Starting an Online Business B

from CPF online 7/13 enhanced by Peter/CXO Wiz4biz 10/13

Let me start by saying that these were the steps I took to start my small business and they will vary depending on the type of business you are wanting to start. Hopefully they will give you some ideas of some things you need to keep in mind as you progress. – Author

Pre-Step #1. Figure out what you are “PASSIONATE” about.
This can be difficult, but following your passion is – in my opinion – absolutely critical to successful business that you are still enjoying a couple years into it. Sure there are ways to make money, doing things you hate, but I did plenty of that while working for someone else in a cubicle – how about you? The goal shouldn’t be just to make money, but to make money doing something you really “enjoy”. As anyone with any common sense knows, money does not equal happiness. For me, it was not so easy for me to identify my passion, but for others (like my friends), it was easy to spot. But if you would have asked my wife (or your significant other), what I was talking about all the time, what I was reading about, what I was doing after I got home from work she would have said what I was obsessed with. My obsession was figuring out how we could always goe better. Even if you don’t feel like you have something that you are that passionate about, at least focus in an area that interests you.

Pre-Step 2. Do something – ANYTHING – to move forward.
Once I found my passion, I didn’t really know what to do with it, but I figured starting a Website was probably a good place to start. I don’t even think I knew that you could make money Blogging about it, but I just figured writing about the subject would build a little bit of a platform – while forcing me to learn more & organize my thoughts a bit. Regardless of what Online business you are wanting to start, getting a Website is probably the best first step. Starting a website was turning point for me as it pulled me out of months of thinking & wondering about starting a business to a tangible Action Step that helped propel me forward. I was like many others who deliberate and wait around for the timing and the circumstances to be perfect, before taking any action. So regardless of whether it is starting a Website, advertising your services in Craigs List, or anything else – just take a step of action to move forward.

Steps to get Started with your Business.
Assuming you have your business idea in mind and are ready to get rolling, these are some things that you will want to check off your list of things to do. They are not all necessary for all businesses, and obviously this isn’t an all-inclusive list, but they will give you some ideas of things that you need and may want to do. One of the worst mistakes I made was that I was intimidated by a lot of these things because I didn’t know how to do them. So much so, that it caused me “not to start a Business”, years before I should have. Please do not do this! Focus on growing your business and do not let these things be obstacles that prevent you from moving forward. Additionally, if you don’t have money to invest in the business off the bat, then many of these things can wait until you start making some money.

[ 1.writing a Business Plan (sort of), 2. getting a Tax ID number, 3. choose your Legal form, 4. get Business Cards, 5. get Licenses, Permits, etc from your civic organizations, 6. get Business Insurance, 7. open a Bank Account for your Business in Premium Content ]