Business Foundations
Set up bookkeeping
Use QuickBooks or Xero from Day 1, connected to your business bank account. Even with $0 revenue, you must file taxes annually. International LLC owners must file Form 5472—failure carries a $25,000 fine. Get an Operating Agreement, IP Assignment (vital for investors), and Terms of Service. File your BOI report within 90 days.
You don't need a marketing budget yet. You need "Unscalable" hustle.
- 1. Warm Outreach: Reach out to the people you interviewed in Step 3.1. 2. The "Case Study" Offer: Tell your first customer: "I will give you a 70% discount if you agree to let me use your success story in my marketing." 3. The "Founders Sale": In the U.S., people buy from people they trust. Get on a Zoom call, show them the solution, and ask for the sale directly.
- Use Stripe or LemonSqueezy to send a payment link immediately. Don't wait for a "checkout page" to be perfect.
Free Resource: Watch this to get your first 5 customers
4) Business Foundations
Building a business in the U.S. as an international founder is a game of Legal Tetris. You can have a great product, but if your foundation isn't solid, you risk your company and your visa.
Think of these steps as the bones of your business. If the bones are strong, the business can grow as large as you want.
Resources
Record your progress
Mark this subsection complete to track your progress.