Small Business Advocacy

Research

Research & Findings

We examine the rules and requirements that shape small-business formation and operations. Our work begins with official sources, specific questions, and a commitment to getting the details right.

The research challenge

Can someone starting a business find out what’s required from the official sources alone?

That’s the test we’re putting government information to. These are the questions we intend to answer.

  1. Business formation

    What does it actually take to form a business, and do the official sources agree on the steps and their order?

  2. Licensing and registrations

    Which licenses and registrations apply, who issues them, and how is an owner supposed to find out?

  3. Reporting requirements

    What has to be filed, how often, and how does an owner learn when the rule changes?

  4. Taxes and compliance

    Where do official instructions leave room for a careful owner to still get it wrong?

  5. Access to financing

    What do lenders and public programs require, and is it written down somewhere an owner can find it?

Method

How we work

Each entry should stand on its own as something you can rely on and cite. These are the rules we hold ourselves to.

  1. Start with the official source.

    Every entry links to the statutes, rules, forms, and agency guidance it relies on, and notes when each was consulted.

  2. Ask the people responsible.

    When the published sources don’t settle a question, we put it to the agency or office that administers the requirement.

  3. Keep answers and interpretation apart.

    Agency responses are quoted as received and dated. Our own explanation is labeled as ours.

  4. Say what is still unknown.

    An open question stays marked open until it has actually been answered.

  5. Correct the record.

    Corrections and updates are dated and noted on the entry they change.

Status labels

Open question
We’ve identified the question and are working through the sources.
Awaiting response
We’ve asked the responsible agency and have not yet received an answer.
Finding
The question is answered by primary sources or a documented agency response.

Have a question we should look into?

Unclear instructions, conflicting guidance, a requirement you couldn’t verify: send us the details and the sources you found.

Email us