# AFCommerce > Comprehensive guides for starting and growing an online business. Ecommerce platforms, payment processing, business financing, marketing, and more. - Site: https://www.afcommerce.com ## Starting a Business - [How to Start a Small Business](https://www.afcommerce.com/start-a-business/): Complete guide to starting a small business. Covers LLC formation, EIN registration, business licenses, naming, structure choices, operating agreements, state filings, and everything you need to legally launch your company. - [How to Start an Online Store](https://www.afcommerce.com/start-online-store/): Step-by-step guide to starting an online store from scratch. Covers product selection, platform choice, store setup, legal requirements, and getting your first customers. - [Small Business Plan Guide](https://www.afcommerce.com/business-planning/): Complete guide to business planning for small business owners. Covers writing a business plan, market research, financial projections, competitive analysis, revenue models, goal setting, and strategic planning. - [Small Business Legal Guide](https://www.afcommerce.com/business-legal/): Complete legal guide for small business owners covering business formation, website policies, data privacy laws, intellectual property, contracts, employment law, and compliance requirements for online sellers. - [Best Side Hustles](https://www.afcommerce.com/side-hustles/): Comprehensive guide to the best side hustles covering online businesses, ecommerce, content creation, freelancing, reselling, digital products, rental income, and balancing a side hustle with a full-time job. - [Work From Home Jobs and Business Ideas](https://www.afcommerce.com/work-from-home/): Complete guide to work from home jobs and business ideas covering legitimate remote jobs, starting a home business, home office setup, productivity, tools, tax deductions, and avoiding scams. - [How to Start Freelancing](https://www.afcommerce.com/freelancing/): Complete guide to freelancing covering how to find clients, price your services, write proposals, build a portfolio, manage taxes, use platforms like Upwork and Fiverr, and scale from side income to full-time. ## Ecommerce Platforms and Store Setup - [Best Ecommerce Platform Comparison](https://www.afcommerce.com/ecommerce-platforms/): Compare the best ecommerce platforms for your business. Detailed pricing, features, and recommendations for Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and more. - [Shopify Guide](https://www.afcommerce.com/shopify/): Everything you need to know about Shopify. Setup, pricing, themes, apps, SEO, shipping, and growth strategies for building a profitable Shopify store. - [WooCommerce Guide](https://www.afcommerce.com/woocommerce/): Complete WooCommerce guide covering hosting, installation, themes, plugins, payment setup, shipping, SEO, security, and scaling your WordPress ecommerce store. - [Ecommerce Website Design](https://www.afcommerce.com/store-design/): Complete guide to ecommerce website design. Covers design principles, product pages, checkout optimization, mobile design, navigation, typography, color psychology, trust signals, and page speed. - [Best Website Hosting for Small Business](https://www.afcommerce.com/website-hosting/): Complete guide to website hosting for small business covering shared, VPS, cloud, and dedicated hosting, ecommerce hosting needs, speed optimization, domain registration, SSL setup, and top providers. ## Selling Channels - [How to Sell on Amazon FBA](https://www.afcommerce.com/amazon-fba/): Complete Amazon FBA guide covering account setup, product research, sourcing, listing optimization, PPC advertising, inventory management, and scaling your Amazon business. - [How to Sell on Etsy](https://www.afcommerce.com/selling-on-etsy/): Complete Etsy seller guide covering shop setup, SEO, product photography, pricing strategy, marketing, and growing a profitable handmade or vintage business. - [How to Sell on Online Marketplaces](https://www.afcommerce.com/online-marketplaces/): Complete guide to selling on eBay, Walmart, Facebook Marketplace, Poshmark, and Mercari. Covers fees, listing optimization, multi-channel selling, and choosing the right platforms. - [How to Start Dropshipping](https://www.afcommerce.com/dropshipping/): Complete dropshipping guide covering the business model, finding suppliers, choosing products, marketing your store, and building a profitable online business. - [How to Start a Print on Demand Business](https://www.afcommerce.com/print-on-demand/): Complete print on demand guide covering how the business model works, best POD companies, product selection, design tips, platform integration, and scaling to full-time income. - [Private Label Products Guide](https://www.afcommerce.com/private-label/): Complete guide to private label products for ecommerce. Covers finding manufacturers, branding, packaging, profit margins, regulations, and scaling across Amazon, Shopify, and your own store. - [How to Sell Digital Products Online](https://www.afcommerce.com/digital-products/): Complete guide to selling digital products online covering product types, platforms, pricing, delivery, marketing, and building passive income from ebooks, courses, templates, and software. - [How to Start a Subscription Box Business](https://www.afcommerce.com/subscription-boxes/): Complete guide to starting and running a subscription box business. Covers niche selection, product sourcing, pricing, packaging, fulfillment, marketing, reducing churn, and