It always seems to be the hardest part. You have great ideas, but you think about them and think about them without doing anything about them. Usually we are unsure where to start or feel like we don’t have enough more or enough knowledge to get started. It becomes really easy to put getting started off until we feel 100% confident and comfortable in our new business. Take it from me, if you wait until then you will never start your business!
Just today I had a somewhat negative experience with just this concept of putting things off until I was 100% ready. Several months ago we announced (as a company) the upcoming launch of WordPressCoach.tv, a WordPress video tutorial training site. Well I have been putting that project off for months now, and just today, opportunity came knocking and I am unprepared. Because the details are being worked out, I am not going to share any of the details, but if WordPressCoach.tv was active and ready for new members, I could have over 1,000 instant members! Luckily the opportunity is not completely lost.
One thing that we have done in the past that I consider a failed idea is, incomplete launches. Meaning, we launch a site that is still being developed and slowly finish the development and content while the website is live and receiving visitors. This is a horrible idea! Which is why WordPressCoach.tv is yet to be launched, I am waiting until it is completed and ready before anything goes live on the web!
Take Action Now!
Here are a couple of things that I suggest you do NOW to start getting your business started.
- Brain-storm like crazy!
- Register your business
- Set-up your corporation
- Register your domain names
- Set-up your Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin accounts
- Get your website built (started)
- Network, Network, Network
Get your ideas on paper. Start drawing your ideas and mapping out your business plans. Figure out the details of your services and products. Have a clear vision of what you want to accomplish with each phase of your launch and throughout the growth of your business. Some things are unpredictable and others will change, but have a map, something to guide you and get you started on the right path.
With so many businesses out there and thousands of new business starting every month, you want to be sure that your business name is available and that you get control of it. This can be done through your local government website, for me and anyone in Arizona they would go here.
I can not stress how important it is to have a legitimate business. Anyone can start a business but your clients and customers are going to appreciate knowing that they are working with a legitimate company. It will also make a statement to anyone you do business with, simply stating that you are serious and that you have long-term goals.
Again, this goes along with the legitimacy of your business. Review the different types of corporations (i.e L.l.c, C-Corp, S-Corp…etc…) and determine which one is best for your type of business and your business goals. Become familiar with the laws and requirements associated with the type of corporation you establish.
Each of these different corporations have different fees. I strongly urge that you do not make your decision based on the fees associated with the type of corporation you chose. The fees are by no means expensive, but as a start-up chances are you have little money to invest and so you need to be certain you are making the right decision for the future of your company.
There are two places I recommend you register your domain names. First, if you are going to purchase a hosting account, to host your website yourself (instead of paying someone ridiculous hosting fees) then go to IX Web Hosting (affiliate link) because if you purchase their unlimited hosting service (recommended!) you get three (3) credits to register three (3) domains for free and that is free forever as long as you are hosting with them! The second option,
Godaddy.com (affiliate link). They have the best prices on domains all the time and they have one of the best domain management tools available! If you use Godaddy to register your domains I would still recommend you use IX Web Hosting (affiliate link) for your hosting services.
That is what I do, I register my domains at Godaddy (except for the ones I have for free at IX Web Hosting) and then I use IX Web Hosting for all of my hosting needs.
VERY IMPORTANT: The price of domain names are increasing starting July 1 2010, so I would recommend you register your domain names before then!
Be creative with your domain names, and always register your name. For example, my company is Eggleston Business Development. I own the domain www.egglestonbusinessdevelopment.com, but that is too large to use. It wont fit on most advertising! So I also purchased the domain www.eggbizdev.com and that is the one we primarily use. It is shorter and easier to remember. I have also registered my personal name as much as I could. I was only able to purchase chriseggleston.com. But because I use the name chrisegg a lot for my social network names (i.e on Twitter you can find me here @chrisegg) I also registered chrisegg.com, chrisegg.net, and chrisegg.me. This is important because people may not know your business name but chances are they know your name and if they can Google you and find your business or blog at yourname.com, then it will likely increase your number of business leads and connections.
