Resources to Help Get Your Business Started
- Business Builder Tip Sheets are prepared by DSLBD with resource information and guidance to help you manage and grow your business. Download these sheets as a quick reference guide for your business.
- Business Licensing & Corporate Registration. Need a business license? Visit the DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs to get step-by-step guidance on how to do so. Getting your license, however, is typically one of the final things you need to do when starting a business – not the first. If you’re just getting started, visit the DSLBD website to sign up for workshops and counseling.
- Doing Business in DC Guide. This guide, curated by the Washington DC Economic Partnership, covers the most current information essential to creating, relocating, and expanding your business in the District. Whether you are an entrepreneur looking for some guidance on starting a business in DC or have an existing business that you are looking to relocate to DC, or you are a DC-based company seeking to understand local business resources, you will find this guide indispensable.
- Want to learn more about Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), Great Streets, Historic Districts and more? Check out Open Data DC and The District of Columbia Atlas Plus for location based information!
- Download the Entrepreneur Toolkit: Makers & Creatives from the Washington Economic Development Partnership.
- Visit our Small Business Resource Toolkit (2.0)! We would love your feedback to help us find ways to demystify regulatory processes and minimize challenges for DC businesses and entrepreneurs. Please take this brief survey to let us know what you need as a business and how DC Government can better serve you.