Help Start My Small Business

One of the most important long-term decisions you can make for your future company is to pick a name. This week Neil gives you some tips on selecting a name for your new small business. Begin with the end in mind Choose your words carefully Your name should describe your company How to brainstorm name ideas    Download a transcript of this episode   What is the best company name you have ever heard/seen? Comment below....  

This week we tackle some listener questions. Thanks to everyone for sending in questions via Twitter. Especially @EduJon, @PeplowM, @AngryPatriot, @josephtropiano and @GeminiSuperMom. How do you know if you are financially ready to start a small business? What are the best ways to keep in touch with past clients? How can you make your small business appear to be a large corporation? What are the best ways to balance family, a full-time job and starting a new small business?   Find our new Small Business Startup Checklist at MyFreeWorksheet.com Download a transcript of this episode   After reviewing the Small Business Startup Checklist what is the one area you need the most help with? comment below...

Want to know what really 'chaps our hide' about other small businesses we work with? Well, here are the top seven! In this week's episode: Joel gets lost buying a DVD (how does that happen?) Neil has no interest in Pintrest (what? Say it ain't so!) Our Seven Pet Peeves Not invoicing clients (do your clients know how to pay you?) Short sightedness (don't burn your brand/reputation by only thinking about today) No follow up (why won't you call me back!!!!!!) Being a 'Yes Man' (or Woman) (how does saying 'yes' too often tank your business?) Mistaking Having money with Making money (just because your checkbook is full doesn't make you rich) Wearing ALL the hats (you can't do it all alone - what to give up?)   Shout-outs to listeners (thanks for listening, guys!)   Download a transcript of this episode   What irks you about other small business owners? Share a story below  

For years my dream was to own a Dairy Queen franchise. When I see lines of people around the block on a summer's eve I just think - Wow! That place is printing money! So, I looked into it and decided that franchise ownership wasn't for me. This week I talk with Joe Spry. He is someone I wish I had known back then. He  is a franchise coach and helps people to navigate the franchise business. He works with people everyday to identify and purchase the best franchise for them. Joe and I hit the following hot topics: What is a franchise Who is right for franchise ownership What do successful franchise owners have in common How do franchises make their money How much does it cost to buy into a franchise What are some hot trends in the franchise industry Joe's list of Ten Things To Know Before Buying A Franchise You can find out more about Joe at Spry Consulting   Download a transcript of this episode      What is your dream franchise to own? Share your thoughts...  

We have done our best to boil small business down to one thought, and here it is - Your SIMPLE path to small business freedom. S ervice I mprovement M asterplan P romotion L ogistics E conomics   Every small business needs a mixture of these five areas to be successful. We explain our thoughts behind the five points of the SIMPLE plan and how we came to create this roadmap. Freedom explains how we feel about owning a small business. And it's not just financial freedom - it's all the areas in your life that owning a small business can give you freedom over.   If you don't want to listen to the podcast you can Read about Your SIMPLE Path To Small Business Freedom here   Download a transcript of this episode   Which of these six areas do you need to improve the most? Chime in below...  

Incorporating is a big part of starting a small business. This week I interview Laura Wilcox of Corporate Minutes. Laura is an expert in incorporation and record keeping for small businesses. We discuss: differences between a C-corp, S-corp and LLC what is an EIN online incorporation the benefits of incorporating a business when you shouldn't incorporate your business how much will it cost to incorporate your small business And . . . Laura reveals the number one mistake she sees small business owners make when incorporating - they do it more often than you think!   Laura has been keeping our records for six years. She also keeps us compliant with the State and Federal authorities in regards to corporate records and filings. In fact, she helped us to incorporate the business that is responsible for HelpStartMySmallBusiness.com. Here is Laura's website if you would like to have her help you with your incorporation or record keeping.   Contact Information For Corporate Minutes & Laura Wilcox Website Phone 630.879.1441   Download a transcript of the episode   What did Laura have to say about incorporation that surprised you? Join in the conversation below.  

This week we tackle the biggie of all issues - - FEAR. What is holding you back from starting your own small business? Whatever it is, you're not alone. We'll discuss some of the common fears people have about starting a business. We also will talk about the fears we had when we started our business. Also included are some great tips to help you manage and work with your fears. Because it's lucky episode seven, we are sharing 7 great tips for dealing with fears. What are your biggest fears about starting your own business?   Download a transcript of this episode    

This week Neil interviews travel guide and photographer, Ralph Velasco. Ralph shares his business journey through owning two restaurants, working as a realtor, and working in financial services to finally finding his life's passion in his own photography business at the age of 42! You may find some parallels in Ralph's story and your own. He talks about how he was able to break into a new business even though others around him may have thought he was crazy. He also discusses his niche and how he focuses in on something small, but extremely unique in his industry. We also touch on a great blog post that Ralph wrote about finding your passion.  Find that article here.   Find Ralph's website here.         Find Ralph's iPhone App here         Find Ralph's book here           Download a transcript of the episode here    

The first McDonald's opened for business in 1955 in DesPlaines, IL. Even back then they had the beginnings of their distinctive logo. In this week's podcast we explore creating a logo for your small business. Neil and Joel break down logos - What is the purpose of a logo for a small business What should a logo say about your business Where can you get a logo Is a logo forever or can you change it up next year How much should you spend to create a logo for your business Resources from this episode 99 Designs - Logo design eLance - Logo design   Download a transcript of this episode here

One of the most famous examples of a Unique Selling Proposition (or Position - depends on who you ask) is FedEx with their original introduction to the market of "When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight." In this week's podcast we discuss this and other examples of USPs and how to use them in your new business. Other topics included in this show: Tips on selecting a Unique Selling Proposition for your company How to leverage your existing clients (if you have some) to help you create your ultimate USP How much weight you should give to your competition when creating a USP How to play to your personal strengths in your USP How your niche will influence your unique selling proposition How to put yourself in your clients' shoes - see things from a new perspective How your best clients' demographics can help you select a unique selling proposition Download a transcript of this episode here

