The Maker Dad

I spent this one basically talking myself through the real first steps of turning a maker idea into a business. Not the shiny version, just the part where you sit down, make a checklist, and figure out what has to happen before you can actually sell anything. The biggest thing I kept coming back to was this: the order matters. Name first, legal setup next, then socials, domain, products, and only then do I start worrying about selling. If you are trying to build a woodworking or maker business on the side, this is me working through that process out loud. Coming up with the business name first, because that drives everything else Getting the EIN set up for taxes and the legal side of things Choosing the business entity, like sole proprietor, partnership, or LLC Checking name availability through the Florida business records site, which is sunbiz.org Setting up company socials early so the handles do not get grabbed first Securing the domain name at the same time as the socials Thinking through business email addresses like personal, office, and admin accounts Using a mailbox or separate business address instead of a home address for privacy Keeping personal and business life separate, especially if filing an LLC Narrowing down the first product lineup instead of trying to launch with 40 products Doing market research on demand before spending time and money on inventory Looking at craft fairs, farmers markets, and other local sales options Planning around seasonality, weather, and travel costs before committing to events Setting rough timeframes for each checklist item, especially the business name and product research Timestamps:  00:00 Business Startup Checklist 02:09 Name, EIN & Business Structure 04:49 Check Business Name Availability 05:25 Secure Socials & Your Domain 09:57 Choose a Business Address 13:28 Define Your Product Lineup 15:04 Research Product Demand 16:56 Research Craft Fairs & Markets 20:47 Set Your Business Timeline 23:56 Closing & Community I talked through a lot of this from my own list, so yours might look different. That is fine. The point is to get moving and make it fit your life, not force some perfect version that does not exist. You can catch the episode on YouTube and in the community forum if you want to follow along with the rest of the build. 🔗 LINKS Website: https://themakerdad.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheMakerDad Discord: https://discord.gg/xDpzcugFws Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1881396004 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5vvoiC3ccHFG7HWt3mWxUH If you got something out of this, a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify helps more than you know. Leave a written review, too, if you have the time.