When thinking about starting Texas registered agents want to consider “Why are you starting the business?” Quite often someone decides to start a small business with the mindset they will have more free time, home based, and also have a flexible schedule. Unfortunately, it is important to avoid these myths. Majority of the time, starting a business isn’t any of these things. Instead, it is long hours, working at home can be a distraction, less flexibility, and there are many hats to juggle. It’s completely different then working for a company and it is vital that you keep all of this in mind when deciding if starting a small business is right for you. If it’s, then let’s dive into getting started with your business idea!

Attitude is EVERYTHING. You should always keep a cheery attitude. Many things are going to happen through the lifecycle of the company, both good and bad, and what is important is to keep a positive attitude.

BIGGEST OBSTACLES TO OVERCOME

Both biggest obstacles startups face whenever starting a business is money and reputation. You must make sure you will be able to stay afloat and have a way of financing when starting out. And reputation is also an obstacle because you don’t have a reputation or customers. If you don’t start out with a group of customers, most of the time you are starting out very alone.

WHAT YOU NEED?

VIABLE PRODUCT

You need to give a product/service that people want to buy. Researching similar products/services is important to see what else exists that is much like your idea and then determine how your product will be much better than the competition. It is also important to manage to bring experience to the table. It is the experience you have that may make the company. Typically, you would like to have a niche so that you can take a focused approach and decide what sort of company you need it to be. Lastly, you have to consider if you can sell enough of your service or product to make a living. Are you considering able to cover all of the expenses and salaries that include a business?

BUSINESS PLAN

A business plan is completely essential. What is a business plan?

Focus on an executive summary, that is a high-level description of what the business enterprise is going to do. Next, you will need a business description that lays out the business in detail. Then, comes the marketplace analysis, who is going to be your customer and who is your competition? Next, is organization management. Who’s going to manage the business enterprise? Will you manage it yourself or are you going to hire someone from the outside to handle your business? Most of the time you are starting managing the business enterprise yourself. Next, you need a sales strategy, what type of sales strategy will you encompass? And lastly, you have to include funding requirements and financial projections. What kind of funding do you need to start the business and how much do you project to create?

A written plan is critical. It is absolutely essential you jot down the above info on paper.

There are various business plan templates available to help. Even though you are an established business, you don’t need anything complicated. Yet another resource is a easy roadmap. This breaks out 30 days by month projections for 2 2 years. What trade shows will you attend? How many people will you hire? What type of marketing campaigns will you run?

Last, goals are really important. It is advisable to set specific goals in your business plan so you know what your location is heading.

MEANS OF FINANCING

How will you finance your organization? Some of the key inquiries to ask are how much cash will you need to stay afloat? Will you be going for a salary? What will your non-salary expenses be? Just how many people do you anticipate hiring the first year? What about company benefits? Even if you are by yourself, you will require benefits and insurance. These are all questions you must think about.

Should you self-finance or take out a loan? Self-financing is often recommended in case you have enough money in the lender to float the business and your salary for a year or two. This option reduces the pressure. The final thing you need is pressure from creditors. Loan products will be difficult to procure. In the event that you manage to get a loan, you will have to personal guarantee and you may need collateral.

There is also the possibility for a financial business lover, however, a financial business lover can often result in meddling and pressure. It also may cause one to run the business differently then you envisioned. Remember, you are starting the business to place your own spin on it!

A fourth option is a funding company. This is usually a viable option because they will most likely carry out your payroll and invoicing for you personally. Sometimes the funding company will provide a basic ATS system as well that could help you start off. The downside to a funding company is often it is hard to breakaway. You must pay off loans with interest and oftentimes it is not financially feasible to breakaway. If you are using a funding company, you need to be sure to understand the agreement and know what it takes to step from the funding company.