Small start-up...any tips...advice?

[Tone]

What's happening peeps! Happy New Year! I have been hard at it putting together a clean, green, delivery service machine! I have this yunormous, sweeping, and wonderful vision for an innovative delivery business model...really...it's the future--I can really feel it!

I need to:

• Acquire a business license with my city
• Find somebody to do my website, logo (trademarked), fliers, business cards, etc...
• Patent my business model idea
• Find some investors
• Find an attorney that will get the business legit

I need to know how my felony convictions will effect my business license application (should I put it in someone else's name or a fictitious name...is that possible?)I already have everything I need to do the work. I have the logo concept in my head, I just need someone who can put it on the canvas. I have my business model all worked out, I just need somebody to fine tune it. I have just barely enough to launch, but another couple of grand would really kick it off nicely, so I need some investment for a piece of the pie...and it's gonna be a yuge pie! Finally, how do I get this all legit so no one tries a hostile takeover or tries to take my business name or any such nasty thing?

I am not a business major at all...I took a business course a while back, but I don't remember much, but what I do have is a fantastic idea and the capability to carry it out.

Any help or suggestions is greatly appreciated!

*Please don't ask about any specifics, because I have not yet secured the trademarks, patents, and whatever else needs to be secured. If you know this stuff and you want to help me out with general information about it, your responses are more than welcome...you will be a great blessing to me, as I do not have the time to research all of this stuff, nor do I have an assistant. Yah bless you a thousand fold!

**Eventually, or even now, (don't know when/how to do it) I want to make this venture into a nonprofit organization...so. Thanks!

**I have been communicating with a marketing firm and they have given me a quote of $1,000 for Website, trade marked logo, fliers, business cards, etc...Is this the going rate?

 

[Lovetrusion]

**I have been communicating with a marketing firm and they have given me a quote of $1,000 for Website, trade marked logo, fliers, business cards, etc...Is this the going rate?

I wouldn't know but could offer free business card designs, and maybe try out on a logo. Also, I wouldn't mind critiquing your website so you it helps your decisions. Blessing to you brother

 

[Lulav]

Give me a couple days, I have the info you're looking for, just need to find it. One thing I can tell you is that you can get a logo done for you for as little as $5.

 

[Tone]

Give me a couple days, I have the info you're looking for, just need to find it. One thing I can tell you is that you can get a logo done for you for as little as $5.

Wow, thank you so much Sis...where can I get a logo for that price?

 

[Tone]

I wouldn't know but could offer free business card designs, and maybe try out on a logo. Also, I wouldn't mind critiquing your website so you it helps your decisions. Blessing to you brother

Thank you for that and for the offer, but then I'd have to share my concept with you. Not that I think you would take it or anything...but...you know...we're back in businesshhhhh boys we're back in busineshhhh.

*I haven't secured the intellectual property yet.

 

[bèlla]

1. You should speak with legal aid and resolve the felony question before you spend any money.

2. Business registration fees vary by location. You’ll need an EIN from the IRS number once you’re registered. Make sure the name is available first. Go to Namechk and see if it’s registered. Verify the social media and WordPress usernames are open.

3. Go to Namecheap and grab the name. Opt for .com, .net, or .co. They are the registrar. You’ll need a host for the site. If you’re clueless and want to rest well at night, get managed hosting. I use WPX. If it breaks they can fix it. Ignore those $3.95 offers. You’re responsible for everything. You’ve been warned!

4. You need to keep your overhead low. $1K is too much if your pocket is tight. 99Designs can handle the logo and graphic work. They’re affordable.

5. Most websites are theme based. A developer would cost more and you don’t need that. All you need is a space that gives an overview of your service to prospective clients. Don’t make excessive purchases until you’re making money.

Go to StudioPress and pick out a theme. I’ll give it to you with the framework. I own them all. I won’t build it! It isn’t complicated and their support is really good. There are Facebook groups you can reference for extra help.

6. Trademarks will take a year to process. Most use an attorney to avoid the headache. Copyrights are simpler. Patents are more complicated and costly.

7. SCORE is a great resource for business advice. They’re retired executives who volunteer their services.

8. You’ll benefit from connecting with other entrepreneurs. Get used to doing legwork and asking questions. You may find some people who are willing to barter.

9. Secrecy will leave you in a lurch. Untested ideas aren’t goldmines. It’s a dream until you earn a profit and continue to do so over time. Most ideas are tweaked many times over.

10. Develop your customer profile. This is commonly referred to as an avatar. It’s a snapshot of your ideal customer. You need to understand who you’re selling to first so you can meet their needs. Not the one you assume they want. It must be tested and proven.

