The application follows the commitment of funds, so the timeline is driven by how quickly the business can be genuinely established: entity formed, premises secured, capital committed, plan written. Consular appointment availability varies by post and should be checked rather than assumed, and no one should work in the business before the status exists.
Establish the business, then apply, then work in it
Sequence the year in three phases. First, establish: incorporate, sign the lease, commit the capital, buy the inventory and prepare the plan and the source-of-funds file. Second, apply, allowing for appointment availability at the relevant post, which changes over time and should be checked directly. Third, and only then, take up the role in the United States. Trips to inspect premises, negotiate with suppliers or sign documents are different in kind from running the operation and should be treated separately. If the business must open before the applicant can be there, decide who will run it in the meantime and describe that arrangement honestly, since an enterprise operating without its investor raises a question the application will have to answer anyway.
Hypothetical example: a museum-exhibit fabrication company wants to open before a contracted installation date, while its premises permit is still pending. A first review identifies which commitments can safely occur before approval, what happens if the permit is denied, and when the business can genuinely operate. The lease, permit correspondence and supplier contracts settle that sequence. Do not present a launch date that depends on approvals not yet requested. A carefully conditioned transaction can preserve risk evidence, but the terms must show the investor has made a real commitment rather than retained an unrestricted exit.