It’s never been easier to start a business and it’s never been harder to build a company.
Overhead somewhere
With the mobile and social media explosion, we’re seeing a higher % of businesses starting than ever before. Here are a few things I wish I would have known when starting my first business in 2008 and some great solutions for them.
Bank Account
You will need to establish your business with the state whether an LLC or Sole Proprietorship. Having a separate account will save you a lot of hassle down the road. If you’re a local business, I always recommend banking local for the relationships but there are some great online players in this space.
Accounting Software
Keeping up with your revenue and expenses is another piece you don’t want to get behind on. Luckily, there are better tools than there were in the 2000’s. To save yourself from scrambling come tax time, start keeping clean books from the beginning. (remember being self employed means you are responsible for the other side of self employment tax roughly 8%). Xero is great and it has starter plans for $4.50 per month right now.
Website
It doesn’t have to be fancy. Most websites follow a similar flow: Explain the problem you solve (I cut hair), show your services you provide (I specifically only cut women’s hair) & give direction to your customers to perform a task (book an appointment, contact, etc). That’s all you need to get started. Wix, WordPress,& Squarespace are the leading players in the industry. We’ve been using builder.io and have really enjoyed it.
Social Media Presence
Create business accounts for Facebook & Instagram. If you are in the ‘corporate’ space you can create a Linkedin for your business. The creative and visual industries should focus on putting content on Instagram.
Business Phone
Luckily the days of needing a business landline are gone. There are plenty of options. Reach Business Phone is one of those. Once you have your phone, create your listing on Google and Apple maps.
If you’re thinking about starting a business or have already started the process feel free to Reach text me at (903)-781–1437