Profits = Proof
Engagement = Interest

There are heaps of books and podcasts to bring you up to speed. You need to understand what you’re getting into. When in doubt, run it by others.

~Bella

 

[Sabertooth]

Patent my business model idea

Of your list, this will be the most resource-intensive (assuming that your model is original).

I am the inventor of record of a patent for Motorola (now owned by Google). Their legal staff did all of the heavy-lifting. Basically, your attorney argues why the patent should be granted while an opposing attorney argues against.

 

[Tone]

1. You should speak with legal aid and resolve the felony question before you spend any money.

I'm looking into the legal aid, thank you. Spend any money...like what...I've already been spending.

2. Business registration fees vary by location. You’ll need an EIN from the IRS number once you’re registered. Make sure the name is available first. Go to Namechk and see if it’s registered. Verify the social media and WordPress usernames are open.

I have the WordPress username already. However, I just Googled the name and there is a business with a really similar one...only a one letter difference...is this too close? I already have another name that I like though. As far as Namechk goes, I typed it in the search bar and it doesn't appear that anything has happened. Maybe I am missing something?

3. Go to Namecheap and grab the name. Opt for .com, .net, or .co. They are the registrar. You’ll need a host for the site. If you’re clueless and want to rest well at night, get managed hosting. I use WPX. If it breaks they can fix it. Ignore those $3.95 offers. You’re responsible for everything. You’ve been warned!

I'm not getting you here..."warned?"

4. You need to keep your overhead low. $1K is too much if your pocket is tight. 99Designs can handle the logo and graphic work. They’re affordable.

Will look into, thanks!

5. Most websites are theme based. A developer would cost more and you don’t need that. All you need is a space that gives an overview of your service to prospective clients. Don’t make excessive purchases until you’re making money.

So, you think that $1000 for website, logo, fliers, cards, etc... is excessive? It was with this place:

MARKETING BUZZWORTHY - Design | Create | Print

Go to StudioPress and pick out a theme. I’ll give it to you with the framework. I own them all. I won’t build it! It isn’t complicated and their support is really good. There are Facebook groups you can reference for extra help.

You lost me here too...But,I'll check out the link, thanks!

6. Trademarks will take a year to process. Most use an attorney to avoid the headache. Copyrights are simpler. Patents are more complicated and costly.

Buzzworthy was going to do the logo and trademark it...that was included in the $1000...I feel like I really need to patent my business model.

7. SCORE is a great resource for business advice. They’re retired executives who volunteer their services.

Great, I'll click the link, thanks!

8. You’ll benefit from connecting with other entrepreneurs. Get used to doing legwork and asking questions. You may find some people who are willing to barter.

Hmmm, yeah, that's why I came here...hoping to connect with entrepreneurs on the site I love.

10. Develop your customer profile. This is commonly referred to as an avatar. It’s a snapshot of your ideal customer. You need to understand who you’re selling to first so you can meet their needs. Not the one you assume they want. It must be tested and proven.

Hmmm, nice take on this...I do have an ideal customer and I've set it out well in my vision statement and I have a method of finding out what they need.

Profits = Proof
Engagement = Interest

I'll have to process this...

There are heaps of books and podcasts to bring you up to speed. You need to understand what you’re getting into. When in doubt, run it by others.

Yeah, I've been doing all kinds of research and I've been doing a lot of groundwork, and such, to work out the kinks...whew! I finally thought of running it by you fine CF folks!

Thank you so much Sis.,I really appreciate all those resources and I will be clicking links!

 

[Tone]

Of your list, this will be the most resource-intensive (assuming that your model is original).

I am the inventor of record of a patent for Motorola (now owned by Google). Their legal staff did all of the heavy-lifting. Basically, your attorney argues why the patent should be granted while an opposing attorney argues against.

Yeah, I suspected as much...I am very excited about this model and I know that it is original and that, if it is not being implemented anywhere, it will be very soon...it's the future.

Thank you for that information, do you know about how much resources will have to go to this?

 

[Sabertooth]

Thank you for that information, do you know about how much resources will have to go to this?

No. A small business advisor could give you an idea. I would avoid services like Invent-Help, unless your advisor says otherwise.

 

[Tone]

No. A small business advisor could give you an idea. I would avoid services like Invent-Help, unless your advisor says otherwise.

How do I acquire a small business advisor? I know, I'll google!

 

[Tone]

"A small business consultant works with clients on strategy, planning and problem solving, and helps clients develop business skills and knowledge. ... You can call yourself a consultant, advisor, mentor or coach, and most clients will understand that it means you'll help them solve problems and grow their business."
small business advisors - Google Search

How much?

