Getting Started in Business Program Outline (A bit rough, expect revisions)

1. Deciding to start

  • Why do you want to start a business?
  • Are you an entrepreneur or an employeeat heart
  • Are you a starter or a finisher (both needed)
  • Defining your goals
  • Assessing your assets
  • Evaluating your strengths
  • What you don’t ever want to have to do

2. What kind of business and what should it do?

  • Are you passionate about something you’d like as your business?
  • Are you passionate about making money?
    (You must be at least one or the other)
  • Choosing your business
  • A tour of the business models, and a neat way figure out which one fits your
    exact temperament, your assets, and your situation.
  • Selecting your market (Who are the people you are going to sell to)
  • Choosing your niche
  • What will you sell: A Product, service, or something else
  • Will you create products or services or distribute others?
  • Do you want to operate online or offline
    (You’ll always be marketing online and maybe offline.
    This question is about where do you want to transact business, in the real
    world or the virtual one?)

3. Which of these will you start, (if you don’t know already.)

Some basic business models that require low, or no, start up costs. You’ll be able to start with our business plan template for each of these, and get your business going in record speed with an income at least as good as your last job.

  • Affiliate marketing
  • E-Commerce
  • Consulting
  • Multi-level marketing
  • Information marketing
  • Training
  • Personal services
  • Retail
  • Making a product (manufacturing)
  • Distributorship
  • Deal Broker

4. Finding your first prospects

This session is hard-core guerilla marketing absolutely vital to getting those first few cash-paying customers.

5. Getting those first few customers to buy

Sales strategies for non sales-people or recovering salespeople to get people to gladly say yes to your offer

6. Time management for new entrepreneurs

Do you have a family?

Do you live alone?

Are you lazy?

A workaholic?

Each of these situations brings its own opportunities and challenges. I’ve helped entrepreneurs with ADD get more done with more free time; I can help you make the time to get it all done.

7. Early stage marketing – growing beyond your first customers

You’ve gotten your first few bucks in and now it’s time to take it to the next level,
by adding a dose of some serious marketing. Here you’ll learn what makes people tick, what they want from a product or service like yours, where you can find them, how to talk to them, how you can reach them and hopefully, how you can get them to act. Because after all, that’s where the
money is.

8. Getting better at selling

You’re going to learn and practice the fine distinctions of persuasion and the art of getting-the-cash. Seriously, your business will be always held back until you get good at this.

9. Making it real

Here you’ll handle all the things you need handled so that you and everyone around you knows you’re for real. This includes getting your d/b/a or incorporating, your bank accounts, phone service with a 411… An email address with your own branded domain. The simple things. Yet totally profound.

10. Corporate Form

Yes you need one of these things, but the question is which one. C-corp., LLC S-Corp, or something new. Whatever. I’ll help you figure it out and get you hooked up with a nationally known expert.

11. Cash flow management for startups

Sadly, this is where for many entrepreneurs, it all goes wrong, and I’m going to make sure it doesn’t happen to you. You’ll get to step up the odds and make sure that the cash coming in is more than the cash going out. It’s that simple.

  • How much money do you need
  • How to keep track
  • Cash flow projections
  • Accounts receivable and collections

12. Getting help

Because if you do it all, you’ll always be small

  • Do you need an assistant?
  • Delegating like a master
  • Outsourcing to freelancers
  • Outsourcing to contractors
  • Virtual assistants

13. Hiring your own staff

Taking staffing to the next level for when
you’re seriously committed to the future of your business.

  • Writing want ads
  • Job descriptions
  • Employee agreements
  • Expectations and performance
  • Employee Policies aren’t just for big companies
  • Hire fast, fire as appropriate

14. Put it in writing

A huge mistake for newbie’s and seasoned veterans alike is not putting it in writing. I’m going to give you the agreement templates to handle each
crucial step of your business.

  • Contracts
  • Non-compete
  • Non-disclosure
  • Work for hire
  • Joint Venture agreements
  • Job descriptions
  • Employment agreements
  • Consulting contracts
  • Fund raising
  • Anything where the terms are open toquestions

15. Financial Management

This one is also pretty self-explanatory

  • How to use QuickBooks
  • What’s a chart of accounts and how do I get one.
  • Profit and loss statement
  • Your balance sheet
  • You too can dazzle your friends with mental money math, and learn to think in percentages

16. Managing by the Numbers

Nobody loves metrics, except the geeks who use them to become wealthy.

  • What do you need to measure
  • Tracking your metrics
  • Setting up a dashboard to run your business

17. Business Plan

Here it comes… I almost made it though without mentioning the dreaded B-Plan, but then, I
realized this program wouldn’t be compete, or even possible, without creating one of these to guide you over the next weeks and months

9 Responses

  1. Sean Breslin

    I am very glad I went from the first post I was reading to this one… It helped me to sort out some thoughts, that have being running round in my mind, into a more orderly sequence! Cheers Paul.

    Reply
  2. John Brudenell-Leech

    Hi Paul
    looks very interesting – both for those starting out and for those in an existing business looking for ideas and improvments in key areas…

    Reply
  3. Andy

    Hi Paul, looks really comprehensive. Covers a lot of the fundamental system stuff that most people miss (including me!) Looking forward to learning more!

    Andy

    Reply
  4. Bradley

    Hi Paul,

    This looks essential and should come included with every new business bank account that’s opened!

    A business plan and simple metrics are so important before getting carried away with the more exciting creative side of a new business.

    Reply
  5. Ed Herbert

    Paul,

    This is an amazing outline and long overdue course and as a start-up just having landed my first consulting client I look forward to participating in the program and hope it is affordable and within my bootstrap business budget. I’ve needed this information forever and look forward to getting started. Thanks and best of success! Ed

    Reply
  6. Crystal

    As above my linked in profile is under

    Crystal* E. Sackett, if for some reason it does not come up when you look, can you please let me know.

    Thanks,
    Crystal*
    778 836-6728

    Reply
  7. Crystal

    Hi Paul:

    This is quite great… Do you have a linked in profile? Would like to hook you into my site, if so…. will look to send you an invite or if you like take a look at the site first to make sure it is a fit for you.

    FYI: You should not be going into my Spam bucket, but that’s where I found your message… maybe get ahold of a techy. Mine mail is gmail, will keep my eye open for you. Have always felt your product superb. This is a wonderful Outline, for someone to follow… Monthly payments also very good, clear and easy for someone to digest or hook in where they need the most help easily (maybe each portion, could cost a certain amount, so someone could explore what they need specifically and within the necessary time to correct the problem…
    Now getting it to the folk that need it the most. Thanks as always,
    Crystal*

    Reply
  8. Camping Dude

    Paul,
    This draft looks very good, Goes well beyond my business practices and i have been running businesses since early 90’s. Maybe why i have not been so successful. As always, Looking forward to your leadership.

    Reply

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