You've picked a name, maybe signed a lease in Evans or cleared a corner of the spare room in Martinez, and now there's a long list of things to set up. Some are paperwork. Some are tech. And the order matters, because half the tech depends on the paperwork.

Here's the order we'd do it in for a new business in the Augusta area, and the tech that goes with each step. It's a starting list, not legal or tax advice. Those questions belong with an accountant or the free advisers further down.

The short version: your first 30 days

Register the business with the state (an LLC or corporation in Georgia goes through the Secretary of State).
Get your local business tax certificate or business license from the city or county you're in.
Book time with the free help: the SBDC, SCORE and your local chamber.
Register a domain in the business's name.
Set up email on that domain instead of a Gmail address.
Get a computer that's used only for the business.
Claim your Google Business Profile, and start verification early.
Put up a simple website.
Use a password manager and turn on sign-in codes (MFA) from day one.
Get a separate business phone number.

Steps 1 and 2 come first because the exact legal name and address go into almost everything after them: the domain, the email account, the Google listing, the bank.

Step 1: Register the business

If you're forming an LLC or a corporation in Georgia, you file with the Georgia Secretary of State's Corporations Division online, at ecorp.sos.ga.gov. Which structure fits you (sole proprietor, LLC, something else) is a legal and tax question. Ask the SBDC, SCORE or an accountant, not your IT person.

On the South Carolina side, in North Augusta or Aiken, you'll be dealing with South Carolina's offices instead of Georgia's.

Tech note: write down the exact registered name, spelled the way the state has it. You'll type it into a lot of forms this month, and it should match everywhere.

Step 2: The local business tax certificate

Most businesses also need a local certificate or license from where they operate.

Augusta-Richmond County: businesses in Augusta-Richmond County (outside Hephzibah and Blythe) need a business tax certificate, also called the occupation tax. The fee is based on your gross receipts and the profitability ratio for your type of business, and it's due January 1 each year. Details are on the Augusta occupation tax page.
Columbia County (Evans, Martinez, Grovetown): Columbia County's Licensing Department handles business licenses and occupational tax, at 630 Ronald Reagan Drive, Building A, in Evans (706-312-7171). If your business is inside the Grovetown or Harlem city limits, call the department first for instructions.
North Augusta and Aiken: both cities issue their own business licenses, and a business inside the city limits needs one. Start with the North Augusta business license page or the City of Aiken business licensing page.

Fees and renewal dates change, so get them from the office itself.

Step 3: Use the free help

This is the step people skip, and it's free.

The UGA Small Business Development Center offers free consulting for small businesses and for people starting one. Book an appointment with the Augusta office through the SBDC Augusta page.
SCORE matches you with a volunteer business mentor at no cost. Augusta and North Augusta are covered by SCORE Greater Aiken, which serves the whole CSRA.
Your local chamber. The Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce, the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce, the North Augusta Chamber and the Aiken Chamber are where you meet other local owners and the people who send work your way. We're members of the Augusta Metro and Aiken chambers ourselves.

Bring them your business plan, funding and structure questions. Bring us the tech.

The tech checklist

Each of these gets its own post in this Saturday series. Here's what to get right in the first 30 days.

4. A domain in the business's name

Your domain is the address for your website and your email, so it's the first tech purchase. Keep it short, easy to spell over the phone, and close to the business name.

Register it in the business's name, under an account you control. Not your web designer's account, and not a friend's. Turn on auto-renew and sign-in codes on that account. A lapsed or lost domain takes your email down with it.

How to pick the name and register it so it stays yours is the next post in this series.

5. Email on your own domain, not Gmail

"you@yourbusiness.com" tells a customer, a supplier or a lender that you're an established business. A free Gmail address doesn't, and it's tied to your personal account.

The two real choices are Google Workspace and Microsoft 365. Both run email on your domain, with calendar and file storage. If you're unsure which, our Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365 comparison goes through it. Moving off an existing Gmail address gets its own post in this series.

6. A computer used only for the business

One laptop for the kids' homework, the family photos and the business's banking is a problem waiting to happen. One stray download and it's all exposed.

A computer used only for the business keeps business files, logins and customer data in one place you control. Set it up with its own account and a strong sign-in, keep Windows or macOS updates on, and make sure the drive is encrypted. On Windows, Microsoft's device encryption is available on all editions on supported hardware. Check that it's on, don't assume.

What a business-ready setup includes is covered in an upcoming Saturday post. For whether the computer counts as a business expense, ask your accountant.

7. A Google Business Profile, and start verification early

When someone in Grovetown searches for what you do, your Google Business Profile is often the first thing they see, before your website.

Claiming it is easy. Verifying it can be the hard part. Google says the verification options available to you depend on your business type, public info, region and hours, and Google picks them, not you. Options include a phone or text code, email, a video recording or a live video call. Start it in week one so a failed attempt doesn't hold up everything else.

Working from home and don't see customers there? Google says to remove your address and list a service area instead.

Step-by-step setup for Augusta businesses is coming in this series. Once you're verified, our post on what to do in the first week after claiming your profile takes it from there.

8. A simple website

You don't need a big site on day one. A few clear pages do the job: what you do, where you do it (Augusta, Columbia County, the whole CSRA), how to reach you, and proof you're real (photos, reviews as they come in).

It should use the same name, address and phone number as your Google Business Profile, word for word. If you're wondering whether you need one at all, read Do I still need a website if I have a Google Business Profile?. The Augusta version of that question gets its own Saturday post.

9. A password manager and sign-in codes from day one

In the first month you'll open a dozen accounts: bank, payroll, the state filing, suppliers, the domain, email, Google. Set them up properly now and you never have to clean them up later.

Use a password manager so every account gets its own long, unique password, and turn on sign-in codes (MFA, multifactor authentication) everywhere it's offered. Start with email, the bank and the domain account. Microsoft turns on security defaults for new Microsoft 365 tenants, which requires everyone to register for MFA. Leave them on.

Passwords and sign-in codes for a new business get a full post later in the series.

10. A separate business phone number

Don't put your personal cell on the website, the Google listing and every flyer. Once it's out there, it's out there.

A separate business number keeps your personal number private, can ring more than one phone when you hire, and stays with the business if someone leaves. Pick it before you print anything, and use the same number on your website and Google profile. An upcoming Saturday post covers the options.

Where to get help with the tech

If you get stuck on any of this, the SBDC and SCORE are the place for the business side. For the tech, we set up computers, email and networks on-site in the Augusta area, and help with Google profiles, websites and security remotely. Get in touch if you'd like a hand.