Business plan software gives you the tools to create financial projection tables, charts, and other documents you need to plan your business. Software is often better than using a free template because it gives you step-by-step directions and educational materials to help you complete a clear business plan. We review the best business plan software…
How to Start a Business: The Complete Guide
Whether you’re starting a part-time business or quitting your corporate job to create your dream biz, you’ll find information in this guide to help you succeed. Throughout this article, you’ll learn from experts in finance, legal, marketing, human resources, software, insurance, in addition to myself—a former small business consultant. As a small business consultant, I’ve…
7 Best Online Legal Services 2020
An online legal service assists with legal tasks in both business and personal matters. The services typically cost a fraction of what a local attorney would charge. An online legal service helps with tasks such as business registration, legal documents, attorney advice, and intellectual property. Choose a company to work with based on your specific…
18 Compelling Reasons to Start a Business
While there are an unlimited number of reasons to start a business, there are several that signify someone is well-suited to be a business owner. Many people start a business for the lifestyle benefits, such as a flexible schedule. Others start a business to better align with their personality traits, such as being comfortable with…
Should You Start a Business?
Before starting a business, you need to determine if you’re ready to become a business owner and there are several factors to consider before you do. Why do you want to start a business? How much money do you want to make? Do you understand what business owners do and how they’re different from entrepreneurs?…
How to Choose a Business to Start
Choosing a business to start can be both an exhilarating and frustrating time—there are so many options. To settle on an idea, examine your skills, experiences, and firsthand knowledge. Also, look at what businesses are trending. Before choosing, get a cost estimate required to start the business and ensure you can make it happen. By…
How to Market a New Business (11 Thrifty Strategies)
Learning how to market a new business successfully can be overwhelming. There are so many decisions to make: What marketing materials do you need to create? Should you build a website? What social media platforms do you need to be on? And should you advertise? In the steps below, we’re going to walk you through…
Set Up Your Small Business Systems & Software
A business system is a set of recurring tasks that helps your business operate efficiently. Software is often used to manage these systems. If there is a task in your business that you’re doing over and over again, you can bet there’s software—possibly free— to help with that task. In this article, you will find…
8 Key Hires To Make Your Small Business A Success
Hiring to delegate tasks and to complement your expertise is crucial to running a successful business. In addition to employees, consider hiring other professionals such as an accountant, lawyer, or consultant to get your business humming. 1. Your First Employee When determining if you should hire your first employee, consider following this simple advice: Hire…
12 Legal Steps to Starting a Business
Before accepting your first customer, you need to ensure your business follows federal, state, and local laws. Certain legal steps, such as registering your business, protect your personal assets. Other measures, like securing a trademark, protect business assets. To cover the right legal paperwork for your type of business, we review the main areas of…
4 Types Of Business Plans (Plus Software & Writing Services)
A business plan is a written document that explains how a business will succeed. All businesses should have some type of plan. If you’re making a more in-depth business plan, consider using a software to keep your thoughts and financial projections well organized. In this article, we talk about four types of business plans: One-page…
How To Test A Business Idea
So you have a business idea and want to know if it will work? While there is no way to guarantee a business idea will be successful, there are ways to better understand its risk of failure. Testing a business idea is the most overlooked part of starting a business. Don’t skip it! As a…