7 Quick Steps to Start a Business (For Less Than $200 Bucks!) Cheap and Free Ways to Start A Business

It’s an exciting time for the Hot Mommas Project. One of our Founding Case Authors who TALKED about wanting to pull the trigger and start her own business IS pulling the trigger and starting her own business.  Starting today, we will track her progress with a series of posts. As of now, she’s not “out.” When she gives me permission, we’ll tell you all about her.

So, here are the basic start-up steps which I (Kathy Korman Frey) emailed to our new businesswoman today. One thing I’ve found over the years is that one can get caught up in “getting ready to get ready”…or, stalling. The below steps are designed to keep the momentum going. They are simple and doable in a morning. Also, bonus, all of these steps can be accomplished for less than $200.

Starting point:

We have the business name and what it will do. Now, her homework is the Seven Steps.

Seven Steps:

1. Get a quick, cheap domain name and site.

Buy your domain name on as service like  GoDaddy.com and then buy the  Wordpress package. Also register your name on WordPress and/or Blogger, especially if it’s a common name.

• Follow up: Meet with a buddy (in our Hot Mommas case, me) to work on the site and jam it out over coffee.

2. Set up your email.

You can set up an email on Gmail (if your domain doesn’t come with an email account).

3. Business cards.

Go to Vistaprint.com and scope out cards you like. Draft it sand save using their templates if you can’t pull trigger.

4. Put together an email list and draft.

The email should say “I am starting a business” as the subject line and then explain your business. People will be more likely to vote on a logo or give you advice on a a blog post vs. respond to a direct inquiry for referrals or business. Strange but true.

5.  Develop your service packages, prices, and descriptions.

Below is my advice to our current business-woman who is starting  a business having to do with a niche of organization (think “Container Store” not “Organizational Behavior”). The below may not make total sense as you read it, because it applies to her business, but the idea is service/product packages with prices. Develop them!

Example:

a.  Prep/advance work – $500. Completed by consultant or client.

b.  In-home session -$500. Consultant and client together. Two hours and one travel.

c. Post session shopping/gap filling – Optional. Shopping trip. Averages $500.

d.  Maintenance  – Optional. Could be a group party where people bring and try on pieces, as well as the top things working for them in their closet. This should be a minimum of 5 people for $100 each, 2 hours.

6. Think about your top 10 tips.

The below is to get our new entrepreneur thinking about marketing her knowledge, and becoming familiar with blogging and site work. Here is what I told her: “Take pictures. Practice putting them on the site or the blog with text. Write it in Word in case you screw up.

• Advanced: Try using Picnik for your photos. Upload, and then edit. You can add text, frames, etc.
• Follow up: As is the case with an earlier tip, meet with a buddy to to work on this over coffee. A tech-savvy buddy can help you patch up what you’ve done and fill in gaps.
• Yes, you actually have to ask someone for help.”

7. Don’t freak out! You can do this!

I said this to our up and coming business woman, “Business is easy compared to raising two boys. We will do any patch work and pep talking needed when we meet. Rock on woman.”

Words of warning

Bank Documents – No significant capital (aka money) is needed for the above steps. They can all be accomplished with $200, with most/all of that going to GoDaddy.com. If you do seek money, do not ever ever ever have your spouse/life partner sign any loan docs (without talking to a lawyer first).

Liability – If you are doing something where you could get sued (e.g. moving furniture, someone/something gets hurt), you will need insurance and to incorporate (LLC, Subchapter S are easiest) right away. A sole proprietorship requires nothing other than saying “I am starting my own business.” You will file your earnings (Revenues or Sales less Expenses) as a “Schedule” or part of your personal tax return. See nolo.com for incorporation papers.  Get a referral from a SMART BUSINESS OWNER for an insurance agent (and, while you’re at it, financial advisor, lawyer, and accountant – the “Three Musketeers” who will be your good friends as the business grows).

Later / Advanced

The following are on the agenda for the new entrepreneur and I to talk about in later meetings. We certainly don’t want to overwhelm and prevent the most important thing: Moving Forward!

Later – Logo / Twitter / Facebook / flyers /postcards / incorporation /other promotion (eg silent auctions, yada yada). We’ll put you as a Hot Mommas Project prize which will get you visibility. (Note: What project or event can YOU  be a part of that will get YOUR business visibility? Think about it.)

1. Logo -If you want to dip into a logo, a quick trick is to word art some text. You can do this at www.Picnik.com, too. You could also check out a site like www.logomaker.com.

2. Press release – You can do a free press release at 1888PressRelease.com

3. Blog posts – keep a list of ideas. They could be products, or blog posts, or both. I think it would be funny to list You Tube links with closets in them. You could analyze them, and have a “Hall of Fame” like Carrie’s closet in SITC, the closet in Clueless, the closet in Overboard, etc. You could also have a “hall of shame.”

May the force be with this new entrepreneur who, if all goes well, will reveal her identity soon. If you have any tips or words of encouragement, leave them here.