Finding a job can be hard nowadays, right? It’s even worse if you’re trying to find your first job. How do people expect you to have any experience on your very first job?! It’s just as difficult as trying to switch professions, acquire new skills, or move on from your university major.
That’s why many people want to start their own businesses. By doing that, you can become your own boss and be in charge of how everything will operate. But that’s easier said than done, and many fail in the initial stages because they aren’t aware of how much work goes into lifting a business off the ground. That won’t be the case with you! Why? Because we’re here to help.
We believe transparency is the best policy, so this guide will tell you how it is. If it feels like too much work, that’s because it can be. But all you need to do is get into the business-owner mindset, surround yourself with good people, and work as hard as you can. Ready to start the guide? Let’s go!
The Beginning
It all starts with a genius idea. But this idea shouldn’t go unchallenged. In fact, you should go to the harshest critics you know and present your pitch. These people will help you find potential loopholes in your plan and further refine your idea. It’s okay if you don’t have all the details worked out just yet — that’s what the next stages are for.
You’ve probably chosen a name for your business now, but what about the location? Many people don’t think this is relevant, but this decision can seriously affect everything, from market research, taxes, and revenue, to the success of your business.
Once you have settled on your idea and location, it’s time to do market research. That will tell you if there’s a demand for what you’d be offering, what your clientele will be, and who your biggest competitors are.
Once the market research is complete, a business plan is due. This complex plan is the skeleton of your entire business because it’s where you’ll structure how everything is gonna work. Besides, this is a great document to show anybody you want to work with or invest in your future business.
Finally, let’s not forget about funding. Your business plan will help you figure out how much money you need to lift the business off the ground and run it, but what if you don’t have that kind of cash? No worries. There’s a myriad of ways to obtain funds, including fundraising, crowdfunding, borrowing money, and more.
Administrative and Legal Work
Of course, no business is just creative work and imagining the future. Once the basics are laid out, you have to start thinking about the administrative and legal aspects. You’ll want to:
- Apply for all permits and licenses necessary (depending on the kind of business you’re starting)
For every business to work legally, you have to register it. We know this might be the most boring part of starting your business, but government officials will do their utmost to help you as much as possible. That’s why we don’t think you should worry about this step at all.
Lean on Other Locals
When you’re with the administration side of things, you’re ready for more fun parts of business-making, and that’s building your team. You can always offer job opportunities to various people that fit the roles you’re looking to fill. But why not trust the locals instead? Let us explain what we mean by that.
Other local businesses know what it’s like when you’re just getting started. That’s why you can always lean on them for support. They can point you in the direction of the people you want to hire or work with you on bettering your future business. Maybe they’ll even want to invest in or collaborate with you because they see so much potential in what you have to offer.
You’ll have almost everything figured out by this stage. This guide is quick but includes only the most important steps. Trust us when we say that there will be more things to do, but additional steps depend only on the kind of business you’re trying to start.
When it comes to the locals, they’re there to give you any kind of advice and help you seek. And you know they will help because they’re just as passionate about supporting the local businesses as we are.
How to Know if Locals are Really Locals?
Trusting the locals is easy enough once you know they’re truly local. But what does that mean? If you ask us, a local business needs to be based in the US. Not only that, but we want these businesses to be so local that everything down to the nuts and bolts is USA-made. Why? Because that’s the only way for us to ensure our support and hard-earned money are going in the right direction.
What does that mean for you? It means you can get support from businesses that know the law of the land. They can help you with any steps you’re struggling with because you’re operating in the same country. And who wouldn’t want this kind of help? We know you would, and that’s only natural.
But how do you know which businesses are really local and which ones are just pretending? By using our USA Strong Verification system. This system helps customers and fellow local businesses recognize each other. How? All we ask is that these brands share our passion for transparency.
That means they’ll volunteer some information regarding, for example, where they get their supplies. That kind of information is listed on our STRONG Blockchain, kept bulletproof, and available to all. So, just look for businesses with a Verified Badge on our website, and you’ll know they’re trustworthy.
And when your business takes off, we’ll be more than happy to verify and support you too!