scaling recurring revenue. - [Wholesale and B2B Ecommerce Guide](https://www.afcommerce.com/wholesale-ecommerce/): Complete guide to wholesale and B2B ecommerce. Covers starting a wholesale business, finding buyers, setting pricing, B2B platforms, trade shows, fulfillment, and scaling wholesale operations online. - [Product Sourcing for Online Sellers](https://www.afcommerce.com/product-sourcing/): Complete product sourcing guide covering finding suppliers on Alibaba, domestic manufacturers, trade shows, wholesale directories, quality control, private labeling, and negotiating with factories. ## Marketing and Traffic - [SEO for Ecommerce](https://www.afcommerce.com/seo/): Complete ecommerce SEO guide covering keyword research, on-page optimization, technical SEO, link building, content strategy, and measuring results for online stores. - [Content Marketing for Ecommerce](https://www.afcommerce.com/content-marketing/): Complete guide to content marketing for online stores covering blogging, video, buying guides, SEO content strategy, AI tools, content calendars, distribution, and measuring ROI. - [Email Marketing for Ecommerce](https://www.afcommerce.com/email-marketing/): Complete ecommerce email marketing guide covering list building, automation flows, abandoned cart recovery, segmentation, platforms, and measuring ROI for online stores. - [Social Media Marketing for Ecommerce](https://www.afcommerce.com/social-media-marketing/): Complete guide to social media marketing for online stores covering Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest, paid ads, organic growth, influencer partnerships, and social commerce. - [Google Ads for Ecommerce](https://www.afcommerce.com/google-ads/): Complete guide to Google Ads for ecommerce stores covering Shopping ads, Search campaigns, remarketing, Performance Max, bidding strategies, and scaling profitably. - [Influencer Marketing for Ecommerce](https://www.afcommerce.com/influencer-marketing/): Complete guide to influencer marketing covering how to find influencers, negotiate deals, run campaigns, measure ROI, and build long-term brand partnerships that drive sales. - [Affiliate Marketing for Beginners](https://www.afcommerce.com/affiliate-marketing/): Complete guide to affiliate marketing for beginners. Covers how it works, choosing a niche, building a website, content strategy, SEO, email marketing, social promotion, disclosure rules, and scaling commissions. - [Ecommerce Conversion Rate Optimization](https://www.afcommerce.com/conversion-optimization/): Complete guide to ecommerce CRO. Covers A/B testing, checkout optimization, product page design, cart abandonment, social proof, site speed, mobile CRO, copywriting, and tools to increase conversions. ## Store Operations - [Ecommerce Inventory Management](https://www.afcommerce.com/inventory-management/): Complete inventory guide covering software, forecasting, reorder points, warehouse setup, barcode systems, multi-channel sync, dead stock, cycle counts, and scaling operations as you grow. - [Ecommerce Shipping and Fulfillment](https://www.afcommerce.com/shipping-fulfillment/): Complete shipping and fulfillment guide covering carrier comparisons, shipping rates, 3PL fulfillment, international shipping, packaging, returns, and strategies to reduce costs while improving delivery speed. - [Ecommerce Automation](https://www.afcommerce.com/ecommerce-automation/): Complete guide to ecommerce automation covering order processing, email marketing, inventory management, abandoned cart recovery, pricing tools, shipping, accounting, and workflow automation. - [Ecommerce Customer Service](https://www.afcommerce.com/ecommerce-customer-service/): Complete guide covering help desk software, live chat, chatbots, email support, returns, review management, retention strategies, and building support operations that scale. - [Ecommerce Security](https://www.afcommerce.com/ecommerce-security/): Complete guide covering fraud prevention, PCI compliance, SSL certificates, data protection, malware defense, secure checkout, backup strategy, and incident response for online store owners. - [Ecommerce Analytics](https://www.afcommerce.com/ecommerce-analytics/): Complete analytics guide covering Google Analytics 4, KPIs, conversion tracking, customer lifetime value, A/B testing, attribution models, dashboards, and data-driven decisions. - [Ecommerce Pricing Strategy](https://www.afcommerce.com/pricing-strategy/): Complete pricing strategy guide covering pricing models, competitive analysis, psychological pricing, discounts, bundle pricing, A/B testing, dynamic pricing, and margin optimization. - [Payment Processing for Online Business](https://www.afcommerce.com/payment-processing/): Everything you need to know about accepting payments online. Compare payment gateways, understand fees, prevent fraud, and choose the right processor for your business. - [Hiring for Small Business](https://www.afcommerce.com/hiring/): Complete guide covering first hires, contractors vs employees, remote workers, freelancer platforms, interviewing, onboarding, payroll, labor laws, and building a team that scales. ## Business Finance - [Business Banking for Online Sellers](https://www.afcommerce.com/business-banking/): Complete guide covering best checking accounts, online banks, free accounts, international banking, payroll, and how to choose the right business bank for your store. - [How to Build Business Credit](https://www.afcommerce.com/business-credit/): Complete guide to building