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Always contact a Lawyer for advice
as to how to set up a business if you are unsure. There is
always free legal advice available through SCORE (Service
Corps of Retired Executives). If your business starts to
get really lucrative in the future, you can even consider
moving up from a Business to a Corporation, or an LLC. You
can incorporate online at www.incorporatenow.com.
SCORE will tell you how and not charge you a fortune to do
it! You can also check the Yellow Pages under "Free
Legal Aid". There are numerous agencies ready to
assist you in starting a business. Call the SBA (Small
Business Administration) or visit their Web-Site at http://www.sba.gov.
Here are the following steps, posted in order of
operation:
1. Establish A Post Office Box: This can either be
done directly at the US Post office, or through a private
company such as Mail Boxes etc. To get your Business
License and other paperwork processed quickly , they will
need a PO Box or some type of business address. That's why
you should get your PO Box first.
2. Fictitious Business Get A Name: Find out from
City Hall where to go to get a "Fictitious Business
Name". This is just a fancy way of saying the name
for your business. Before you go, you should think of a
good name. Here's an example. If your last name was
Ramirez, you might want to call it "Ramirez
Security" or something similar. The cost for this is
about $10.00.
3. Give Public Notice of Your New Business: After
you get your Fictitious Business Name, you will get a
receipt for this. You can bring this receipt to your local
newspaper, and they will know what to do. They will charge
you a modest fee, but make sure that they offer full
services, including filing it with the County Clerk and
giving you a confirmation letter after this is complete.
You need to give "Public Notice" of your DBA
(Doing business As) name. This means that you will have to
get it published in a paper for 4 weeks, once a week.
4. Apply For a Business License: Go to City Hall in
the City you live in and apply for a Business License.
Different cities might have different procedures and fees.
They should give you an application to fill out. This is
always done after the Fictitious Business Name statement,
because they need to know the name of your business on the
application. This only makes sense. It takes a few weeks
to receive your license in the mail once your application
has been processed.
5. Open up a Business Checking Account: Go to your
local bank and set up a Business Checking Account. This
usually requires a deposit of $100.00 or so. Also, if you
plan on accepting credit card orders, inquire about a
merchant account. They will be very happy to discuss all
options with you. Also, have the bank make you an
Endorsement stamp according to their specifications. Your
first couple of hundred business checks will be mailed to
you within a few weeks of ordering. The bank will explain
to you how an Endorsement stamp works.
6. Rubber Stamp Purchases: Go to a business like
Office Depot, Staples, Office Max or a local print shop in
your area which can be contacted in the Yellow Pages. Have
them make you a Stamp with your Complete Company Contact
Information. This should be under $15.00.
7. Have Business Cards Made: This can be
accomplished at your local print shop or at a place like
Kinkos, Office Depot, Staples or Office Max.
8. Find an ISP (Internet Service Provider): Find an
Internet Service provider. This is your
"Pipeline" to the Internet. You can go with an
established company like MSN (Microsoft Network),
Earthlink, AOL, Compuserve or you can check your Yellow
Pages under Internet Access or Internet Service Provider
or something similar. Pose the same questions for locating
an ISP as you would for securing a hosting service, which
are listed below. They will all give you an E-Mail
address. You should check out http://ld.net/?81648
9. Securing a Domain Name: If you wish to make a
presence for your business on the Internet and are not
satisfied with the free hosting services out there, then
you will have to Secure a Domain Name. To do that, it will
cost just over $8.95 per year. Apply here: http://www.techcompassociates.com.
Think of some good names and check them out for
availability. Try to have a keyword in your Domain Name,
it will help with the Search Engines.
The reason this comes in handy is because no matter how
many times I change Hosting Services, I'll always have the
same name and same E-Mail address, info@garvinweb.com.
This means, if you ever get angry at your ISP or hosting
service, you can just change it and everyone will still be
able to find you. You won't have to change your business
cards, letterheads or anything else to reflect a different
Web-Site.
10. Find a Hosting Service: Find a Hosting Service
that will meet all your expectations. A Hosting Service is
the place you "Park" your Domain Name. There are
hundreds of thousands of them out there now. Just shop
around and consider different factors such as: Price,
Service, Method of Connection., CGI Support, Tech Support,
and customer support. How accessible are they to Billing
and General Service Questions? These things you must ask
yourself before you join one.
Now, you have started your business, and are ready to
begin the process or securing orders.
Congratulations!
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