lines of Credit
Two practical ways to borrow: one for the things you buy, one for the ups and downs of cash.
Guide · Intermediate · 8 minutes
- R-08
Revenue-Based Financing
Funding you repay as a share of your monthly sales: how it works, what it really costs, and when it fits.
Guide · Intermediate · 8 minutes
- R-09
Crowdfunding: Rewards and Investment
Raising money from many people at once, either by pre-selling rewards or by letting your community invest.
Guide · Intermediate · 9 minutes
- R-10
Angel Investors
Who angels are, what they look for, how they invest, and how to find them without a big network.
Guide · Intermediate · 9 minutes
- R-11
Venture Capital: How It Works and Whether It Fits
How VC funds make money, what they need from you, and why most businesses shouldn't raise venture capital.
Guide · Intermediate · 10 minutes
- R-12
Private Equity: When Bigger Investors Get Involved
How private equity firms invest in businesses that already work, what they look for, and what changes when they come in.
Guide · Intermediate · 9 minutes
- R-13
Debt vs. Equity: Borrowing vs. Selling Ownership
The real cost of each, side by side, and how to decide which fits your business and goals.
Guide · Beginner · 9 minutes
- R-14
SAFEs and Convertible Notes Explained
How early-stage investment turns into ownership later, and what the valuation cap and discount really mean.
Guide · Intermediate · 10 minutes
- R-15
Valuation: What Your Business Is Worth to Investors
Pre-money and post-money value explained, how investors estimate value at different stages, and how to talk about it.
Guide · Intermediate · 10 minutes
- R-16
Ownership and Dilution: The Cap Table Explained
How to read and keep a cap table, and how your ownership changes each time you raise money.
Guide · Intermediate · 10 minutes
- R-17
Reading a Term Sheet
The key terms in an investment offer, what's normal, and what to question before you sign.
Guide · Intermediate · 10 minutes
- R-18
Building a Pitch Deck
The 12 slides investors expect, what goes on each one, and how to keep your story clear and honest.
Guide · Beginner · 10 minutes
- R-19
Telling Your Story: The Pitch
How to practice, deliver your pitch with confidence, handle tough questions, and follow up.
Guide · Beginner · 9 minutes
- R-20
Getting Ready for Due Diligence
What investors and lenders check before they put money in, and how to prepare so it goes quickly.
Guide · Intermediate · 9 minutes
- R-21
Setting Up a Data Room
How to organize your documents in one secure, shareable place so investors and lenders can review them quickly.
Guide · Intermediate · 7 minutes
- R-22
Investor Updates: Keeping Investors in the Loop
A simple monthly update format that builds trust, gets you help, and makes your next raise easier.
Guide · Beginner · 7 minutes
- R-23
Red Flags and Funding Scams to Avoid
The warning signs of funding scams and predatory offers, and how to protect yourself and your business.
Guide · Everyone · 8 minutes
- R-24
Pitch Deck Template
A slide-by-slide planner for your 12-slide pitch deck, with fillable boxes for every headline and key point.
Template · Beginner · 1 to 2 hours
- R-25
Use-of-Funds Plan
Show exactly what you'll spend investment or loan money on, when, and what each dollar should achieve.
Worksheet · Beginner · 30 to 45 minutes
- R-26
Sources and Uses Worksheet
Show where every dollar of a project comes from and where it goes, and find any funding gap before a lender does.
Worksheet · Intermediate · 20 to 30 minutes
- R-27
Due Diligence Document Checklist
The documents investors and lenders usually ask for, so you can gather them before anyone asks.
Checklist · Intermediate · use over several weeks
- R-28
Investor Tracker
Track every investor conversation, its stage and the next step, so no opportunity slips through.
Worksheet · Beginner · 10 minutes to set up
Launching
- L-01
Building a Brand on a Small Budget
Your name, look, voice and promise: what a brand really is, and how to build one without an agency.
Guide · Beginner · 8 minutes
- L-02
Your Website: What You Need and What You Don't
The pages every small business site needs, how to build one cheaply, and how to turn visitors into customers.
Guide · Beginner · 8 minutes
- L-03
Social Media for New Businesses
How to pick the right platforms, what to post, and how to turn followers into paying customers.
Guide · Beginner · 8 minutes
- L-04
Getting Found Locally: Google, Maps and Reviews
How to show up when people nearby search for what you sell, and how to earn reviews that bring in new customers.
Guide · Beginner · 8 minutes
- L-05
Marketing Basics: Reaching Your First 100 Customers
Low-cost ways to find customers, how to test what works, and how to spend more only on what brings in sales.
Guide · Beginner · 9 minutes
- L-06
Selling: How to Ask for the Sale
A simple, respectful sales process for founders who don't think of themselves as "salespeople."
Guide · Beginner · 8 minutes
- L-07
Planning Your Launch
A launch timeline from six weeks out to opening day, so you open with customers waiting.
Guide · Beginner · 9 minutes
- L-08
Opening a Physical Location (Main Street)
Buildout, inspections, staffing and a soft opening: getting a shop, restaurant or studio open on time and on budget.