business credit from scratch. Covers credit bureaus, DUNS numbers, PAYDEX scores, tradelines, vendor accounts, and separating personal and business credit. - [Small Business Loans and Financing](https://www.afcommerce.com/business-loans/): Complete guide to small business loans, SBA programs, online lenders, revenue-based financing, and how to qualify for the best rates and terms. - [Small Business Grants](https://www.afcommerce.com/business-grants/): Complete guide to finding and winning grants. Covers federal, state, and local grants, grants for women, minorities, and veterans, SBA programs, corporate grants, pitch competitions, and writing applications that get funded. - [Business Insurance for Online Sellers](https://www.afcommerce.com/business-insurance/): Complete guide covering general liability, product liability, cyber insurance, shipping coverage, costs, and how to choose the right policy for your store. - [Cash Flow Management for Small Business](https://www.afcommerce.com/cash-flow/): Complete cash flow guide covering forecasting, improving cash flow, seasonal planning, expense control, emergency reserves, and the tools that keep your business solvent. - [Ecommerce Accounting](https://www.afcommerce.com/ecommerce-accounting/): Complete accounting guide covering bookkeeping basics, best accounting software, tax deductions, inventory accounting, profit margins, and financial management for online sellers. - [Sales Tax for Online Sellers](https://www.afcommerce.com/sales-tax/): Complete sales tax guide covering nexus rules, economic nexus thresholds, collecting and filing sales tax, software options, marketplace facilitator laws, exemptions, and multi-state compliance. - [Personal Finance for Business Owners](https://www.afcommerce.com/entrepreneur-finance/): Complete personal finance guide for entrepreneurs covering separating finances, retirement planning, health insurance, tax strategy, paying yourself, investing, and building long-term wealth. ## Tools and Software - [Best AI Tools for Small Business](https://www.afcommerce.com/ai-tools/): Comprehensive guide to the best AI tools for small business. Covers AI marketing, content creation, customer service, accounting, SEO, inventory management, and building an AI strategy. - [Best Business Software for Small Business](https://www.afcommerce.com/business-software/): Comprehensive guide covering CRM, accounting, project management, POS systems, HR, help desk, invoicing, design tools, and building your software stack on a budget. ## Developer Documentation - [Free ACP Payments Module](https://www.afcommerce.com/free-acp-payments-module/): Documentation for the free open source ACP Payment Module (mcp-commerce), a commerce core that lets any MCP server take payments inside AI conversations through the Agentic Commerce Protocol and Stripe. - [What Is the Agentic Commerce Protocol](https://www.afcommerce.com/free-acp-payments-module/what-is-acp.php): Plain explanation of ACP, the open spec from OpenAI and Stripe that lets AI agents complete purchases with merchants. - [Quickstart](https://www.afcommerce.com/free-acp-payments-module/quickstart.php): Install and run the ACP payments server with npm or Docker, from clone to first test payment. - [Embed in Your MCP Server](https://www.afcommerce.com/free-acp-payments-module/embedding.php): Add cart and checkout tools to an existing MCP server with the mcp-commerce library. - [Products File Reference](https://www.afcommerce.com/free-acp-payments-module/products-file.php): The products.json catalog format, fields, variants, integer cent pricing, and validation rules. - [Configuration Reference](https://www.afcommerce.com/free-acp-payments-module/configuration.php): Every config.json key and environment variable, including the secrets policy. - [MCP Tools Reference](https://www.afcommerce.com/free-acp-payments-module/mcp-tools.php): The seven shopping tools agents use: search, product detail, cart operations, and checkout. - [ACP Endpoints Reference](https://www.afcommerce.com/free-acp-payments-module/acp-endpoints.php): The checkout session REST API: routes, headers, authentication, idempotency, states, and errors. - [Payment Modes](https://www.afcommerce.com/free-acp-payments-module/payments.php): Hosted Stripe Checkout versus delegated Shared Payment Tokens, plus the mock provider. - [Stripe Webhooks](https://www.afcommerce.com/free-acp-payments-module/stripe-webhooks.php): Setting up and verifying the Stripe webhook that confirms hosted payments. - [Sales Tax with Stripe Tax](https://www.afcommerce.com/free-acp-payments-module/tax.php): How tax is delegated to Stripe Tax and folded into checkout totals. - [Order Webhook](https://www.afcommerce.com/free-acp-payments-module/order-webhook.php): The signed order payload delivered to your systems after every completed payment. - [ACP Product Feed](https://www.afcommerce.com/free-acp-payments-module/product-feed.php): Generating the JSONL or CSV product feed agent platforms ingest. - [Deploy on AWS Lambda](https://www.afcommerce.com/free-acp-payments-module/lambda-deployment.php): Serverless deployment with API Gateway, DynamoDB storage, and an S3 catalog. - [Storage and Catalog Drivers](https://www.afcommerce.com/free-acp-payments-module/storage-and-catalog.php): SQLite and DynamoDB stores, three catalog sources, and choosing per deployment. - [Security Model](https://www.afcommerce.com/free-acp-payments-module/security.php): Authentication, idempotency, price integrity, and the minimal data footprint.