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Thank you Fireplace-guy and phanio for your great suggestions! juancmn- check out the Louisiana State Guide for the necessary steps you need to go through to start your business. This includes information about registering, financing, licenses, permits, etc. Good luck!

Your chamber of commerce should have sent you to your local Small Business Development center or SCORE office - these resources are free to use and can help you with all your questions. You might also look into: www.business.gov/expand/import-export www.exim.gov You could also contact Your Secretary of State's office as they are the ones that regulate businesses in your state. Lastly, you should always start with a formal business plan - this will help you walk through all the issues you will face before you open your doors.

juancmn wrote: Good morning: I am looking into starrting a (coffee, tea, organic food) import and distribution business in New Orleans , LA. I do not have the requirements to register the business and do not know what are the permits and licenses required. I have contacted the Chamber of Commerce locally and they did not know what the requirements are. I know I need this before requesting my EIN number with the IRS. The business will be a partnership and we will import coffee and tea and organic products and sell to the major supermarkets in LA and hopefully Texas. So to wrap this up I need the steps to start this partenership from scratch. (Licenses, permits ) and with which government agencies I would need to talk to . Your help is highly appreciated. regards Juan C. M. I provided a link below that should be helpful answering your questions; it's rather a very long article (10+ pages) so I didn't get a chance to review if it contained 'everything' you need. However, it should put you on the right path. entrepreneur.com/startingabusiness/businessideas/startupkits/article41846.html ---This post was edited to remove a commercial link. Read our discussion policies for more Community best practices.