Guide · Intermediate · 10 minutes
- L-09
Launching an App or Online Product (Tech)
Beta testing, app stores, getting your first users and learning fast from what they do.
Guide · Intermediate · 9 minutes
- L-10
Selling Online: E-commerce Basics
Setting up an online store, taking payments, shipping, returns, and the costs that eat into online profits.
Guide · Beginner · 9 minutes
- L-11
Customer Service That Brings People Back
How to turn first-time buyers into regulars, handle complaints well, and make loyalty your cheapest marketing.
Guide · Beginner · 8 minutes
- L-12
Launch Plan Template
A fillable launch plan with your goals, offers and a task list with owners and due dates.
Template · Beginner · 45 minutes
- L-13
Marketing Calendar
Plan 13 weeks of marketing across your main channels, with a budget that totals itself.
Worksheet · Beginner · 30 minutes per quarter
- L-14
Pre-Launch Checklist
Everything to have ready before you open your doors, your app or your online store.
Checklist · Beginner · use over 6 weeks
Running the Business
- O-01
Your First Hire: When and How
The signs you're ready to hire, what an employee really costs, and the steps to hire legally and well.
Guide · Beginner · 9 minutes
- O-02
Employees vs. Contractors
The legal difference, why getting it wrong is costly, and how to decide which one fits the work.
Guide · Beginner · 8 minutes
- O-03
Payroll Basics
How to pay employees correctly and on time, and why most small businesses use a payroll service.
Guide · Beginner · 8 minutes
- O-04
Writing Job Posts and Interviewing
How to describe a job clearly, find good candidates, interview fairly, and choose well.
Guide · Beginner · 9 minutes
- O-05
Managing Your First Team
Clear roles, regular feedback and building trust, for founders becoming bosses for the first time.
Guide · Beginner · 8 minutes
- O-06
Systems and Checklists: Running the Business Without Doing Everything Yourself
How to write down how work gets done, so quality stays high and the business doesn't depend only on you.
Guide · Beginner · 8 minutes
- O-07
Choosing Tools and Software
The core tools most small businesses need, how to choose, and how to avoid paying for too many apps.
Guide · Beginner · 8 minutes
- O-08
Working With Suppliers and Vendors
Finding reliable suppliers, negotiating better terms, and protecting your business if one lets you down.
Guide · Beginner · 8 minutes
- O-09
Inventory Management
How much stock to keep, when to reorder, and how to stop cash from sitting on your shelves.
Guide · Intermediate · 9 minutes
- O-10
Tracking the Numbers That Matter
The key numbers to watch for main-street and tech businesses, and a simple weekly habit to stay on top of them.
Guide · Beginner · 9 minutes
- O-11
Staying Legal: Ongoing Filings and Deadlines
The yearly and recurring filings, renewals and records that keep your business in good standing.
Guide · Beginner · 8 minutes
- O-12
Handling a Slow Month or a Crisis
Cash triage, talking to lenders and landlords, and practical steps to steady the business and recover.
Guide · Beginner · 9 minutes
- O-13
Compliance Calendar
Every recurring filing, renewal and deadline for your business in one fillable list.
Worksheet · Beginner · 30 minutes to set up
- O-14
Weekly Business Dashboard
A one-page weekly scorecard of your key numbers, with targets and automatic calculations.
Worksheet · Beginner · 15 minutes a week
Growing and Scaling
- G-01
Growth vs. Scaling: What's the Difference
Why growing sales isn't always the same as building a stronger business, and how to grow in a way that adds profit.
Guide · Intermediate · 7 minutes
- G-02
Knowing When You're Ready to Grow
The signs your business is ready for bigger growth, the risks of growing too early, and a readiness check.
Guide · Intermediate · 8 minutes
- G-03
Growth Numbers Investors Watch
The metrics investors and lenders use to judge a growing business, explained in plain words with examples.
Guide · Intermediate · 10 minutes
- G-04
Opening a Second Location
How to decide if a second location makes sense, run the numbers, choose the site, and run two places at once.
Guide · Intermediate · 9 minutes
- G-05
Franchising and Licensing Your Business
Letting others run your business model under your brand: how it works, what it costs, and the rules involved.
Guide · Advanced · 9 minutes
- G-06
Adding New Products and New Markets
How to test new offers and new customer groups without hurting the business that already works.
Guide · Intermediate · 8 minutes
- G-07
Landing Big Customers and Partners
How to sell to larger companies and build partnerships that grow your business, without becoming dependent on one client.
Guide · Intermediate · 9 minutes
- G-08
Government Contracts and Supplier Diversity Programs
How small businesses win government work and corporate contracts through registrations, certifications and supplier diversity programs.
Guide · Intermediate · 10 minutes
- G-09
Building a Leadership Team
Hiring your first managers, handing off responsibility, and building a team that can run the business without you.
Guide · Intermediate · 8 minutes
- G-10
Raising a Bigger Round
Getting ready for larger investors, including private equity and the investors in our network who write checks at graduation.
Guide · Advanced · 9 minutes
- G-11
Growing Without Running Out of Cash
Why growth eats cash, how to calculate what you'll need, and ways to fund growth safely.
