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

Marketing

Advertising

Sales

Finance

Human Resources

Business Partnerships

Facilities and Equipment

IT

Telecom

Operations

Insurance

Regulatory Compliance

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
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