Showing posts with label business idea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label business idea. Show all posts

Monday, September 12, 2011

Creating a Business in 5 Easy Steps

Many people, who decide to start a business, often have no idea where to begin or what steps to take. However, we’ve devised a set of 5 general steps that will set your business on a path to success. We will cover topics such as naming your business, obtaining web hosting, establishing a business space with an online fax service, legal structuring, and provide you tips on how to obtain more clients.

1. Your Businesses Name

The first impression your business will make on the public is its name. When future business owners sit down to create their business name, they often spend too much time trying to come up with the perfect name. This is a mistake. It’s not necessary to spend a lot of time on this because it can always be changed in the future. Just make sure that your business name is unique, easy to spell, and has a simple pronunciation.

2. Getting a Domain Name

Once you have your business name, setting up a website is a good idea.  To setup your website, you will need to have a domain name.  Ideally, your domain should be the name of your business or something that tells people what you do.  Once you have a domain name, you should go to a web-hosting site and check for availability.  If the name is available, then you should look at any additional customizations that you want to add to your domain.  For example, some of these customizations can include bandwidth, private registration, and variations of the domain.  After you fully customize your domain, simply pay and the domain becomes your “web property”.

3. Setting Up Your Business Space

Once you have the domain and the website is in development, you need to start setting up your business space.  To setup your business space properly, you will need a business phone line, a business address, and a business fax number.  When first starting a business, many people setup their personal and business space as one.  This is fine, but if you ever want to move or separate the business from the personal then you may have some problems. The most common examples include business document reprinting, legal document editing, and client information loss. In addition to the physical space, you will need a virtual space. More specifically, your business will need to setup an email inbox. There are two ways to do this. You can go to a free email website such as Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail. The other option is to direct your emails to your web-hosting site.

4. Forming a Limited Liability Company

When you thought about starting a business, you probably thought briefly about legal protection and benefits. One of the most common business legal structure that people choose is a Limited Liability Company (LLC). Some of the benefits of becoming an LLC include favorable tax treatment and limited liability.  When your company becomes an LLC, it’s eligible for an Employer Identification Number, which allows you to open a business bank account, take out a loan, and buy insurance.  There are other legal structures that may fit your needs better than an LLC. These structures include sole proprietorships, limited partnerships, general partnerships, and corporations.

5. Networking

Every new business must work hard to get clients.  A strategy that is used by many people is email marketing.  To do this type of marketing, you can get an email marketing service like GetResponse or MailChimp.  The prices will vary depending on what you want.  It’s recommended that you compare a few services before you buy, so that you may receive the best service for the best price.

After you have worked through these 5 easy steps, you should be set on a path that will allow your business to flourish and become successful.