Steps For Starting A Small Business
Prepare A Business Plan;
VenturePointOnline.com offers a business plan outline on our “Resource Library” page. Or visit your local SCORE office or Business Development Center. If you’re not comfortable with writing one yourself there are companies that specialize in this; Einstein Enterprises www.einstein-enterprises.com
Tax Structuring;
VenturePointOnline.com offers a breakdown on the “Resource Library” page of the most common forms; corporation, sole proprietorship, general partnership, limited partnership, “S” corporation and limited liability company. It is advisable to consult an attorney or CPA for advice on which form will be the best fit for your company.
Personal Credit;
If you intend to use a financial institution or investor for funding of your business, check your credit report first. The three major credit report agencies are; Equifax/ www.equifax.com, Experian/www.experian.com, and Transunion/www.transunion.com.
Register The Name Of Your Business;
You will need to make sure that the name you have chosen for your business has not already been taken. This can be done by calling the Secretary Of State’s office or go online. If it is available then you will need to register it with your county office. If you intend to trademark your company’s name or logo, to check for US availability and applications go to; ourwww.USPTO.gov. A business attorney that specializes in patents and trademarks can also help you with this process. Cheryl Tubach of Myers & Kaplan Intellectual Property Law, L.L.C Atlanta, GA. www.mkiplaw.com
Business License;
You will need to obtain a business license for the municipality in which your business is physically located.
Tax ID Number;
This form is SS4 and is available through the IRS, your CPA or tax advisor. The IRS website to obtain this form is : http://www.irs.gov/businesses/index.html
Register Your Business With Your State Tax Commission;
This form is available through your state office or CPA and can be used to obtain an employer withholding number if you have employees and a retail license.
Real Estate;
Whether buying or leasing real estate have an attorney review all transactions in case there are special considerations. And as a lessee make sure you are clear as to who is responsible for maintenance, up keep or damage to the property.
Zoning Regulations;
Check with your city or county offices for zoning, occupancy permits, and sign permits.
Insurance;
You will need to consult an agent on liability, Workers’ Compensation, casualty insurance, bonding etc. this will vary according to the type of business and number of employees.
Bookeeping;
If you are not using an in house accountant or bookkeeper then you will need to consult one for advice on establishing a bookkeeping system.
Checking Account;
Open a business checking account. Do not use your personal accounts for business transactions.
Credit Card Merchants;
If your business will be accepting credit cards, check with the bank you are doing business with, and then shop around to make sure you are receiving the best possible rate.
Special Licensing or Permits;
According to the type of business or industry you are going into it may require additional licensing or permits; Health Department, hazardous materials, occupational and professional licensing boards, OSHA, ABC, Department of Agriculture, etc.
Steps For Starting A Small Business - To learn more about this author, visit Karen Torbett's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
![]() | |
| |
No article feedback found. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
|
| |
| |||
Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
|||
John AlexanderJohn has taught keyword research and SEO skills to small groups of business owners and Webmasters from over 80 different countries world wide since 2002. John is also the Director of Search Engine Academy ; Co-director of Training at Search Engine Workshops offering live, SEO Workshops with his partner SEO educator Robin Nobles, author of the very first comprehensive online search engine marketing courses at SEO Training Online and the SEO Workshop Resource Center. I look forward to hearing from you! - Visit John Alexander's Website |
|||
John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
|||
David BarrDavid Barr is the President of Venture Opportunities, Inc. David has been a professional business broker/intermediary since 1980 focusing on General Business Brokerage and Mergers and Acquisitions representing client transaction value from $400,000 to $20,000,000. Mr. Barr has handled the sale of over four hundred and fifty companies. David earned a university degree from the State University of New York majoring in economics and business. David holds the Mergers and Acquisition Master Intermediary and the Certified Business Intermediary designations from the International Business Brokers Association. He is also a Senior Business Analyst and a Texas licensed Real Estate Agent. For more information about David and Venture Opportunities, visit www.bizdealmaker.com. - Visit David Barr's Website |
|||
Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
|||
Casey GollanCasey Gollan, Business Coaching & Mentoring Programs. Add $1 Million to $10 Million in the next 1 to 3 years. Since 1996 Casey has to added hundreds of millions of dollars to businesses. Watch a free video see client results Business Coaching website. - Visit Casey Gollan's Website |
|||
Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
|||
Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
![]() | |
![]()
| |
![]() | |
|
| |
![]() | |
|
| |
![]() | |||||||
|
![]() | ||
|
| ||
![]() |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
|
|
![]() |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
![]() |
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"
Click Here To Learn More |
|
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
![]() |
|
|
![]() | ||
|
Top 50 Marketing Blogs
Top Marketing Blogs of 2010 | ||
|
Top 50 Blogs For Startups
Top Blogs To Watch In 2008 | ||
![]() | ||
![]() | ||||
| ||||
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||














Subscribe to Karen's articles