About five years ago Joel & I discovered DiSC profiles. DiSC is a behavior assessment used to determine how you interact with other people as well as what strengths you bring to an organization. DiSC has four basic behaviors; Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Compliance. The assessment will determine what blend of the four behaviors you have in both a natural state and an adapted state (most commonly work). In this podcast we share how we use DiSC everyday in our business. We use DiSC in two main areas of our business - sales and employees. By familiarizing ourselves with the different personality types we are able to assess what behavior a potential client most likely displays. This helps us to tailor a sales presentation to each personality. For example, a dominant personality doesn't like a long drawn out presentation with a lot of detail. They want a brief overview and they will make a quick decision. If we were to go on and on about our company or our ideas we would turn them off in a hurry! The other way we use DiSC is in hiring and working with our employees. By knowing how everyone likes to be communicated with we are able to give everyone the perfect type and frequency of communication for them. Additionally, we can hire people to fill in the gaps in our personalities. Neither Joel nor I like dealing with conflict (who does?) but we have hired others that are better skilled at this than we are and let them handle Visa when they double charge or don't credit our payment. We are able to find these people by using a DiSC profile BEFORE they are hired. After we first discovered DiSC we spent the next couple of years using it as a crutch and an excuse for not accomplishing things. It wasn't until we discovered the book "I'm Stuck, You're Stuck," by Tom Ritchey that we really saw the big picture of DiSC profiles and how best to use them. As promised here is Neil's DiSC profile and Joel's DiSC profile. These are a few years old and as we state in the show, they change over time so we would test differently today if we were to retake an assessment. But they will give you a good idea of what to expect if you were to take your own DiSC. The last page has our graph showing our natural and adapted styles. The two styles are our natural style versus what we do at work. Notice that we downplay some of our traits at work. For example, I drop my 'C' at work because I know I can't be perfect and expect to get anything done! Joel drops his 'D' because he doesn't want to run other people over! Download a PDF transcript of this podcast - click here   Find the book "I'm Stuck, You're Stuck" here   Get Your Own DiSC Profile here        

Rob recently quit his job to pursue his new small business full-time!  Find out how he did it. Neil interviews Rob Kibbe, creator of The Muscle Car Place, about how he knew it was time to create his own small business, what steps he took to get there and how is was able to make the leap to his new business full-time. Rob shares  how he: Knew it was time to step out on his own Used personality (DiSC) testing to define the best small business for him Hired a coach/mentor to help him define a business for him and create a business plan Was able to finance his new business venture Created a business plan and how it changed along the way Download a PDF transcript of this podcast - click here  

Discover the positives and negatives of Joel and Neil's entrepreneurial journey. Joel & Neil are the creators of Help Start My Small Business.  Click on the podcast link above to hear the story of how they created several of their own small businesses. Want to read the show transcript instead? Or read on to get the high-points. Purpose of Help Start My Small Business We started this site and podcast series as a way to reach out and help others who have just started, or want to start a small business. Starting your own small business can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. Seeing your business grow from just an idea to something that fulfills your personal, professional and financial goals will lead to a well-deserved sense of pride and accomplishment. But it’s not all roses. Our small business life has been filled with setbacks, pitfalls and road blocks. It’s our goal to keep you from making these same energy zapping, time sucking mistakes. Discover how to get your business up and making money, quickly and legally with Help Start My Small Business. Neil & Joel's Background Our father has been self-employed ever since we can remember. He taught us that having a J-O-B is not for everyone. He also taught us not to be afraid of work. We have worked from a very young age (Neil can remember his first paid job at the age of three) to create a lifestyle that works for us and makes us independent of anyone else. Growing up we both had many jobs, several of which were self-created.  We mowed lawns, sold lemonade, sold hot dogs, did handyman work, you name it we probably tried it. Joel went on get a degree in Architecture and after graduation got a job as a commercial architect. Neil got his degree in entrepreneurial management. After graduation he got a job working as a purchasing agent at a lumberyard. Several years later neither one of us was happy with our current position. It was then that we came together to start our own residential remodeling company. Construction was something we had both been involved with most of our lives and we were extremely comfortable with the 'hands-on' part of the business. However, the business side of the company was new experience for both of us. Even though Neil had a degree in business, real life was quite different than book learning. The first few years we really struggled to make an income equal to what we had as full-time employees. Through a lot of learning and 'hard' lessons we managed to improve our company and make more money than either of us had thought possible in our 'work-a-day' lives. But it wasn't easy. We spent five years and thousands of dollars educating ourselves and learning how to run a profitable small business. We read books, scoured the internet, attended numerous seminars and joined several high-level mastermind groups, all in an effort to improve ourselves and our company. Why Did We Create Help Start My Small Business? During our journey we were lucky to benefit from the wisdom of those entrepreneurs that went before us. Many small business owners shared with us their stories of "when I first started." These stories and lessons shared were a huge part of education we received in our first few years in business. It is our hope to use Help Start My Small Business to do the same for others. We want to help first time small business owners get started on the right foot and make their business a success in two years instead of five. We both get excited when we see someone step out and try their own unique business idea. Many times when attending a chamber meeting or other networking event, we will meet a budding entrepreneur. We are energized by their stories and ideas. We are also quick to share our experience and lend a hand. It's what we love to do. But, let's face it, helping out in a local chamber of commerce doesn't introduce to many people. We want to be able to share our knowledge and hard-life lessons with a larger audience.