> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developers.venturu.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# list_business_categories

> Get all industry categories and business type IDs for filtering searches.

## list\_business\_categories

Returns all industry categories and their associated business types with IDs. Use the returned business type IDs as the `businessTypeIds` parameter in `search_businesses` to filter listings by industry.

<Info>
  This is a **read-only** tool. No authentication required. No input parameters needed.
</Info>

## Parameters

This tool takes no parameters.

## Response

A structured list of all industry categories and their business types:

```
Industry categories and business types (use the IDs in search_businesses businessTypeIds):

Industry: Food & Beverage (category ID: 1)
  - Restaurant (ID: 1, slug: restaurant)
  - Bar & Nightclub (ID: 2, slug: bar-nightclub)
  - Cafe & Coffee Shop (ID: 3, slug: cafe-coffee-shop)
  - Food Truck (ID: 4, slug: food-truck)

Industry: Hospitality (category ID: 2)
  - Hotel (ID: 10, slug: hotel)
  - Motel (ID: 11, slug: motel)
  - Bed & Breakfast (ID: 12, slug: bed-breakfast)

...
```

## Usage

This tool is typically called **once** at the start of a conversation when the user mentions a specific business type or industry. The returned IDs can then be used in subsequent `search_businesses` calls.

### Example Flow

1. User asks: "Find laundromats for sale in Texas"
2. AI calls `list_business_categories` to find the laundromat business type ID
3. AI calls `search_businesses` with `businessTypeIds: [<laundromat_id>]` and `state: "Texas"`

<Tip>
  The categories and business types are relatively stable. In a multi-turn conversation, you only need to call this tool once — reuse the IDs for subsequent searches.
</Tip>