Business Basics

I want to get into some basics to start a new business. What to do first. Have a good business plan, in writing. Set up a budget. Check out state and local licensing. If you live in a city , you may have licensing requirements for  the county as well. To incorporate your business go to www.sunbiz.org in Florida, find the one in your state. I would look at an LLC, Limited Liability Corp. You can do this on line , not a lot of money. Also look into getting your sales tax number, and fed  tax no. Do you have an accountant? find a good CPA, NOT a tax company. ( If you need to borrow money in the future, the bank will want to see who handles your taxes, they will ALWAYS want a CPA).  Now, you are ready to start. The next thing to do is get business! Learn how to network. join  the local chamber of commerce. Go to online sites that promote your kind of business.  Try, Linkedin, Facebook,etc. Video yourself and put it on U TUBE.  These networking sites will get the word out about your new business.  Set up a marketing plan, where to advertise,and what form of advertising, radio, TV, newspaper, magazine. Check prices, see what  works for you.  Remember, "It all starts with the sale"!  This is where you will need the most money in your budget.
Be prepared , do all this upfront, then you can hit the ground running. You can email me with questions at jg@beltwaydevelopment.com. This is very exciting, good luck!


Your Business Guru


John