 

[Sabertooth]

How do I acquire a small business advisor?

Through the Small Business Administration? (not sure)

 

[bèlla]

Click the Namechk link and type the name you want. Look and see if that iteration is available in multiple places.

One letter is close. You need to check them out to make sure you don’t have similar services. And you don’t want customers confusing the two.

You need a company to host your website. Most go cheap here and regret it. Since you aren’t knowledgeable it’s best to pay someone who handle the upkeep. If the site goes down they fix it. If you’re hacked they resolve it. You can waste a lot of time resolving problems. I suggested WPX for that reason.

StudioPress is the window dressing so to speak. They create themes that provide a nice looking website. They’ve done the heavy lifting. The install takes 5 minutes.

I think you should focus on launching, building a customer base, and earning profits. You need to know the idea works before laying out money for a patent. Especially if you’re cash strapped. The fees add up quick.

I wouldn’t spend the $1K. I believe in Lean Startups. You need to keep your overhead low. There are other costs you haven’t anticipated.

And since you don’t have a VA you’ll need to manage your social media accounts and create content. If you want to send a newsletter you have to write it and pay for the service.

I’ve been in paid business groups and purchased my share of services. I’ve watched people do this countless times. Slow down. You’re excited. You’ve got a steep learning curve.

Pat Flynn did a food truck side hustle and shared a lot of information. You may find helpful hints on his blog.

SCORE provides business advice. They’re volunteers. Start there before paying someone. Your local SBA may work with organizations that offer business courses. They cover most of the questions you’ve raised.

~Bella

 

[Sketcher]

**I have been communicating with a marketing firm and they have given me a quote of $1,000 for Website, trade marked logo, fliers, business cards, etc...Is this the going rate?

As someone who works in managed web hosting, I can advise:

- You really do need a developer. One of the biggest fallacies out there is that you don't need a developer if you use WordPress or another CMS. The fact is that WordPress is the biggest target for hackers out there, because it's the the most popular platform for a web site out there. Every WordPress site is also different, since it is made up of third-party plugins and themes that aren't necessarily tested with each other in combination. If you don't have a good developer, you could very well end up with a site that has too many plugins installed that slow it down, no idea how to leverage your caching plugin (which you will likely need), and a hacked site where you have no idea of the scope of the damage. I know because I have helped countless clients who found themselves in that situation, and most of them have the same story. Don't let that happen to you. Make sure your developer is well-experienced with the platform you want your site built on, and trustworthy, and is able to discern the known-good files and database entries from code that isn't supposed to be there.

- Take backups of your site regularly. Store them externally, not just on your server. This can mean downloading them yourself, or copying them out to another server somewhere. Make sure you not only have backups from the last few days, but also retain backups 30-ish days old. Remember what I said about hackers? The good ones will get in there several weeks before the site gives any visible sign of bad behavior. I tell my clients to retain two monthly backups in addition to more recent ones, because you don't want to find out that you need the Dec 1 backup on Jan 2 and be stuck with the Jan 1 backup. Additionally, before you make a change to the site, take a backup first.

- Keep your CMS and all plugins and themes up-to-date. This ensures they will have the latest security patches. Additionally, they'll likely require current versions of PHP and MySQL/MariaDB. Those need to be kept up-to-date for the same reason.

- Make sure the server your site is on runs a web application firewall like ModSecurity with a decent ruleset. Don't ask your host to turn it off, or to whitelist your or your dev's IP. The site needs to be coded in a way that is functional under ModSecurity, so that it can be adequately tested, and you don't want malicious scripts to be allowed to do anything and everything to your site. At most, have them whitelist one or two rules on specific URIs that give you problems when you try to use the site legitimately. But coding the site to not even need that is better.

- Be ready to invest more in your hosting plan as your site's traffic grows. Definitely let your host know if you're going to get a major TV spot or are going to be showing the site off at a major conference well in advance (as in, several weeks or as soon as the plans have solidified, whichever comes first), so you'll have the increased resources all ready to go by the time that extra traffic hits.

- Choose long passwords, 15+ characters each. Avoid keywords that have to do with you, your family, or the business. Just as people shouldn't use their kids' names or their pets' names, coffee shops shouldn't use "coffee," airports shouldn't use "airport", etc (I've seen this ). This is more easily explained here. Also, don't use the same password for everything. If someone gets your CMS password and logs into your site's backend and defaces your site, that's bad enough. If they can use that same password to get into your registrar to change your nameservers and take over your domain name and thus the keys to your brand's Internet presence, it's worse. Finally, never use unencrypted logins. That's like shouting out your password in a crowded room.

