So many people out there have hobbies that they enjoy doing, on weekends or time off from work, and some of them even dream about doing their hobby full time. We've worked with several clients who have turned their hobby into a business, and sometimes it might not be a full time business at first, but who wouldn't like being paid for what you love to do anyway. Look at businesses like fishing guides or skydiving businesses, the people who run those businesses aren't your everyday business people, they are people who loved something so much, they decided to make it their business, and since work takes a big chunk of your time, why not do something you love.

The first step in making your hobby your business is to write a business plan. It might not be a detailed business plan, but you need an outline of what needs to be done and how you plan to accomplish these tasks.

Including in that plan should be whether you're going to form an LLC, form a corporation or simply file for a DBA; your marketing plan, which these days has a lot to do with your online presence. Once your business plan is in place, you can hire a company, such as ours, to take care of a lot of the parts of getting the business up and running, or do it yourself. If you're going to be doing any of the tasks yourself, be sure to set up deadlines for every task. Too many times people will start something, only to leave it sitting forever, unfinished, where if they just gave themselves some sort of deadline, they could make it work. If you have any questions about making your personal hobby a business, give us a call at 866-999-8200.

Though it might only bee a slight increase, the National Federation of Independent Business are reporting that small business optimisim is up as of last month. Though there might not be any new hiring going on just yet, the trend continues to slowly move in a positive manner. This is great news for any small buisness because when several small businesses are doing well the trend seems to grow, even if it's only slightly. If you have any questions about starting your own business, filing for a DBA or forming a corporation, please give us a call at 866-999-8200.

We've touched on the subject before, but now we want to stress the importance of creating a website for your small business, regardless of your business type. As this generation gets older and the new generations are more tech savvy, ways of marketing your business are going almost completely digital. It's probably been quite a while since you opened up a big yellow phone book to look up any type of business, are they even in production anymore? These days everyone takes to the internet to search for what they're finding, and if your business doesn't have a presence on the internet, chances are your business will not be found other than by means of word of mouth. Because we're expanding our services to include all aspects of small business, along with our regular LLC and corporation filings as well as DBA filings, we're also now providing design services through our sister company, LogoBang. Should you need a website built, a logo design or questions about any type of design services, we're here to help, contact us at 866-999-8200.

When someone has a good idea for a business, they should take that idea and run with it. We've all heard the stories of people of all ages, from children to senior citizens, coming up with a great idea and making a good living off of it. Some people have dreams of becoming rich but they fail to realize that becoming financially successful is hard work and it starts with a good business idea. Because there are so many small businesses out there, chances are that there is one that does exactly what you want to do. It's important to set yourself a part in a way that's noticeable to consumers. If decide to open a cupcake shop, what is going to set yours apart from the Frosteds, Crumbs and Dots out there, all fighting for the same clients? It's important to have a clear understanding of what your business will offer that no others can, while it might be your service, most people do not encounter that before visiting your shop. Some may think it's a marketing ploy that should be avoided, but sometimes it's OK to have an odd service or item on your menu. Back to the cupcake example, Crumbs offers giant cupcakes, which in reality is just a regular sized cake, shaped like a cupcake, but it gets people talking, "I went to Crumbs the other day and they had a cupcake as big as a bowling ball!" There are many things to consider when opening up a business, such as paperwork like forming an LLC or doing a DBA filing, drawing up a  business plan and looking for capital. If you're interested in starting a business, give us a call at 866-999-8200.

When you look at photos of international locations, it's easy to see how big US corporations have made their impact all over the world. From McDonald's to Starbucks and one of the originators, Coca-Cola, it's hard to find a country that doesn't have some sort of presence of these big US businesses. While this may be discouraging to some wanting to start their own business, it's important to realize, that these big corporations, were at one time just like you, a few people with a dream to make it. Since they've made it they've also made it difficult to compete with, but it's important to realize that you can make it too, and that the big businesses are just obstacles that can be overcome by hard work and determination.

