I'm figuring out how to start a business from scratch.

Come figure it out with me.

I'm Charley — a mom and a recently laid-off employee who decided to bet on herself instead of sending out one more job application. Day 1 CEO’s is where I document every real step of building a business for the first time. The wins, the mistakes, and the "I have no idea what I'm doing" moments. All of it.

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45ish days ago, I had a stable job as an Email Marketing Manager. Then I got called into a meeting I wasn't expecting, and twenty minutes later it was over. Restructuring. Budget cuts. Nothing personal — except it felt very personal. For a few weeks, I did what you're supposed to do. I updated my resume. I scrolled LinkedIn until my eyes glazed over. I applied for jobs I wasn't even excited about.

My Story

Then one afternoon, sitting in my house with nowhere to go and no paycheck coming, something shifted. What if I didn't go back? What if, instead of sending out another application, I built something of my own? That's when Day 1 CEO started. Not because I had a plan. Because I had a decision.

What You’ll Find Here

Setting Up a Real Business

LLCs, registered agents, EINs, business bank accounts — all the stuff I didn't know existed until I started Googling at midnight. I'm walking through every step as I do it.

The Honest Parts

What's working. What's not. What I'd do differently. The feelings nobody talks about when you're starting from zero.

No highlight reel — just the truth.

Tools & Resources That Actually Help

Every tool, service, and free resource I come across that's genuinely useful — not just the ones with the biggest marketing budgets. Tested by me, shared with you.