Starting a Business

Starting a Business

There are a number of useful sites to guide anyone who wants to start a business. Below are the most useful ones.

  1. SBA – This is a government site that provides information for business startups. You can find a link to your local SBDC.
  2. SCORE – This is a volunteer group that promises to provide mentorship and help answer questions that you may’ve about starting a business.
  3. IRS Small Business Portal – As a business, you’ll pay taxes. Find out what you’re setting yourself up to before you start your business.
  4. Visit your competitors online, through telephone contact as well as visits to their brick and mortar sites to see how they operate and what helps them to succeed.

In addition, another source to find useful information on starting a business is your local library. Here is a link to some of the most useful books on starting a business available on amazon.com. I would suggest that you read the reviews before choosing the ones that you like.
New Business Enterprises.
I’ve also added links to free ebooks to start a business at the bottom of this page.

Business Structure

When you decide what type of business to provide – service, product or a mixture of the two, it is then time to decide on the business structure. From personal experience, I would suggest that you stay away from sole proprietorship. I was forced to change the name of my business when I realized that the name I had registered and used for more than 5 years  was a name used by other registered businesses in my state. Choose a Business Structure with a FREE Business Consultation at CorpNet®. You can visit CorpNet online and use their free wizard tool to see which business structure would best suit your need before even consulting with anyone.

Business Name Registration

You may ask, what is in the name of a business name? Everything! As a new business, it’s best to have a name that immediately hints potential customers about what services you offer or what you’re selling. Although a catchy name like “Fella’s” may be appealing,the name doesn’t attract potential buyers. On the other hand, “Mama’s pizzeria” suggests homemade pizza & the name is likely to appeal to new customers. Research the name that you choose to make sure that it’s available at CorpNet® .
Free Corporate Name Search

Employer Identification Number – EIN 

You need an EIN number for tax purposes. Before you can open a bank account you will need an EIN. The IRS answers questions regarding EIN. You can get your free EIN in a matter of minutes from the IRS either on their website or contact by telephone

Free business Ebooks
I would suggest that at least you glance through all the books because you need to understand some basic concepts relation to marketing in various domains. Each of the ebooks listed specializes mainly in one aspect. Again, it’s best to read at least half of the book before attempting to open another link so that your attention is not diverted from the topic you’re reading.

Posted by admin on February 14th, 2013