ENTREPRELEGAL BUSINESS STARTUP CHECKLIST WWW.ANITRIASTEVENSON.COM

Hey there! I’m Anitria Stevenson

and I’m a Legal Business

Consultant for Small Business

Owners Just Like You.

For the last twenty years, I’ve counseled and consulted with hundreds of clients and

helped them transform their business from an idea or struggling start-up to a thriving

business enterprise. I’ve done this by helping them build right from the start so that

there is room to grow without worry of potential legal woes. We have put a solid

foundation in place to ensure that they are an “official” business.

As a serial entrepreneur myself, I know that it can be overwhelming to figure out the

first steps to starting a business.

Maybe your business is still just an idea or a dream for the future and you’re trying to

figure out how to bring it into fruition, but you’re stuck on where to start.

Or, perhaps you’ve already started a business but never knew how or took the time out

to set things up formally.

If this describes your situation, this checklist is just what you need to get started on

becoming official!

This list will walk you through the steps to “Make It Official” and set up your business

the right way.

If you have any questions, visit me at www.anitriastevenson.com and drop me a line.

Anitria

ENTREPRELEGAL BUSINESS STARTUP CHECKLIST WWW.ANITRIASTEVENSON.COM

ENTREPRELEGAL STARTUP

BUSINESS CHECKLIST STEPS TO TAKE YOUR BUSINESS FROM IDEA TO OFFICIAL

Select A Business Name

Deciding on a business name is a major step in establishing your business. There

are several things that need to be considered when selecting a name. A thorough

search of registered trademarks and registered business names within your state

is very important. You also want to verify that there are no similar business names

through an internet search. The last thing you want to do is start out infringing

upon someone else’s intellectual property. Who needs that headache? Skipping

this step is a surefire way to immediately get hit with the potential for legal issues.

Select A Business Entity Type

There are several options when deciding how you will operate your business. You

can choose to operate as a Sole proprietor, S-Corp, C-Corp, LLC, Partnership, Joint

Venture, etc.… They each have their own pros and cons. Choosing the wrong

entity type or not setting up a proper entity at all can have very undesirable

consequences down the road. For example, if you set up as a corporation, you

may end up paying higher taxes down the road because you’re taxed at both the

corporate and individual levels. Or, if you operate as a general partnership, you

may be surprised to find out that you are personally responsible for all business

debts, even ones that you never agreed to. Always utilize legal and tax

professionals upfront. It may seem like an expensive route, but it is far more costly

after the fact. Entreprelegal is an affordable legal service designed specifically to

assist small business owners figure it out without breaking the bank.

File A DBA or Assumed Name

ENTREPRELEGAL BUSINESS STARTUP CHECKLIST WWW.ANITRIASTEVENSON.COM

If you decide to operate as a sole proprietor, filing an assumed name is a great

way to distinguish yourself as an official business. You can also use assumed

names as a way to separate different business ventures under your corporate

structure if you are set up as a corporation or LLC. Assumed names can be filed

with your local county clerk and/or your Secretary of State.

Apply for a Federal Tax ID (EIN)

A federal EIN should be filed for LLCs, any business with employees and is

typically required by most banks to establish an account. You can apply for a

federal EIN at IRS.gov.

Check Local Laws, Rules and Regulations

Your local city, county and state may have additional requirements in order to

operate a business within its boundaries. Always check your city, county and

state websites to determine if additional actions are required.

Open A Separate Business Bank Account and/or Credit Card

I cannot stress how important it is to separate your personal and business

finances. You never want to commingle your personal and business assets as the

consequences of doing so may not be desirable or favorable to you as a business

owner. In fact, it could open the door to potential personal liability, even if you

took the time to establish a separate entity.

Purchase Your Domain

Purchasing your business domain clears the way to setting up your business

website and matching professional email address (name@yourbusiness.com).

You can utilize sources such as godaddy.com or namecheap.com to complete this

task.

Develop Your Visual Brand

Deciding on a logo, color palettes and the general feel and look of your brand helps

your consumers readily identify your products in the market. Be consistent with

your brand design to maintain consumer recognition. Inexpensive logo designers

ENTREPRELEGAL BUSINESS STARTUP CHECKLIST WWW.ANITRIASTEVENSON.COM

can be found on sites like fiverr.com and upwork.com. You can also use resources

and apps such as Canva to develop your brand identity.

Create A Website

Design a website that reflects your visual brand. It does not have to be fancy, just

functional. Create a simple home page, an about page and a contact page. If you

sell products or services, be sure to include a product page with links to your

products. WordPress is considered the biggest online platform for websites.

However, there are alternatives like Wix, Squarespace and Go Daddy Web Builder.

You can also outsource your web design pretty cheap on sites like Fiverr and

Upwork.

Establish Merchant Accounts

In today’s world, everything operates on plastic. That’s right…credit cards and

debit cards make the world go ‘round. Therefore, in order to be competitive, you

must be in a position to accept credit and debit cards. PayPal, Square and Stripe

and all options that will allow you to accept payment form your customers. You

should definitely establish an account with one or all of these options to ensure

that your business is positioned to receive revenue. Most banks also have

merchant account services. Compare your options to find the right solution for

your business. FYI: CashApp and Zelle are not business tools! You want to be run

an “official” business, not an expensive hobby.

Set Up Options to Sell Your Products and Services on Your Website

There are many ways to sell your goods on your site. Depending on the platform

you use to establish your website, it may come with options such as

WooCommerce or a built in storefront. Other options include using Kajabi, Acuity

Scheduling and SamCart. Acuity is perfect for service providers that need to

schedule appointments. It also gives you the options to have your customer pay

for the appointment online at the time of scheduling. Kajabi and SamCart are

great options for those who offer memberships and subscriptions requiring

recurring billing and also want to integrate with other sales funnel applications.

ENTREPRELEGAL BUSINESS STARTUP CHECKLIST WWW.ANITRIASTEVENSON.COM

Set Up Your Social Media Accounts

Create accounts on social media outlets such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,

Pinterest and LinkedIn and link them to your website. Be sure that all of your

accounts match your business brand name and design so that your consumers

recognize your products and/or services.

Choose an Accounting Software

By selecting an accounting software like QuickBooks, FreshBooks, Wave, Zoho

books or ZipBooks, you will be able to track your business revenue and expenses.

Here is a quick overview of a few options:

1. Wave – Easy to use and best of all…FREE!

2. Zoho Books – Offers invoicing and a mobile app. Plans range from $9-

$29/month.

3. ZipBooks – Fairly new software with a free plan and unlimited users. Plans

range from $0-$35/month.

4. FreshBooks – Best for businesses needing a strong invoicing system. Plans

range from $15-$50/month.

5. QuickBooks Self-Employed – Best for freelancers, contractors and self-

employed individuals needing basic bookkeeping. Plans range from $10-

$17/month with a Turbo tax integration so you can easily file your self-

employed taxes.

Select A Task Management System

A task management system like Trello, Asana, Nozbe or Wunderlist will help you

organize your tasks and complete your projects.

ENTREPRELEGAL BUSINESS STARTUP CHECKLIST WWW.ANITRIASTEVENSON.COM

I hope the information provided in this checklist is useful on your business journey.

Feel free to follow me on social media or visit my website for additional business tips

and advice.

Until next time!

www.anitriastevenson.com

www.entreprelegal.com

“Make It Official and Build Smart”