Think First - Then Act
Preparation for Opening your New Business

Jumping in might sound like a lot of fun and may be what's required for some to actually get off the pot, but for most, baptism by fire is a sure recipe for disaster!

Here are some common steps that most folks should accomplish before the Grand Opening. Small Businessman assistance can be provided. (See Member Services)

  1. Decide what your passionate about doing for a living.
  2. Make a Business Plan
  3. Compare how your life is and how your life will be if your plan is implemented. (See The Lazy Business Man, 2/12/08 by Michael Patrick Murphy)
  4. Obtain licenses and permits from local, county, state and federal entities.
  5. Examine your skill set and compute the costs of enhancing that set by external assistance or personal improvement. (See Monkeys on my back - A work in progress by Michael Patrick Murphy)
  6. Re-examine your business plan under these additional conditions.
  7. Examine licenses and permits from local, county, state and federal entities if necessary.
  8. Obtain a location and/or setup an appropriate environment based on the preceding criteria.
  9. Re-examine your business plan under these additional conditions.
  10. Obtain licenses and permits from local, county, state and federal entities as necessary.
  11. Contracts (See Signing Contracts - 2/12/2008 by Michael Patrick Murphy)
  12. Obtain software for bookkeeping, inventory controls.
  13. Obtain electronics that fit with the software, not the other way around.
  14. Obtain a domain name and hosting location. Have a marketing strategy prepared.
  15. Start adding inventory, set up opening hardware.
  16. Decide which day(s) you will be closed to handle repairs, improvements and re-setup situations.
  17. Set up tracking tools so that you will be able to track marketing, sales and inventory successes or failures.
  18. Train staff
  19. Dry run the operation by simulating real business situations.
Follow these steps with determination and you will increase your odds of success.

Other Resources:

Updated 4/14/08