I always recommend that you purchase at lest the .com and .net of any domain name you purchase. If you are a nonprofit or an organization dealing with charities, you should use the .org as your primary top-level domain but also purchase the .com and the .net. One other domain that is becoming popular is the .biz and the reason is mainly due to the fact that the .com and .net is already taken, so you may want to buy up the .biz too! If you are doing a video site of some sort, you will want to look into the .tv top-level domain.
There are three (3) places you want you and your business to be no matter what, Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin!
Facebook has become one of the top places to be on the web. It is also become a very large search engine of personal information! There are over 400 million users on Facebook and of those users 50% login everyday! Facebook has two features that every businesses should take advantage of, (1) the personal profile, and (2) the Fan Pages. First step is to set up your personal profile page on Facebook if you have not already done so. Get a picture of you up there and fill out the info section so people can get to know you. Find some of your friends, family, and business associates and become their friends on Facebook. Second step, set up your Fan Page or pay a professional to do it for you!
The personal profile will provide an opportunity for people who are considering buying your product or using your services to get to you better. The Fan Page creates an opportunity for those same people to get to know your business and possibly find some special offers that can be made available to those who “Like” your page.
Twitter is a place for communicating ideas, articles, information, and just about anything else. It is a great way to share relevant information with people. It has also become a great search engine and a tool many businesses use for customer service. I have found some really cool ideas there and some great articles that have inspired me along my way. Use Twitter to inspire and motivate people; use it for offering advice and tips on your expertise. You can use it to build relationships with clients, customers, and investors. Twitter is simple, but it has a lot of potential and power behind its simplicity.
I recommend that you have two (2) separate accounts, a personal one and a business one. For example, my personal brand is @chrisegg, my business brand is @eggbizdev. I use @chrisegg to connect with people I am interested in that may or may not be associated with my business. I use @eggbizdev to connect with other companies or individuals that I can learn from, but also whom I feel could benefit from my company.
Linkedin is a place where you will find a lot of professionals. Linkedin has a unique atmosphere, and is kind of like reading through hundreds of resumes. As a business owner, it is somewhere I would go to find qualified people to work with. It’s a great place to connect with other professional groups for masterminding and for staying informed.
Set up your personal Linkedin account and fill out your profile information. Keep it updated and be sure to post a picture of you there too.
I also recommend that you link all of these accounts together, and that you link your blog to all of these accounts as well!
Your website is your location on the web. It is as important as your physical location. If you sell shoes you want to be sure to have a location (a good location) at the Mall right? So why wouldn’t you want to have a good location on the web? If you want people to buy shoes from you, you can do a couple of things, (1) wait for people to walk around the Mall and find your store, or (2) advertise and make it easier for people to find you before they even get to the Mall. One of the best ways to advertise is by having a website where people can locate you before they even get to the Mall. Not only will they find a phone number and address, but maybe they can browse through your shoe selection and find the pair they want before they even leave their home! If you are still relying on the phonebook your missing out on a ton of business.
You can do it your self these days with one of a thousand different website building tools. I recommend you learn how to use WordPress and that you take complete advantage of its capabilities. Or use a professional to ensure that your site has what it needs to accomplish your goals!
I am all about you doing it yourself, but it is important that you do it right! Don’t just through something out there to get it over with, your website will become the starting point of many of your future client, customer relationships. If you are going to learn WordPress learn it from the experts!
It is never too early to start making connections and start building your list of clients and customers. Another HUGE and important part of networking that is often overlooked is partnerships or Joint Ventures that can be established. You can find some impressive people to work with in networking groups if you take the time to look for them!
You can network in networking groups or you can just talk to everyone you run-in-to. Standing in line at the store or sitting at a kid’s soccer game it does not matter. You have the opportunity to make connections and network everywhere you go! Just be sure to have plenty of business cards and be sure to ask for theirs!
Here are the things we’re going to cover this week:
- Introduction to Small Business
- Why You Should Consider Starting a Business
- Who is Qualified to Start a Business
- Business Ideas: The Right Idea is Driven by Passion
- The First Steps: Getting Your Business Started
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