Forum threads about dealer licenses are loud and often wrong for your state. I'm not your attorney or your DMV - but after helping people get set up, the pattern is clear: most people buy things out of order and stall for months.
Start with location reality
Before you pay for anything fancy, know whether your intended lot or office meets local zoning and dealer premises rules. A license application that fails on location wastes time and money you could have spent learning auctions.
Then capital and bonding
Know the bond and insurance requirements in your state, and the working capital you'll need after those costs - enough to buy, hold, and move cars without panic. A license with no buying power is just paperwork on the wall.
Entity, bank, and paperwork in sequence
Form the business properly, open the accounts you'll need, and assemble the application package your state actually asks for. Don't invent extra steps because a YouTube video from another state said so.
Auction access after you're legitimate
Houses care that you're properly set up. Getting licensed isn't the finish line - it's the door. After that, you still need a buying plan: which auctions, which inventory band, and how you'll turn cars without freezing cash.
What a consult can (and can't) do
I can help you think through order of operations, common traps, and how licensing connects to your first inventory plan. I can't replace state-specific legal advice. Bring your state, your location situation, and your capital picture - we'll map a practical sequence from there.