[Financial] Everyone who 1st started. Did you get a business license and registered 1st, or just started by doing art markets/online 1st?

My husband wants to open a business. I decided to join in because I have my own niche art that people always tell me I need to sell them. I was thinking just starting small, local markets, market place (extremely big in my area for local art). But my husband thinks we have to do the WHOLE process of getting a business license and permits and something about LLC and go at it like an ACTUALLY business. He's also hoping to get financial assistance in getting things rolling for him to be able to buy things and have everything in order for tax write offs too. The issue I see is that he has no stock pile, he's not even finished setting up his work area. Now I have a stock pile, I love what I do and just keep making them. I feel like we should wait till he has a system of making the things he wants, which can be month long projects and he's still working on his polishing. I'm not worried about not selling anything, but I'm worried in jumping in to the deep waters with legal, financial, quarterlies and thing like that, and loosing money with fees. Without having done ANY selling of any sorts before. I'm not sure what is normal