The type of license needed for your business will depend on several factors. They include the jurisdiction that our business is located in, and the type of business. For instance, if your business is located in a city, it probably needs a license from the city itself, from the country, and in some states from the state as well. Since business licenses are a great source of revenue for government agencies, counties and cites both try to get in on the act.

Now, as to the type of business, that may be regulated as well. If your business is an insurance agency selling life, health, and auto insurance then you will need a state license for each: life, health, and property & casualty. If you also sell mutual funds or stocks then a federal NASD Series 7 Securities License will be required. These licenses are issued only after stringent testing and are subject to revocation if laws, regulations and guidelines are not followed.

Lawyers will need to pass a state bar exam and receive a state license to practice law in addition to city and country licenses. A doctor in private practice will have to have city and county business licenses as well as a state medical license. An insurance agent will be in the same category, needing a license from the state that is partially contingent on passing a national standard real estate examination.

Some businesses will need special licenses from either state, county or city regulatory agencies in addition to a standard business license. A daycare for instance will need to be inspected by children’s services. A liquor store or bar by liquor control, which is usually a state organization administered by the county. In addition, while not legal licenses many professionals encourage their members to join professional organizations. The members will often take exams and try to earn credentials to show their knowledge and expertise. While these credentials may not be legally required, they are smiled upon by most consumers.

When it comes time to license your business, first check with the city and county to see what is required. Then determine if your particular business has any special licensure that you may need to acquire.

Creating a web site for your new business may be the most fun part of the entire process. It is something you can do yourself even if your expertise is limited.

First you need to decide what you want your web site to accomplish. Is it to be a selling site with a full shopping cart to sell your products online, or do you simply want to encourage customers to come in and see you or give you a call? This will determine the complexity. Assuming you just want a simple site, the first step is to create a domain name and register it.

If your business name is available as a .com, then that is your best choice. If not, check .net, .biz, .us, .info, .tv, .ws and .org. Chances are good that at least one of the names you want will be available.

If you have the funds and want to reserve some domain names for possible later use, do so. You can always park them with a redirect to your site.

Then find a web hosting service. There are many good ones available both locally and on the net. Some will have templates and wizards that will help you create your web site. Others require you to use a program like FrontPage or Dream Weaver, or write code in HTML. If that is the case, HTML isn’t difficult to learn and there are many tutorials available for free and many books on the subject, as well as classes at community colleges and computer training centers.

If you have experience making web sites, great. If not, now is a good time to get some help from someone who does, either in person or by reading a good book on web page design. Most will tell you to keep the site simple. Graphics look nice, but sometimes they slow down older computers and dial up connection modems, and could turn off the casual web surfer.

Making the web site simple but attractive is your best bet. Be sure to include a “contact us” section where a surfer can mail you, and it is also a good idea to offer a free ezine newsletter, a great promotional tool. Have fun with your new web site, because if it is fun for you then it will be fun and appealing to your customers and they will come back again and again, and eventually come in to see you.

If you need a Web Site for your business visit Artitude.com, or Strategic Web Success

My company owns both Sites.  I have been creating successful Web businesses sinc 1994.

Investors in your business are a dream many entrepreneurs wish for. Added capital from investment allows business growth, invigorated marketing efforts, new employees, new facilities and expansion. What exactly are potential investors looking for in your business?

Investors are looking for a way to make a profit from their money. A way for their money to make more money. In looking at your business as a potential investment vehicles investors are looking for a way to increase your profit, so that they can have a fair share of it as a return on their investment.
In looking at your business they want to see stability. A strong management team with good employees and little or no turnover.

They want to know that key employees will stay for the long haul, and they want to know how future personnel problems will be handled when they arise. An employee handbook, also known as a policies and procedures manual is a great tool to showcase this positive aspect of your business. If your company doesn’t have one, then this is a great investment for you to make in your company’s future.

These potential cash angels also want to know how their investment capital would be used. What would you spend the money on, and how would it benefit the business and make it more profitable. For this it is wise to have a strategic business plan prepared, outlining future growth, and how it would benefit the company.

A part of the strategic business plan should be the marketing plan. The marketing plan is a roadmap to increased profits through marketing communications such as advertising, promotions and public relations, and the ways in which these efforts will increase sales of your company’s products or services.

The investors will also want to know about the big picture. Where does your company fit in the overall market? This can be locally, regionally or nationally, depending on how far our business reaches out to gather customers. This should include anticipated future trends in the marketplace, and your competition.

Emphasis in the plans your strengths, and ways in which you can capture sections of the market that the competition can’t, and that you are not yet reaching.

Investors interested in your business is a sincere complement to you as a business builder, but don’t expect them to understand the business as you do. Take the time and effort to show them, on paper, how you and your business can help them help themselves.

Methods of conducting market research are varied. What is the best way, frankly, is usually determined by the budget a business has to work with.

Direct mail research for instance is considered to be highly effective, but it is a very expensive method. The same is true with telephone surveys. Several telephone operators are required, in addition to telephones, equipment, an office space, and a database of people to call. Add to that the frustration factor of people confusing market researchers with telephone sales people and hanging up on them and it can be a chilling experience for the ego and the budget.

