Hi Ben, If you haven't done so already, please feel free to take a look at 10 Steps to Starting a Business, which has information about determining the legal structure of your business, as well as federal, state, and local taxes, etc. What state do you plan to to register your business in? Permits and licenses vary, so use our Permit Me Tool, to generate a list of those relevant to your industry and state. Also, please read our Starting a Business in the U.S. as a Foreign National! It has a lot of useful tips and information.