Quick Start Check List
Are you on the fast track? Are you in a rush? Starting a business requires time and thorough work and research. But in the end it is good to have a quick checklist handy to make sure that you are not missing anything major.
Small things can be fixed while you go, but major things should be taken care off before they become a problem.
We have setup a quick start checklist so that you can easily compare your operational status against the list. In some cases this will give you the chance to re-visit items and make corrections. We hope that on the other side, this list will give you the peace of mind that you have covered your bases.
1) Find a company name not trademarked or taken already
2) Find a matching domain name for your business
3) Register your business with your state and local authorities
4) Open a bank account. Deposit startup funds
5) Decide which services and what hosting packages to offer. Design packages
6) Sign-up for a domain name reseller account.
7) Find a reseller web host or lease/rent/buy a server with a web control panel included or as add-on
8) Build/Design a website. Implement domain name reselling except billing and credit card processing
9) Sign up for a credit card merchant account or 3rd party credit card processing provider
10) Purchase a SSL certificate
11) Decide if you are building your own tools for the sign-up process or if you rather purchase a billing/account setup software. Purchase software as necessary.
12) Implement SSL and credit card processing into your website
13) Design and order business cards
14) List your website with search engines
15) Setup a helpdesk and create a support section with tutorials and FAQs
16) Have friends or family members test your website for complete functionality
17) Design a marketing campaign and decide on where to do marketing. Prepare marketing efforts. Check for deadlines with publishers.
18) Fix problems found by testers. Test drive website for functionality yourself
19) Hire staff and/or make preparations for customer support (remote email solutions, cell phone, etc.)
20) Setup an accounting solution; hire an accountant, or make other preparations for your bookkeeping
21) Kick off marketing campaign and officially open for business
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