Guide · Intermediate · 9 minutes
- G-12
Expanding to Other Countries
Selling abroad, entering a new country, and the basic questions to answer about rules, taxes, shipping and payments.
Guide · Advanced · 9 minutes
- G-13
Growth Plan Template
A fillable 12-to-24-month growth plan with goals, initiatives, costs and quarterly milestones.
Template · Intermediate · 1 to 2 hours
- G-14
Hiring Plan Worksheet
Plan which roles you'll add over the next year, when, and what they'll cost, with totals calculated for you.
Worksheet · Intermediate · 30 minutes
Exit and What Comes Next
- X-01
What an Exit Is, and Why to Plan Early
Every owner leaves their business one day. Planning early means you leave on your terms, with the value you built.
Guide · Everyone · 7 minutes
- X-02
Your Exit Options: Sell, Merge, Pass Down or Keep
The main ways owners leave a business, who each one suits, and what each means for money and control.
Guide · Everyone · 9 minutes
- X-03
How Businesses Are Valued When They're Sold
How buyers put a price on a business, using earnings multiples, revenue multiples and assets, with worked examples.
Guide · Intermediate · 10 minutes
- X-04
Getting Your Business Ready to Sell
The steps that raise your price and make the sale go smoothly, best started 2 to 3 years before you sell.
Guide · Intermediate · 9 minutes
- X-05
Working With Business Brokers and Investment Bankers
What sale advisors do, how they're paid, and how to choose the right one for the size of your business.
Guide · Intermediate · 8 minutes
- X-06
The Sale Process, Step by Step
From the first conversation to closing day: what happens, how long it takes, and how to keep the deal on track.
Guide · Intermediate · 9 minutes
- X-07
Letters of Intent and Purchase Agreements
The key terms in a business sale, how the price is really paid, and what to watch before you sign.
Guide · Advanced · 10 minutes
- X-08
Selling to Private Equity
How private equity buys businesses, what "rolling over" equity means, and how a partial sale can pay you twice.
Guide · Advanced · 9 minutes
- X-09
Passing the Business to Family or Employees
Succession planning, management buyouts and employee ownership: keeping the business in trusted hands.
Guide · Intermediate · 9 minutes
- X-10
Taxes When You Sell
The basics of how a business sale is taxed, how the deal structure changes what you keep, and why to plan early with a CPA.
Guide · Advanced · 9 minutes
- X-11
Life After the Sale
Managing the money, finding your next purpose, and turning your experience into your next chapter.
Guide · Everyone · 7 minutes
- X-12
Exit Readiness Checklist
Score how ready your business is to sell, or to run without you, and see which areas to work on first.
Checklist · Everyone · 20 minutes
Industry Playbooks
- P-01
Restaurants and Food Service
A playbook for opening and running a restaurant, café or counter- service spot: costs, licenses, the numbers that matter and how restaurants get funded.
Playbook · Intermediate · 15 minutes
- P-02
Food Trucks, Catering and Home-Based Food
A playbook for lower-cost food businesses: mobile food, catering and cottage food, with the rules, costs and numbers to know.
Playbook · Beginner · 13 minutes
- P-03
Retail Shops
A playbook for opening a store: location, inventory, margins, and competing with online shopping through experience and community.
Playbook · Intermediate · 13 minutes
- P-04
Beauty, Barber and Personal Care
A playbook for salons, barbershops, nail, lash and braiding businesses: licensing, business models, pricing and growth.
Playbook · Beginner · 13 minutes
- P-05
Trades and Home Services
A playbook for contractors, electricians, plumbers, HVAC, handymen and other trades: licensing, estimating, cash flow and building a crew.
Playbook · Intermediate · 13 minutes
- P-06
Cleaning, Landscaping and Property Services
A playbook for recurring-service businesses: low startup costs, route planning, staffing and building contracts that pay every month.
Playbook · Beginner · 12 minutes
- P-07
Professional and Creative Services
A playbook for consultants, designers, marketers, accountants, photographers and other service experts: pricing your time, finding clients and growing beyond yourself.
Playbook · Beginner · 12 minutes
- P-08
Fitness, Health and Wellness
A playbook for personal trainers, studios, gyms and wellness services: memberships, retention, space and staying within your scope.
Playbook · Intermediate · 12 minutes
- P-09
Childcare, Tutoring and Education
A playbook for daycares, home childcare, tutoring, test prep and enrichment programs: licensing, safety, staffing and enrollment.
Playbook · Intermediate · 13 minutes
- P-10
E-commerce and Online Brands
A playbook for selling physical products online: sourcing, margins, fulfillment, advertising and building a brand customers return to.
Playbook · Intermediate · 13 minutes
- P-11
Software and Apps
A playbook for software companies, including SaaS (software sold by subscription): building, pricing, growth metrics and raising money.
Playbook · Intermediate · 14 minutes
- P-12
Marketplaces and Platforms
A playbook for businesses that connect buyers and sellers: solving the "chicken-and-egg" problem, take rates, trust and growth.
Playbook · Advanced · 13 minutes