Many companies have discovered that the most effective way for them to conduct market research is by posting researchers in areas with large numbers of consumers. Some do it at trade shows and exhibit halls at county fairs. Others use the larger shopping malls. Some even use busy grocery stores and discount stores. They will set up a table, have a display of the free giveaway items to encourage people to engage in the research, and the product they are sampling. They will also have a supply of forms.

Many times with research in foods they will have a blind taste test, comparing two different types of snack foods or two types of soft drinks in this manner is popular. In addition to getting willing subjects at a low price – only the cost of the giveaway item – the market research doubles as an advertising and promotional vehicle for the company. If a banner with a company name or logo is prominently display, participating in the research can become the “in” thing to do that day at the mall or in the supermarket.

Another bonus is that the table can also have a sign up sheet for more information on the product if it becomes available, creating an instant mailing list for the new product.

Working for yourself is the American dream. Most employees have dreamed of being their own boss, and it has many benefits, but there are a few disadvantages to it as well.

Advantages of working for yourself are that you are responsible to yourself. Your destiny is in your own hands, as well as your financial future. You determine how much work you do, when you go to work, when you quit for the day, when you take a vacation, how long the lunch break will be, and if you really want to put up with a grouchy customer. The business is in your hands and you decide. Instead of griping about the bad advertising campaign that corporate came up with, you decide on an advertising campaign yourself.

Disadvantages of working for yourself are really the same as the advantages. You decide when you go to work, when you quit for the day, when you take a vacation, and how much you will make. All the while knowing, if you are a small business, that if you are gone the business is either not open, or if you have employees, that they are not being supervised by the person who cares the most about the business—you.

You have to make all of the decisions regarding health insurance, benefits, marketing, bookkeeping, management, and customer service. Owning and operating a business is a tremendous responsibility and not everyone is ready for or capable of handing the stress or the commitment.

Still, if you are one of those unique individuals with the spirit of an entrepreneur, then being in business for yourself is the only way to live. Many people in fact simply can’t imagine another way to live. Some people in this world are sheep, following others blindly.

Others are shepherds, preferring to lead. Pathfinders who make their own way. If you are an entrepreneur, you are one of the shepherds and will only be happy in business for yourself.

One of the best ways to evaluate a new business idea is to see if it has been done anywhere else in the world, and if so, was it done with success. There is an old saying that there is no such thing as a new idea, only recycled ideas in new packages.

Some people evaluate a business idea by telling their friends and relatives. The problem with this approach is that your friends and relatives may not be in business. And they may not want to offend you by telling you our idea is a bad idea if they think it is. So try something impartial.

Step one is to discover the existence of a similar business is an internet search using all of the major search engines, and using variations on your particular business.

As an example, let’s say you have an idea for a variation on speed dating, but you want it to be oriented towards business people and not couples looking for dates. Business people are always looking for contacts, and are always networking, meeting new people.

An Internet search under headings like speed meeting people, speed business meeting, speed networking, speed contacts, speed business contacts, quick business contacts, fast networking, quick networking, and other combinations will show you if something is available.

In this case, the idea of adapting speed dating to business contacts does exist in some cities, often with great success and is most commonly called speed networking. This tells you that your idea works some places.

Next, take an informal survey. Call several business people out of the blue. Find their names in the Chamber of Commerce membership guide, or your business journal Book of Lists. Ask them for a minute of time and explain the concept. See if a majority have an interest. If at least half say they do have an interest, you’ve got a winner.

Buying a Business vs Starting A New One.

The prospect of owning and operating your own business can be a heady experience; however, the reality of becoming an entrepreneur quickly reveals numerous decisions that must be made before your dreams can become a reality. One of the first decisions you will need to make will be in regards to whether it would be better to buy an existing business or begin an entirely new one. While both avenues have their advantages and disadvantages, there is much to be said for the idea of buying an existing business.

As surprising as it may sound, purchasing an existing business can be less expensive than opening a new business in many regards. Even if you are not constructing a building from the ground-up to house your new enterprise, many times there are costs associated with opening a new business that simply cannot be anticipated from the outset. When you opt to purchase a business already in existence, you do so with the firm knowledge of the amount of money you will need to invest in order to get in on the ground floor. While you can always anticipate additional costs for other expenses, at least you have a firm foundation on which to start for accounting purposes when you purchase a business.

One of the most frightening aspects regarding the start-up of any new business is the fact that you will need to start from scratch in terms of customers, vendors, employees, equipment and systems. This spells additional investments of not only money but time as well. A primary benefit to purchasing a business that has a history is that you will be able to take advantage of an infrastructure that is already in place. Even if the company has not had a glowing success record in the past, you can save tremendous time and money by not being forced to start from the ground up.

Finally; if you decide to go with the route of purchasing a franchise you may well find that the presence of a support team that is already in place can be invaluable. Starting a brand new business is unfamiliar territory for many people, but the option of purchasing a franchise gives you the benefit of the knowledge and experience of the franchise team standing behind you. Because it is their name on your business, they are invested from the very beginning in your success.