Make a Business Plan
A business plan doesn’t need to be complicated, but it will give you insight into what you currently need, where you’re going and how to get there. There are many types of business plans and a variety of resources Best dog trainer Houston. You can hire a professional, purchase your own software, or Google “business plan” for free web resources.
Another advantage of a business plan is that it will help define your target market, and save you lots of advertising dollars. If you know who you are marketing to, you can tailor your marketing to that demographic.
If you want financing for your business, you’ll have to have a business plan. A business plan for financing purposes will be more in-depth and complex than a simple plan for your own use.
Start Your Business
Once you have a business plan in place, it’s time to do the actual paperwork required to run a business. This varies from county-to-county, but most counties require a license of some kind. You’ll probably also need to file for an assumed name, which is your business name. If you’re going to sell product, you’ll need a sales tax certificate from your county comptroller. Finally, if you’re going to have employees, you’ll need a tax ID number from the Internal Revenue Service. These are the basics. It’s not expensive or complicated to start a business.
I do recommend that you think about your timing. For instance, if you’re going to have a phone number and/or add in the yellow pages, find out what the deadline is to get that information to the phone book people; you won’t want to go a whole year without a yellow pages ad. Summers and the holidays are traditionally slow times for dog trainers, so you might not want to open your business in December or July. However, it really doesn’t matter when you open it, as long as you keep these types of things in mind and are not surprised when your income reflects them. In some ways, it might be good to open in the summer, and start out gradually; you’ll have lots of time for marketing, setting up systems, etc.