You'll need a business license, insurance, incorporation (LLC), bank accounts, credit card processing, website, and a good business plan.
The insurance will be tricky and expensive, however with an LLC they can only attach the assets of the business. Not your personal assets.
Personally, I would wait to make a significant investment in going live as a business since FDA/court rulings could significantly affect your ability to do business.
However, my opinion here is from the standpoint of minimizing risk. There may be a value in getting in now. There will be a lot of competition after the fact assuming the FDA/courts don't swing the bat too heavily at our freedom.
Another option, might be to create a line of e-juice for resale by established vendors. That may be a horse of another color.
When I researched this, I found the market to offer pretty much every conceivable juice in huge diversity. It will already be difficult to differentiate the product in this environment.
It's not 2006 anymore.
You make a good point I forgot to..
ANYTHING put into this business now must be what you can afford to lose 100%
We have NO IDEA of what the government is going to inflict on us as far as laws or regs
But don't forget that if they outlaw this stuff, the black market value will be high anyway, at least at first
It's not 2006 it's not 2001 this ain't gradeschool any more. .
In 2001 I could get out and make a grand in a day if I needed to ..
Now I'm out today buying three lawn mowers for $50 cause I can sell 'em for $150
There's a car I could go and get for $1200 that I could sell for $3000 but guess what I don't have the cash and it won't be there by nightfall ... It's tough and frustrating out here
And dig this, the money I DO have, I'm growing it.. But these idiots need so much that by the 20th or so I won't be able to keep up and I'll be zeroed out so .. Hell .. they need food, they need medicine, they need a car fixed, they NEED NEED NEED
Happens to the best of us
You sound like a very intelligent guy .. I know you said you got hard times right now .. but you sound like you don't have to have, for long!