By: Joanne Kuipers

Like most people you want to start your own business and be your own boss for a variety of reasons. Mainly you want freedom to do your own thing, have control over how much money you can make, control over how hard you work, or are just passionate about a certain field of interest.

Developing Your Business Name

There are so many choices out there. I would recommend doing this while exploring a website address as well. Your name must describe your product or service, your uniqueness, and your level of expertise or quality of your offering. You may have to consider trademarks and; therefore, may consider hiring a professional. Once you have your name you need to look into licenses and permits to operate your business within your geographical area.

Develop a Mission Statement

A mission statement describes what you do and what you stand for. It should be brief and to the point. The mission statement keeps you focused in the right direction.

Branding

Your image is important. It is a powerful statement of who you are and what your business is about. You need to develop a consistent brand image. Think of how you want to be perceived by your customers: A business that offers savings or quality, etc. Who is your target market? What will attract them? Your signage, collateral, business cards etc. must be consistent.

Business Plan

As part of your strategic marketing plan, one of the first things you must do when looking into  how to start a small business  is to put together a game plan. Create a business plan or road map of how your business will be built from the ground up. There are many resources out there to help you do that. If you are going to need a large amount of funding I would suggest getting a professional to help you with this.

Business Marketing Ideas

These should be included in your business plan. Know a head of time how to promote your business and what you budget is.

Web Marketing Strategy

Internet marketing is the least expensive way to promote a business. Most people don`t does it because they don`t know how. Look at what your competition is doing.

I would suggest hiring a professional who also offers search engine optimization website promotion. The reason for this is that you do not want to get a designer to do the site and then find out it has not been optimized. It might have to be re-done and that will cost more. For more information contact Advantage Solutions.

Self Intro Statement

Develop a 30 second or less intro statement that will pop and stand out. Make you memorable. Use it whenever you are talking to a prospective customer. Talk to people`s wants, not their needs.