Although big businesses have the financial advantage, small businesses have the advantage of having personality. When you walk into a mom & pop shop, it's nice to see how your business affects the proprietors in a positive way. When you do business with a small business, for the most part you feel like you're important to the business, which is a feeling you can't get from walking into a big store like Target. Some big businesses do make an effort to train their associates to treat the clientele like gold, but it often doesn't come off as genuine, though there are some exceptions.

Though big business may always have higher profits in the long run, small businesses often have a higher profit margin. So it in many ways small businesses are not a bad idea. If you're interested in starting a business, whether it be filing for a DBA, forming a corporation, or forming an LLC, give us a call at 866-999-8200.

DBAs can be called many things in different states, counties, cities and parishes. DBA stands for Doing Business As, the term is also referred to as Trade Name, Assume Business Name (ABN), or a fictitious business names, regardless of what a DBA is called in your area, they term for the same thing, doing business as another name other than your own, or the legal name of your business entity. With a DBA you can be paid in the DBA name, rather than your own name, which looks more professional.

A good example is, if someone was to open up a store and calls it "Michael's Skateboards," any payment the owner receives will have to be made in his own name, so if someone was to pay with a check, it would have to be made out to the owners name. Therefore if Micheal Smith is doing business as "Michael's Skateboards" without having filed for a DBA and having a bank account which is associated with "Michael's Skateboards" he will always have to accept checks and charge customers under Michael Smith, his legal name. It always appears more professional when you are running your business under a recognized name.

Filing for a DBA is often the first step people take when going into business, it gives them a feel on what running a business is like. DBAs do not hold any liability protection like corporations or LLCs, but sometimes a business' entire existence is through a DBA. We help form DBAs in many states, please see our DBA page for more information, if you have any questions about forming a DBA, LLC or corporation, please give us a call at 866-999-8200.

Many people think that it might not be a good time to start a small business, in this current economical state. The truth is that it may be a great time to start a small business, especially if you feel your idea is going to fill a void for consumers. Whether starting an L.L.C., filing for a DBA or going all out and forming a corporation, recent studies have shown that small business owners are reporting financial improvements within their business compared to this time last year. While not all small businesses are showing improvements, many are reporting that they're doing about the same as this time last year, which is not a bad sign either, in fact it's great to hear considering the previous few years were on a steady decline. Whatever your business venture, we wish you luck, and if  you have any questions about filings, don't hesitate to call us at 866-999-8200.

You may wonder why some people choose to file for a DBA, or doing business as instead of a corporation or LLC. There are many reasons why people feel that filing a DBA is best for them, and one of the main reasons is because it is easier to handle than an LLC or Corporation though you can still have a bank account and do business as another name than your own. What a DBA, sometimes called a trade name or assumed business name, does not provide, is liability protection. For businesses just starting out they might not feel they need the liability protection that a corporation or LLC provides and just want to file the simplest form. When you file for a DBA, trade name, or assumed business name, you're not creating a separate entity but rather an alternate name, other than your own that you're allowed to do business as, sort of like an alter ego. While an LLC and Corporation provide that same privilege they are not as easy to run as a DBA. DBA filings are usually done at the county level so we currently help in filing for a DBA in Delaware, a DBA in Arizona, a California DBA, Nevada DBA, and DBA filings in Pennsylvania and we are adding states all the time. If you have any questions about DBA filings, LLC filings or corporation filings don't hesitate to contact us at 866-999-8200.

According to the American Time Use Survey recently conducted, Americans who have lost their jobs or have had their hours cut back are spending their extra free time sleeping or watching TV. This is alarming news as that Americans are not using the time to be productive, if there was ever a time that you should be productive the time is now, it will be important in the long run if these Americans used their time to do something better for themselves. Although many Americans are using this time to waste away, there are many people who are using the time for the good of the economy, by starting new businesses, even if they are home based businesses, it's important to keep the ecomomy going and moving. If you're interested in starting a new business or have questions about the ease of starting a new business please give us a call at 866-999-8200, we can help with LLC filings, Corporation filings and DBA filings.