Starting A Business & Web Development
Starting a business and even designing your own webpage can be pretty difficult if when your starting out, especially if you have no experience with either. I’ve put together some resources that I’ve found along my journey that have been incredibly helpful with getting started. The process is pretty straight forward but, it helps to know where to look so you can figure out what direction you need to take.
Research the market and ask yourself, “Can I turn my idea into a successful business?” If the answer is, yes, then go for it! Once you decide your idea is worth it, create a business plan. This will help you decide how you want to run and grow your business.
Fund your business and choose a location. Once you come up with a business plan, you will have a better idea on just how much money you are going to need to invest into it. Decide where you want to operate your business. Will it be out of your home? From an office? Is your home considered an eligible location? These are all things you should be think about.
Decide on the type of business. Do you want your business to be an LLC, sole proprietorship, C Corp, or S Corp? Each one has its own pros and cons so know which one is right for your business plan.
Choose your business name and register your business. Decide on a name that defines your business and then ensure that it is an eligible name; try to make your name unique. Once you decide on a name, register your business.
Apply for all of your federal/state tax IDs, licenses and permits. This is where it gets tricky. Research your state laws. Once you get your business tax license, you may find out that there are other licenses/permits you need to get for the type of business you have in that state and county.
Open a business bank account. There are ton’s out there so shop around. Decide between an online or brick-and-motor bank. Do you need to make weekly cash deposits? Is your product mostly sold through e-commerce? Being able to answer questions like these will help you decide on the type of bank that best suits your needs.
Get Business insurance! Protect yourself and your business!
Starting a Business in Florida, USA
- Swiftfilings (Easy way to file for a business)
- Apply for an EIN on the IRS website [Employer Identification Number] (If you are using a third party service like Swiftfilings, they will do this for you)
- Florida Business Tax Application (Sellers Permit)
- S Corporation Election Form 2553 (If this applies to you. You can pay a third party to fill this form out but, you still have to mail it in. If you know how to fill in the form, then just do it yourself. It will save you $)
- IRS 8822-B Change of Address Form (Any time you change your businesses address, you MUST file it with the IRS. Same goes with your State/County if you have a Sellers Permit or any other licenses)
- Sasquatch Mail (Florida mail forwarding service. You have to list an address for your business. You can use your personal address but, that’s not always a good idea)
- MyRVMail (Mail forwarding service)
- Good Sam (Mail forwarding service)
- Brex Business Banking (No banking fees and they offer interest checking. Brex has a great online banking reputation)
- Novo Business Banking (No banking fees; small business friendly. Just like Brex, Novo also has a great online banking reputation)
- BlueVine (No banking fees & 1% interest up to 100k; small business friendly. Great reputation)
- Florida Business Insurance (Protect you and your investment)
Web Development
There are literally thousands of resources out there relating to website development through coding, software plugins utilizing widgets, domain hosts, freelance web designers, the list goes on. I’ve put together some of the trustworthy platforms either friends or myself have experience working with. Find what works best for you and you’re business plan.
- BlueHost (Domain host; I use BlueHost; they’re amazing. Customer service is painless; I’ve never had issues)
- Shopify (Primarily for e-commerce; I have friends who use this platform and they all love it for eCommerce. All of the add-ons you can opt for can make it expensive, so keep that in mind)
- Hostinger (Domain Host)
- Elementor (Website Builder)
- WordPress (If your not using a eCommerce platform like Shopify, you will likely be using WordPress as one of your primary tools)
- Squarespace (Great for eCommerce and you get a lot of premium templates; they can be expensive)
- Etsy (I’m sure everyone has heard about this site by now. They are great for eCommerce and any small businesses)
- Fine Art America (Great for any artist and the yearly rates are surprisingly low)
- Active Campaign (3rd party service for integrating newsletters and mailing lists; your first 500 contacts are free)
- AWeber (3rd party service)
- HubSpot (3rd party integration service)
- MailChimp (3rd party integration service)
- Moosend (Another 3rd party integration service; this one is free but you can only have up to 1000 contacts)
- Zapier (3rd party service)
Other Tech Resources
- NordVPN (I use this VPN and love it! It does however requires a paid subscription. They are always running great deals though and you can literally get it for only a few dollars)
- PureVPN
- SurfsharkVPN
- ProtonVPN (Free, or pay to upgrade. They also offer an encrypted email service)
- TunnelBear VPN (Free)
- Brave Browser (Private & Secure Web Browser)
- DuckDuckGo (Search Engine)