About OpenChamber
A free, step-by-step roadmap for starting a business, built in public by one person.
What OpenChamber is
Starting a business is confusing. Not the idea part, but everything after it: what to file, where to file it, whether you need an LLC yet, and what order any of it goes in. The answers are scattered across government sites, legal blogs and forum threads, and most of them are written by companies trying to sell you something.
OpenChamber asks a few questions about what you're building, where you are and how you want to structure it, then gives you a personalized roadmap: the steps, forms, fees and official links that apply to you, across seven phases from validating the idea to expanding. Alongside the roadmap there are free formation guides for all 50 states, and, as the network grows, vetted professionals (CPAs, attorneys, advisors) for when you want a human to help.
The name modernizes the Chamber of Commerce idea: open to anyone, and built for people who haven't started yet. Guidance before the leap, not after.
Structure
A sequenced roadmap, not a pile of articles. "Here is your next step" instead of "here is everything you might need to know."
Persistence
Your progress is saved. Come back next week or next month and pick up where you left off.
Accountability
Phase tracking, task checklists and gentle reminders keep you moving without nagging.
One thing OpenChamber deliberately doesn't do is rush you into filing an LLC. Most people don't need to form an entity on day one, and the roadmap will tell you what you don't need yet as readily as what you do.
Who builds it
OpenChamber is a solo-founder project. It's designed, written and built by Warren Walker, on the side of a day job, and built in public. There's no venture funding and no marketing department, just one person trying to make the first steps of starting a business less confusing.
That has trade-offs, and we'd rather be upfront about them: things ship steadily rather than all at once, and if you email, the person who answers is the person who wrote the code.
How the formation data is sourced and checked
- Each state guide is researched from that state’s official filing office and tax agency pages (usually the Secretary of State), not from memory.
- Guides are re-checked on a rolling schedule, oldest first. A guide’s "Last verified" date only moves when an official source is confirmed live.
- Guides link to their official sources, so you can confirm a fee or form yourself before you file.
- Dead or moved official links are dropped automatically when a guide is re-checked.
States change things, and mistakes happen. If you spot something out of date, email support@openchamber.io and it will be fixed.
OpenChamber provides general information to help you plan, not legal or tax advice. For decisions specific to your situation, talk to a qualified attorney or CPA.
See what your first step is
Your roadmap is free, and you don't need an account to preview it.