Business Startup Tasks
The business startup tasks represent a high-level overview of the tasks which should be considered for a typical business startup.
Few startup businesses will require all of these startup tasks, but each task should be considered to determine if it does apply to your business.
Table of Contents
Incorporation
- Selecting a state to incorporate in
- Selecting a corporation type (C, S, or LLC)
- Drafting Articles of Incorporation
- Filing Articles of Incorporation
Marketing
- Defining products and/or services
- Competitive Analysis
- Defining target market
- Geographic definition
- Demographic definition
- Vertical market definition
- Key customer definition
Advertising
- Directory Listing
- Creating a web presence
- Selecting a domain name
- Developing customer-focused content
- Selecting a web hosting provider or building a web server
- Creating web enabled content
- Registering with appropriate search engines
- Developing brochures
- Developing customer-focused content
- Graphics and layout
- Negotiating with printers
- Trade Shows
- Identifying appropriate industry trade shows
- Obtaining trade show booth
- Selecting which trade shows to invest in
- Registering at selecting trade shows
- Planning travel to selected trade shows
- Magazine Advertising
- TBD
- Radio Advertising
- TBD
- Television Advertising
- TBD
- Press Releases
- Identifying appropriate news media outlets
- Creating press release content
- Distribution of press releases to selected news media
Sales
- Identifying potential customer base
- Contacting potential customers
- Closing sales
Finance
Securing Capital
- Private investors
- Create investment information package
- Contact private investors
- Negotiate with private investors
- Close deals with private investors
- Venture capital
- Create investment information package
- Contact venture capitalists
- Negotiate term sheets with venture capitalists
- Close deals with venture capitalists
Banking
- Creating a business checking account
- Creating a business savings or money market account
Setting up Accounting Systems
- General Ledger
- Payroll
- Accounts Payable
- Accounts Receivable
- Income Statement
- Balance Sheet
- Cash Flow Analysis
Tax Compliance
- Employment Tax
- Sales Tax
- Use Tax
- Income Tax
- Estimated Income Tax
- Property Tax
- Personal Property Taxes
- Additional Taxes
Credit Cards
- Arranging a Merchant Account
Human Resources
Hiring employees
- Locate candidates with the right qualifications
- Interviewing and selecting candidates
- Negotiating with candidates
Setting up HR functions
- Payroll
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision insurance
- Simple or 401k plans
Business Partnerships
- Defining potential synergies
- Identifying firms who meet defined synergies
- Creating presentations for potential partners
- Contacting potential parters
- Negotiating partnerships
Facilities and Equipment
Real Estate
- Defining requirements for office or manufacturing space
- Determining proper location for facilities
- Locating facilities that meet defined requirements
- Negotiating to lease or purchase facilities
- Managing build-out of facilities to meet requirements
Office Furnishing
- Defining requirements for office furnishings
- Selecting office furnishing vendors
- Negotiating to lease or purchase
- Managing installation and set-up
Office Equipment
- Defining requirements for office equipment
- Selecting office equipment vendors
- Negotiating to lease or purchase
- Managing installation and set-up
IT
Computer Equipment
- Defining requirements for computer equipment
- Selecting computer equipment vendors
- Negotiating to lease or purchase
- Managing installation and set-up
Software
- Defining requirements for software
- Accounting
- HR
- Office Productivity
- Contact Management
- Trouble Ticketing
- Etc…
- Selecting software vendors
- Negotiating to lease or purchase
- Managing installation and set-up
Network
- Defining requirements for network
- Select WAN vendors
- Negotiating to lease or purchase
- Managing installation and set-up
Telecom
Voice circuits
- Requirements Definition
- Number of outgoing ports
- Number of incoming DID lines
- Vendor selection
- Managing installation and set-up
Data circuits
- Requirements Definition
- Bandwidth
- Latency
- Redundancy
- Vendor selection
- Managing installation and set-up
PBX
- Requirements Definition
- Vendor selection
- Negotiating to lease or purchase
- Managing installation and set-up
Voice Mail
- Requirements Definition
- Vendor selection
- Negotiating to lease or purchase
- Managing installation and set-up
Mobile telephone service
- Requirements Definition
- Vendor selection
Paging service
- Requirements Definition
- Vendor selection
Operations
- Define requirements to support products or services
- Determine what support functions, if any, to outsource
- Negotiate with outsourcing vendors
- Develop procedures for operational support of products or services
- Develop training material for support staff
- Train support staff
Insurance
- Worker Compensation
- General Business Liability
- Commercial Auto Liability
- Professional Liability
- Employer’s Liability
- Errors and Omissions
- Property Insurance
Regulatory Compliance
- Resale Licences
- Professional Licenses
- OHSA Compliance
