🧭 Business Advisor App

A simple, beginner-friendly AI app that analyzes a business idea or business problem you describe, and gives you:

1. Business Analysis — a summary of strengths and risks based only on what you wrote
2. Recommendations — practical next steps
3. IP / Patent Considerations — general education about patents, trademarks, copyrights (not legal advice)
4. Missing Information — what details you should add for a better analysis
5. Action Plan — a clear, numbered list of next steps

It's built with:

• Streamlit — for the web interface
• CrewAI — to run a single AI "agent" (the Business Advisor)
• Groq — the AI provider, using the model openai/gpt-oss-120b

The AI is instructed never to make up facts. If something is missing from your description, it will tell you instead of guessing.

📁 File Structure

business-advisor-app/
├── app.py                          # The main Streamlit application
├── requirements.txt                # Python packages needed to run the app
├── README.md                       # This file
├── .gitignore                      # Tells Git which files NOT to upload
└── .streamlit/
    └── secrets.toml.example        # Example of how to store your API key

⚠️ Note: .streamlit/secrets.toml (your REAL key file) is not included — you will create it yourself in Step 3 below, and it is automatically kept out of GitHub by .gitignore.

✅ Before You Start

You will need:

1. A free Groq account and API key → https://console.groq.com
2. A free GitHub account → https://github.com
3. A free Streamlit Community Cloud account → https://streamlit.io/cloud (sign in with GitHub)
4. Python 3.11 installed on your computer (for local testing) → https://www.python.org/downloads/

🪜 Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1 — Download and organize the project folder

Save all the files provided into one folder on your computer, named exactly:

business-advisor-app/

Make sure the structure matches the File Structure section above, including the .streamlit subfolder.

Step 2 — Install the dependencies locally

Open a terminal (Command Prompt, PowerShell, or macOS/Linux Terminal), navigate into the project folder, and run:

cd business-advisor-app

# (Recommended) Create a virtual environment first
python -m venv venv

# Activate it:
# On Windows:
venv\Scripts\activate
# On macOS/Linux:
source venv/bin/activate

# Now install the required packages:
pip install -r requirements.txt

Step 3 — Get your Groq API key

1. Go to https://console.groq.com and sign in (or sign up — it's free).
2. Open the API Keys section and click Create API Key.
3. Copy the key (it will look something like gsk_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx).

Step 4 — Add your API key to Streamlit Secrets (for local testing)

1. Inside the .streamlit folder, make a copy of secrets.toml.example and rename the copy to exactly: secrets.toml
2. Open secrets.toml and paste your real key like this:

GROQ_API_KEY = "gsk_your_real_key_here"

1. Save the file. Never share this file or upload it to GitHub — it's already listed in .gitignore so Git will skip it automatically.

Step 5 — Run the app locally

Still inside the project folder (with your virtual environment activated), run:

streamlit run app.py

Your browser should automatically open a tab at http://localhost:8501 showing the Business Advisor app. Try typing in a business idea and clicking Analyze My Business Idea.

If your API key is missing or wrong, the app will show a friendly message instead of crashing — check Step 4 again if that happens.

Step 6 — Upload the project to GitHub

1. Go to https://github.com and click New repository.
2. Name it something like business-advisor-app, set it to Public or Private (your choice), and click Create repository.
3. On your computer, inside the project folder, run:

git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit: Business Advisor app"
git branch -M main
git remote add origin https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/business-advisor-app.git
git push -u origin main

Replace YOUR-USERNAME with your actual GitHub username.

✅ Because secrets.toml is in .gitignore, your real API key will not be uploaded to GitHub. Only secrets.toml.example (with no real key) will be visible there — which is exactly what you want.

Step 7 — Deploy on Streamlit Community Cloud

1. Go to https://share.streamlit.io and sign in with your GitHub account.
2. Click New app.
3. Choose:
   • Repository: YOUR-USERNAME/business-advisor-app
   • Branch: main
   • Main file path: app.py
4. Before clicking Deploy, open Advanced settings and set the Python version to 3.11.
5. Click Deploy. Streamlit Cloud will install your requirements.txt automatically.

Step 8 — Add your Groq API key to Streamlit Cloud Secrets

Your deployed app does not have your local secrets.toml file, so you need to add the key again, directly on Streamlit Cloud:

1. Open your deployed app's page on https://share.streamlit.io.
2. Click the ⋮ (menu) next to your app → Settings → Secrets.
3. Paste the same content as your local secrets.toml:

GROQ_API_KEY = "gsk_your_real_key_here"

1. Click Save. The app will automatically restart and pick up the key.

Step 9 — Test the live app

Open your app's public URL (shown on the Streamlit Cloud dashboard), enter a business idea, and click Analyze My Business Idea. You should see the same five-section analysis you saw locally.

🛠️ Troubleshooting

| Problem | Likely Cause | Fix | |---|---|---| | "Groq API key not found" | secrets.toml missing or key name misspelled | Make sure the key is exactly GROQ_API_KEY | | "Authentication error" | Wrong or expired API key | Generate a new key on console.groq.com | | "Rate limit reached" | Too many requests sent too quickly | Wait a minute, then try again | | "Request timed out" | Slow network or Groq is busy | Try again in a moment | | App works locally but not on Streamlit Cloud | Forgot to add secrets on Streamlit Cloud | Repeat Step 8 |

⚠️ Disclaimer

This app provides general, educational business information only. It is not legal, financial, or patent/IP advice. Always consult a qualified professional (such as a licensed attorney) before making real business, legal, or IP decisions.