Your question isn’t specific, so I can’t be more specific than this general answer.

Most labs and corporations have employees. Go to your bank and see what size loan you can afford. Additionally, explore grant opportunities local to you such as those listed by Matthew Lesko (https://leskolocalgrants.com/)

You’ll need employees and infrastructure. Since you haven’t defined what sort of laboratory or corporation you are, hire an HR representative to explore the employees you’ll need.

Next, hire an attorney as a retainer, in case legal issues arise, but you do need to incorporate to be a corporation, so that should be the top of your to do list.

Most labs and corps make money. Hire an accountant.

Now you need to hire a CEO. It can’t be you, as you are still learning how to be a corporation or laboratory. Now you need money to pay for all these people. Ask the CEO what are your values, your mission statement, your long term vision, 5-10 Key Performance Indicators, and your 3 to 5 year plan to pay these people.

Hire a Chief Information Officer. Your HR person and CIO should be working with you to identify your Standard Operating Procedures for the plan the CEO has. Your CIO needs to analyze your facilities for a data center and workstations, and wireless access points. You need to keep data because as Adam Savage once said on Mythbusters, “Remember kids, the only difference between screwing around and science is writing it down” And you should store the data on your server.

Now remind yourself you have only so many days before all these people want to be paid. Make sure you are either making enough cash or have cash on hand to pay them. If you do, bask in the success, learning from your successful team. If you can’t afford to pay them, it’s time to downsize, so tell the CEO to fire everyone, even you, and leave that sucker hanging on the line, because he’s the CEO of your company that’s insolvent.

Go to a lawyer and an accountant and ask them to set you up with a limited liability company.

Once you have your business or company number go to your bank and set up a business account and get a credit card linked to it.

Go to your current workplace and say you want to change from a direct employee to a contractor.

Follow the lawyers and accountants advice on how to track activities.