How to Start A Business: Licensing, Registration Marketing
Henry Serena
Licensed Agent and Certified in Digital Marketing, helping businesses grow faster.
November 18, 2024
Starting a business in today’s dynamic world requires more than just a great idea—it demands careful planning, market research, and an understanding of the key demographics that will shape your success. At Nova Web Company, we not only build websites for businesses but also help entrepreneurs navigate the foundational steps to turn their ideas into thriving ventures. -ChatGPT
As an Entrepreneur, I felt compelled to personally write this out and share some of the experience and views for those who may not know about one piece or another. The first thing I want to say is, DO NOT LET THE EXCITMENT FADE AWAY OUT OF FEARS. We believe in living your Dream or working towards it, even if it is through small steps. I believe
Keep in mind, WE are not Lawyers, and this is not financial advice! This is purely informational and sourced via the internet. These are websites and portals we have used and are simply showcasing for those interested in reading about this information.
Licensing
Now, as for what you came here to read: Licensing. As a starting out Entrepreneur, being legit, can feel dreadful. If you do not know where to start, most businesses start as a Sole Proprietor, meaning you are the Sole-Owner and as such, if you are using your name or Last name for in the name of the business, you might need to file as a business entity. Also, for an LLC, you can find your state website online. For any state, you can search the name of your state and file for an LLC. Beware though, because there are a lot of companies online who will charge you a fee to do it for you, when you can do it yourself. Also, consider calling to your local City Business Licensing Office. When you get an LLC or state License, in most cases, you may still need a city or county license.
LLC’s filing costs can vary from $0-$100 and more. County and City Business Licenses are in the same range. Here is California’s official Website for Business Entity Filing and Registration, (the good thing about this website is that you will select a options of what your business will be selling or services being provided and this website will notify you of any additional permits or licenses needed):
If you want to be cautious of filing and are not sure of how to go about doing this, a lot of people use:
Legal Zoom will help to get your Business formed and charge a little more on top for utilizing their services.
As for getting your EIN:
When applying for your EIN, this in my opinion, should not be outsourced or paid for. It is FREE and EASY. When searching for the official website of filing for an EIN, there a lot of Websites that populate and even look official. If the Website is asking you to pay for the filing of an EIN, then you are on the wrong page. Here is the link to the official Website:
Insurance:
Having your Entity information in order is important but having financial security is just as important. Most people are not aware of the issues that may arise out of running a business. Lawsuits are happening everywhere and in most cases, you may be required to carry insurance for your business. For most Home-Based businesses we have seen policies to be under $100 per month. We are not advertising this amount, just simply stating that, for Start-ups, generally, the cost is not very high. The costs will vary on the type of business and operations you chose to pursue.
Home-Based Business Insurance Cost for some low-risk businesses, a general liability policy can cost as little as $11 per month, and a business property endorsement to a homeowners policy may be sufficient to cover your equipment. 2 Professional liability insurance starts at around $19 per month.
- Google SERPs via NEXT Ins.
Registration:
As for Business Registration, we are Referring to Domain Registration. How to get online and get visible. As someone who works with Local Business Owners, let’s extrapolate this topic. When you buy/register your Domain, which is the name of your Business Website, there is a thing known as RSS and RSS Feed. It is important to know that the sooner you can get an Agency on this, the better. This is also part of SEO and a piece of information that people rarely talk about.
What is RSS & RSS Feed:
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a web feed format that allows users and applications to access updates to online content in a standardized, computer-readable format. Commonly used for blogs, news sites, and podcasts, RSS feeds provide summaries or full text of articles along with metadata like publishing dates and authorship.
-ChatGPT
Business Listings and Online Directories:
Knowing where to list your Business is crucial. There are a lot of scams on Freelance-Based Websites. Cheap options too, that do not really do anything for you. The reality is that the proper way to gain visibility is by taking the time to source these directories or to hire a US Based Agency.
Different Directories will have different results when you list your Business on them but knowing which ones to use to get your visibility increased is important too. Most US -Based Agencies who do this type of work will know just where to list you and generally, it will be 90-300+ quality directories. This will help your Maps listing, as well as your Business visibility. Getting registered on quality directories will help a lot!
Marketing
Search Engine Optimization will get you in front of your Target Audience. It works for companies who use Agencies who are willing to put in the work. Smaller Businesses will tell you that they do not fully understand it or that it doesn’t get them the results they are looking for. The reality is that for the Small Businesses who are having success, they may share a good Web Designer, but they never share quality Marketing info. Let’s be honest, this is competition and once they find their guy or gal, they have no reason to bring up the conversation again.
Here is a little bit of information for you who do own a Website. There is a platform of Google sites that need to be used for your Website to rank higher and a lot of work to be done. Not just keywords and tags. There are also Websites that can be used to get an idea of how to check on things, there is even a free SEO/Website audit websites for you to use. usually these will be created to entice you to hire them, so here is a list of Websites that you can use, who are not biased but can give you an idea of how you are doing:
Now, keep in mind that these Websites, although free to use, they are not entirely accurate. There are Google Tags that should be used in order to see how people are viewing your Website. A/B Testing, in order to see if people prefer one type of Landing page versus another. Data is very important and knowing how to understand it can take you further. Analytics is what has been driving our most recent success in almost all fields. The analytics for your Business Website is no different.
Marketing with SEO can take some time, but the results will eventually save you more money and last longer, when effective. At Nova Web Company, we know how to Structure your written copy, titles and meta can also garner larger groups of prospects and clicks. The content being written and used by Ai is currently showing to be only 30% effective, while human written and Web Development gets higher results. We believe Ai may take this segment by storm eventually but if everyone starts using it when it is effective, then how will results be listed? With this in mind, in order to have effective visibility, human based content seems to yield better results by a long shot.
There are also more marketing types than just Google Ads, one we like are the Programmatic Ads. These help people to be seen on Websites while targeting the right demographics. The visibility online helps to establish the Brand Awareness and capture sales immediately.
Understand Your Target Demographics
Know who your customers are, will shape your marketing, product offerings, and business model. A little research can go a long way. Key demographic factors to analyze are:
- Age
- Location
- Income and Spending Power
- Cultural and Lifestyle Preferences
- Online Behavior
Ensuring you have a Website that is perceived well, Mobile-Friendly, User Friendly and good content with relevant Keywords; this is a great start. Quality Blogs and Backlinks can catapult you ahead too. Any Agency can give you a deeper understanding of how ot capitalize on online visibility though these sources and more.
If any of this information interests you or if you have any questions, feel free to send a message.