Said It Here

Should I register a business before making any money?

People face early business registration laws and startup fees before knowing if their venture will actually make money. This stops them from starting safely without risking money on taxes and registration for unproven ideas.

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

  1. 1
    Asking experienced business owners on forums for advice
  2. 2
    Waiting for better financial conditions or more capital
  3. 3
    Waiting until there is consistent income before registering
  4. 4
    Delaying registration to avoid startup fees for unproven ideas
  5. 5
    Running events sporadically or weekly
  6. 6
    Searching for external grants
  7. 7
    Asking the online community for advice and metrics

In their words

Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.

r/smallbusiness4 people · September 2026

I'd like some advice.source ↗

Given the current economic conditions, is this a good time to start a business?source ↗

HumbleManner4481 · r/smallbusiness · 13 upvotes

My countrys law seems to require business registration pretty early, but what if you don’t even know whether what youre doing will make any money?source ↗

Would you register immediately, or wait until there’s actually some consistent income?source ↗

take-a-smoke · r/smallbusiness · 3 upvotes

Seasonal event business: how do I know if it's viable?source ↗

The busy season was decently profitable, but it's weather-dependent and profitable maybe 4 months of the year, with no slow-season plan yet.source ↗

Events are ticketed, and sales fluctuate every week, so income is hard to predict.source ↗

Any-Front10 · r/smallbusiness · 2 upvotes

not paying 200$ startup tax for no reason if it turns out to be smth i will make itsource ↗

alvivanco1 · r/smallbusiness · 1 upvotes

Where this came up

People with this problem also raised