Start your first business with numbers you can check.
Step-by-step guides, ten working calculators and licensing requirements, each linked to the official source and the date we checked it.
- 743 official sources, each dated
- 175,022 SBA loans analyzed
- 50 states and DC covered
- Free, no sign-up
Your route to opening day
Five stops, in the order most new owners need them. Start anywhere; your numbers follow you.
- Step 1Pick an ideaCompare businesses by cost, space and permits.
- Step 2Run the numbersStartup cost, break-even and cash flow.
- Step 3Size up competitionOfficial Census counts for your county.
- Step 4Find fundingWhat SBA loans really look like where you live.
- Step 5Win customersGet found, reviewed and remembered.
Where are you right now?
Free calculators
All calculatorsStartup CostPlanBreak-EvenPlanProfit MarginPriceBusiness Loan PaymentFundCommercial Lease CostSpaceEmployee CostHireBusiness ValuationBuyFranchise Investment ComparisonBuyCash Flow ProjectionPlanMarketing ROIGrow
Real loan data, not guesses
We read every SBA 7(a) loan approved in the last three federal fiscal years, straight from the agency’s public files, so you can see what lenders actually fund in your state and industry.
- Loans approved
- 175,022
- Median loan
- $175,000
- Middle half of loans
- $50K–$500K
- Total approved
- $89.0B
SBA 7(a) loans, federal fiscal years 2024–2026. File as of September 30, 2026.
Business startup guides
All 30 guidesLandscaping & lawn careLow cost, home-basedHouse cleaningLow cost, home-basedPressure washingLow cost, home-basedLaundromatHigh costCoffee shopHigh costRestaurantHigh costAuto detailingLow cost, home-basedBookkeepingLow cost, home-basedHandymanLow cost, home-basedFood truckMedium costPet groomingMedium cost, home-basedHome daycareLow cost, home-based