Business Planning

Business Plan Writing

Planning is critical to successfully starting and building a small business. Your first step should be to develop an effective business plan that tells your story to prospective investors and other business partners.

U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)

The Business Plan Tool provides you with a step-by-step guide to help you get started. Not only can you save your plan as a PDF file, you can also update it at any time, making this a living plan to which you can often refer. You can also use your completed business plan to discuss next steps with a mentor or counselor from an SBA resource partner such as Rhode Island SCORE, RI Small Business Development Center or the Center for Women & Enterprise.

Rhode Island SCORE

Counseling and Advice

If you're thinking about starting your own business, don't do it alone. There are organizations Commerce RI can connect you with that provide mentoring services and business counseling. Consider tapping into expert advice and guidance to improve your chances of success.

Regulations and Permitting

Find out which state licenses and permits you need to operate a business in Rhode Island and how to cut through the red tape if you have an issue with a state or local regulatory matter.