From the first idea to the first customer
Practical startup guides to help you choose your services, budget, navigate approvals, get insured, and build a customer pipeline.
Work through startup costs, insurance, and a first-customer plan. For eligible businesses, Cohesive AI outreach is free with insurance from Cohesive Insurance. Leads and jobs are not guaranteed.
Plan installation services, specialist subcontractors, project approvals and your first builder referrals. Separate construction from maintenance when preparing your insurance request.
Texas pool construction startup guide →Texas pool-builder insurance checklist →Define pruning and removal services, equipment and staffing before seeking property-manager referrals. Prepare heights, utility exposure and subcontractor information for a coverage review.
North Carolina tree-service startup guide →North Carolina tree-service insurance checklist →Start with the launch sequence, then work through the decisions that apply to your space and operation.
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Plan your restaurant launch in the right order: concept, budget, location, permits, insurance, staffing, and opening-day readiness.
Read guide →Service business startup
Plan a janitorial business with a defined service scope, startup costs, pricing, licenses, insurance questions, and a first-customer checklist.
Read guide →Service business startup
How to start a pool construction business: a practical launch plan. Plan startup costs, licensing, insurance, and how to find your first customers. Explore free Cohesive AI outreach with insurance.
Read guide →Service business startup
Plan a roofing business with a defined service scope, startup costs, pricing, licenses, insurance questions, and a first-customer checklist.
Read guide →Service business startup
How to start a tree service business: a practical launch plan. Plan startup costs, licensing, insurance, and how to find your first customers. Explore free Cohesive AI outreach with insurance.
Read guide →Service business startup
Plan a remodeling business with a defined service scope, startup costs, pricing, licenses, insurance questions, and a first-customer checklist.
Read guide →Use these work-specific checklists to explain your operations and compare proposals. Download a checklist without entering your email.
Prepare the certificate holder, contract and required endorsements before a job starts. Understand what a COI shows, what it cannot change and what can delay acceptance.
Starting with no insurance history or using only subcontractors? Prepare honest estimates, describe the actual work and separate employee payroll from subcontractor spending.
Read three anonymized saved proposals to see why a headline premium or liability limit is only the beginning of a useful insurance comparison.
Many cleaning GL policies exclude damage to property being cleaned or in your care. Compare customer property protection, exclusions, limits and deductibles.
A remodeling policy needs to match the work behind the walls as well as the visible finishes. Review structural changes, existing property and subcontractors before comparing premiums.
Compare painting insurance against the surfaces, access equipment and application methods you use. Overspray, elevated work and older coatings deserve specific coverage questions.
A roofing quote needs more than a trade label. Review open-roof water damage, heat application, height, roof systems and subcontractor conditions against the actual work.
Handyman is a business description, not blanket permission for every trade. Compare your real job list with the policy’s accepted operations, exclusions and licensing requirements.
Separate HVAC installation from service calls when comparing insurance. Refrigerants, condensate leaks, rooftop access and electrical or gas connections need clear operations descriptions.
Compare contractor insurance using the same work description, revenue, subcontractors, coverage and total cost. Download a blank quote-comparison worksheet.
Prepare an all-subcontractor GC insurance request with accurate receipts, subcontractor costs, contracts and coverage questions. No invented employee payroll.
Separate pool building, renovation and maintenance when requesting insurance. Review gunite, silica, excavation, subcontractors and completed-work questions.
Prepare a tree-service quote with heights, removal methods, cranes, utilities, crew and subcontractor details. Download a working checklist.
Practical introductions to GCs and property managers, project qualification and vendor preparation. Get a free local PM/GC list and lead-generation help with eligible insurance purchase; leads and jobs are not guaranteed.
Restaurant and service-business startup resources for all 50 states.
50 guides