First Step Marketing

Most businesses require a trading licence (these are covered by the Licences Act). There are three types of licence — National Licences, Trading Licences and Occupational Licences.

There are also local variations, usually depending on municipal requirements, so you should check first with the Receiver of Revenue, and then with the zoning department of your local municipality. Read the rest of this entry »

There are several ways in which you may need to protect your interests by ensuring the exclusivity of your product.

PATENTS

In some instances, where you’ve invented a unique gadget or perhaps a tool, you should consider patenting your product. A patent would protect you from unfair and/or unlawful competition. Read the rest of this entry »

In franchising, you copy someone else’s business, with their full approval and support, under a licence agreement called a franchise. In this the franchise-giver (the franchisor) allows you to use their trade name, provides training and back-up, and gives their expertise with all its benefits. In exchange, you as the franchisee have to pay the franchisor an initial fee, then ongoing royalties. The major advantage of this method is that you get into business more quickly and possibly with less risk. Read the rest of this entry »

Planning permission

The first area to consider is planning permission. The planning legislation basically divides properties into those which can be used for commercial purposes, and those which are purely domestic. Planning authorities are obliged to prevent residential areas being infiltrated by offices and factories, and so legislation ensures that a house which has been used for domestic purposes cannot be used for commercial gain without planning permission. In most cases such permission will not be given, simply because the local authority’s aim is to keep areas of housing and business as separate as possible. Read the rest of this entry »

Your home is going to be your business base, so it is important that it should provide the facilities you need for the business you intend to start. For example, if you intend running a furniture- making business you might find difficulty operating from a twentieth-floor studio flat, although a writer could happily work in such an environment. You must analyse all the features of your home which could be an advantage and those which could hamper your work. Start by answering the following questionnaire so that you have the basic facts about your home in front of you. Read the rest of this entry »

Consultancy is a very popular way of running your own business. But consultancy in any field requires you to have a depth of knowledge and experience which your customers do not possess. It is no good setting up a home-based consultancy business if your customers know more than you! You will require a thorough knowledge of your chosen field, so setting up a consultancy service is best performed by people who have been employed in a particular speciality for some time. It could suit you if you are contemplating early retirement, for example. Read the rest of this entry »

Secrecy

Be careful about disclosing the details of your planned business to people. As soon as you disclose an idea to someone, you run the risk of it being used by that person. While it is important to research your idea by questioning people, it is usually possible to do so without revealing too many important details. Where this is difficult, you may want to draw up a secrecy agreement to be signed by anyone with whom you discuss your plans. A short, plain-worded document gives you recourse to legal action should a breach of faith occur. Read the rest of this entry »

For many people, the idea of a business is ruled by the images that come to mind when they think of various companies they’ve worked for in the past. Unfortunately, it’s this picture that most often intimidates new entrepreneurs who want to get their own businesses off the ground: either they think they need everything a larger, more established business has before they can open their doors, from fancy networked telephone systems to a professionally decorated office, and spend way too much to start, or they become overwhelmed at the amount of money they think they need to open their doors, and never do so because they figure they’ll never be able to come up with that kind of money. Read the rest of this entry »

To get started on your quest, first call your town clerk to see what you need to do to make your business legal on a local basis. The clerk will also be able to lead you to state offices so you know what you’ll have to do with the state government.

Here’s a rundown on some of the things you’ll have to take care of in order to start your business off on the right foot. Read the rest of this entry »

This is the easiest type of business to start, and the one that most solo entrepreneurs select to get off the ground. A sole proprietorship also requires a minimum of time to start, since the most you have to do is to register with your state government as a new enterprise by purchasing a business license. Once you have it in hand, you’re off and running. Read the rest of this entry »