Type of Products/Services Offered:
personalized stationery, housewarming gifts, and
desktop publishing services
Start Up Cost: $5000
What did start up costs go for?:
new computer, printer, paper, graphics software,
packaging, advertising, ink
Earning Potential: $30,000 yr
Skills Needed: graphic design,
marketing saavy, customer service
Special Equipment Needed: good
quality printer, excellent graphics card and
software, large screen monitor
Best Customers/Target Market: real
estate agents, people who like to write and get
letters, small business owners
Resources & Organizations to use :
PowerPoint expert, Web Publishing with HTML and
XHTML, JAVA script, Toastmasters International,
North Carolina Real Estate for Brokers and Salesmen
Any Tips?: To start, you need to decide on
a name.....and maybe design a logo (that can be saved for
later, if you want). The name will be the most important.
Think about what your business will offer, and what kind of
first impression you want to give. Write down ANY words
that come to mind when you think about your new
business....the name you choose will come from those words.
Use nouns and adjectives, use words that have caught YOUR
attention when you're shopping.
Don't try to put your business in a category just yet. Name
it first, call it retail for now, and you can target market
it later after you've been out there a bit.
Next
important thing.....VERY important thing.....write a
business plan. It can be simple to start, that's
fine....but the important thing that this does is it puts
your goals and ideas down on paper so you can refine them,
and LOOK at them! I didn't do this when I started, and I
regretted it TERRIBLY. You don't have to write a plan
that's suitable to present to banks, or anything like that
(at first), just something to organize your thoughts!
Next,
find boards where others in your business go to discuss
business. Also, remember that it's easier to add products
than it is to take away....so start with a small inventory
of favorite items (use friends and relatives to determine
what those are...they won't mind) and then add products as
you go.
Design
business cards and a flier to pass out, You might want to
consider a printed catalog at some point.
To recap, first step:
Decide on a name
Second step:
find a small business advisor in your area.
Third step:
Call the advisor and ask these questions:
1) Do I need to file a Certificate of Assumed Name for my
business name?
2) This is what I will be doing, DO I NEED A BUSINESS
LICENSE to do that? If so, what are the fees?
3) Who do I contact to get registered to collect sales tax,
and be considered a reseller? How do I go about collecting
sales tax?
4) Will you help me with the entire process of starting my
business? If not, who can?
Owner's
Name: Nola Cooper