The hardest thing about small business is getting started. In the past few weeks, I keep getting email from lovely people who want to launch a business, but they don’t know where to begin. They’re overwhelmed, confused, and in a lot of cases, pretty scared.

Since I’ve obsessively looked at dozens (maybe hundreds) of resources on just this topic, I thought I’d give you my suggestion for a beginners’ tool kit. These will give you at least 90% of what you need to know, without a lot of confusing junk you don’t need. And nearly all of these resources are cheap or free. (If the pennies are tight, don’t forget your public library!)

I’ve divided these into sections to keep you from getting lost in all the goodies! (So much for my idea about putting together shorter posts. You’ll get some more bite-sized ones later this week, I promise.)

When you’re trying to sort through a zillion pieces of advice, it can be really, really helpful to have someone hold your hand and walk you through the steps in order. Here are two great systems for that. (You can ab