 This is heady stuff – being an entrepreneur,
creating something from the ground up and being your own boss. You don’t need me to tell you this is exhilarating and scary at the same
time. Or, that you’ve never been this busy or this happy in your life. Such opportunities! There are “a zillion”
sites on the Web that offer you every imaginable resource, none more prominent than the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, but it is easy to get lost among all the choices and ideas while what you need is concrete stuff.
If you do not already have the legal structure of your enterprise
established, you will want to talk with an attorney and an accountant right away. Learn the advantages and disadvantages of
such structures as Sole Proprietorship, Limited Liability Partnership and Corporation. Your accountant can explain them to
you; your attorney can effect them for you. You need your basic business tools, including business cards and a web site. You’ve got to have a marketing
plan, a bookkeeping system and a sales strategy. You’ve got to decide what you’re good at and what you want to
let others do – employees or consultants. You may need a virtual assistant, a graphic designer, a web developer, an
IT expert, a sales genius, a writer or a social media expert – or all of them!
Advice
from a well-known VC investor: hire the best team you can find to meet all the critical needs of your enterprise;
do not hire your best friends, your neighbors, or your in-laws, unless they have the exact skill sets you need and you write
an iron-clad contract with them, drawn up by your attorney.
If we can be of help to you, call us at 770-455-8088, or send me an e-mail.
The Oliver/Sorano Group, Inc, is a business development consultancy
established in 1980. It supports clients in a variety of industries with marketing and PR advice and services.
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