- If you are taking credit cards, that data absolutely needs to be taken and processed on PCI-compliant servers. Otherwise, the credit card companies can take you to court. Guess who's going to win that battle.

These are the most basic of basics. But everyone who wants to start an online business needs to heed them.

 

[jimmyjimmy]

What's happening peeps! Happy New Year! I have been hard at it putting together a clean, green, delivery service machine! I have this yunormous, sweeping, and wonderful vision for an innovative delivery business model...really...it's the future--I can really feel it!

I need to:

• Acquire a business license with my city
• Find somebody to do my website, logo (trademarked), fliers, business cards, etc...
• Patent my business model idea
• Find some investors
• Find an attorney that will get the business legit

I need to know how my felony convictions will effect my business license application (should I put it in someone else's name or a fictitious name...is that possible?)I already have everything I need to do the work. I have the logo concept in my head, I just need someone who can put it on the canvas. I have my business model all worked out, I just need somebody to fine tune it. I have just barely enough to launch, but another couple of grand would really kick it off nicely, so I need some investment for a piece of the pie...and it's gonna be a yuge pie! Finally, how do I get this all legit so no one tries a hostile takeover or tries to take my business name or any such nasty thing?

I am not a business major at all...I took a business course a while back, but I don't remember much, but what I do have is a fantastic idea and the capability to carry it out.

Any help or suggestions is greatly appreciated!

*Please don't ask about any specifics, because I have not yet secured the trademarks, patents, and whatever else needs to be secured. If you know this stuff and you want to help me out with general information about it, your responses are more than welcome...you will be a great blessing to me, as I do not have the time to research all of this stuff, nor do I have an assistant. Yah bless you a thousand fold!

**Eventually, or even now, (don't know when/how to do it) I want to make this venture into a nonprofit organization...so. Thanks!

**I have been communicating with a marketing firm and they have given me a quote of $1,000 for Website, trade marked logo, fliers, business cards, etc...Is this the going rate?

Before you spend a penny:

Reading List:

The E Myth
They Ask You Answer
Building a Story Brand
The 1-Page Marketing Plan

 

[Tone]

Click the Namechk link and type the name you want. Look and see if that iteration is available in multiple places.

Okay, thanks.

One letter is close. You need to check them out to make sure you don’t have similar services. And you don’t want customers confusing the two.

Yeah, I think I'm just gonna go with the other name I came up with...though, it does include the original one...since my logo will incorporate it.

You need a company to host your website. Most go cheap here and regret it. Since you aren’t knowledgeable it’s best to pay someone who handle the upkeep. If the site goes down they fix it. If you’re hacked they resolve it. You can waste a lot of time resolving problems. I suggested WPX for that reason.

Okay, so I should definitely get a professional web page done...not WP or something like that?

StudioPress is the window dressing so to speak. They create themes that provide a nice looking website. They’ve done the heavy lifting. The install takes 5 minutes.

I'll check them out, thanks!

I think you should focus on launching, building a customer base, and earning profits. You need to know the idea works before laying out money for a patent. Especially if you’re cash strapped. The fees add up quick.

Yeah, the ship is on the slipway, I'm launching this week!

I wouldn’t spend the $1K. I believe in Lean Startups. You need to keep your overhead low. There are other costs you haven’t anticipated.

Yeah, but if I could get a small business loan I would.

And since you don’t have a VA you’ll need to manage your social media accounts and create content. If you want to send a newsletter you have to write it and pay for the service.

Virtual Assistant? I had to Google...doesn't seem that there are very many of them...must cost a fortune.

I’ve been in paid business groups and purchased my share of services. I’ve watched people do this countless times. Slow down. You’re excited. You’ve got a steep learning curve.

lol...I am very excited...trying to eat it all up in one big swallow!

Pat Flynn did a food truck side hustle and shared a lot of information. You may find helpful hints on his blog.

I'll look, thanks!

SCORE provides business advice. They’re volunteers. Start there before paying someone. Your local SBA may work with organizations that offer business courses. They cover most of the questions you’ve raised.


~Bella

I'm all over it!

 

[Tone]

If you are taking credit cards, that data absolutely needs to be taken and processed on PCI-compliant servers. Otherwise, the credit card companies can take you to court. Guess who's going to win that battle.

Wow,that's heavy stuff, thanks for the information. What if I am doing PP and Venmo type stuff...swiping cards?

 

[Tone]

Thanks guys, that is a lot to chew on...

 

[Tone]

SCORE provides business advice. They’re volunteers. Start there before paying someone. Your local SBA may work with organizations that offer business courses. They cover most of the questions you’ve raised.

I signed up for a SCORE mentor!