Now that you have a plan, let's cover the nuts and bolts of getting started.
Checklists
These checklists will help you decide what needs to be done:
Legal Forms, Permits, Registrations, Taxes
The State of Wisconsin has developed a Business Wizard to help you decide what permits, registrations, and forms you need to complete to get into business.
You can download all of the forms you need to fill out at this Wisconsin Government website. This includes business organization forms (sole proprietorship, LLC, corporation, etc.), tax forms, unemployment insurance forms, and workers compensation forms. Note that it is advisable to work with a CPA and attorney who have experience with the requirements for small businesses.
See this page for getting the right permits and registrations in Wisconsin. If you are looking for a particular license, permit, registration, or certification in Wisconsin, use the Search Page.
The state of Missouri operates an IRS Small Business Resources website for the US Internal Revenue Service to help you with all your business tax questions.
LLC, Corporation, Sole Proprietorship, Partnership - Which one is right for me?
The Wisconsin.gov website has a description of the various Business structures in Wisconsin.
For a discussion of the the various options you have, see the SBA Planner Choose a Structure and the paper Forms of Business Organization that compares the pros and cons for the various business structure alternatives, and a Table comparing the different forms of organizing a business (sole proprietorship, partnership, LLC, Corporation).
Here is where you can File online for an LLC or get instructions for setting up a corporation in Wisconsin. Get your business name by following these instructions.
Financing
The US SBA provides guidance on Finance Startup including a useful discussion of Financing Basics. SCORE provides an Excel Template for Startup Expenses. Further resources for financing can be found in the BizStarts Milwaukee Resource Center, and the following links.
Other Resources for overall startup guidance
Finally, reread 12 Surefire Secrets for Entrepreneurial Success to help you stay on course.