So, you want to move past start? Right?
Well, you have come to such a post about this very subject matter. This post will go over a few key things to do once you have the idea in your head and put it into motion. Or once you pass GO!
Start where you’re at…
So the biggest thing you will do once you have this idea. You need to do a little brainstorming. Take your idea and start writing down anything that comes to mind about your idea. Doesn’t matter if it’s related or not. You will find it easier to narrow your focus. I will also tell you don’t try to niche down just yet. You are just starting, and need to get your website out there first. I repeat don’t niche so quickly. The point here is once your start getting any type of following you can slowly niche down. Most of the time you will naturally migrate towards your niche. Let it happen naturally.
Another tip is once you are done brainstorming your idea further, the biggest one is going to be having to build a website and get a few posts on there. This will be the hardest part of all of this venture! I assure you if you are using any of the better domain hosts and not those EIG group of domain hosts, you will have the opportunity to build a quick website. Honestly, I don’t recommend using them, since a lot of times they will charge you monthly for the service. To use fewer finances, I suggest just getting the domain, and you can either pay for a hosting plan or use an EIG for a free hosting service. I talk about Hosts and Domains in this post here. I go over a few things when dealing with hosts and what to expect. If you want a good host that can assist you and is worth the money here is my affiliate link for Siteground you will get a good rate since it’s their 19th birthday in April.
starting further ahead…
So you have a domain, your idea, a host, and now what’s next? Well, the first thing is to go over anything that you may not understand either with a friend or support at the domain or hosting provider. I would start with the hosting provider since they are the ones you will deal with the most going further and can assist you in doing a domain transfer and setup on the host. Hell, some will even do the setup for you for free!
Most hosting providers will also do domain services (buying, registering with ICANN, parking, etc) but their drag-and-drop webpage builder may look slick, but usually it’s only a one-page website and hard to scale without taxing server resources. WordPress and the free themes are what most use since they can be modified fairly easily and you have a lot more control.
There are plenty of resources to watch, read, and even get support by email and phone. Your best interest would be to learn something about setting up a website and domain. It only helps you in the long run, when you finally hire someone to take care of your website once you’re going to ensure things are working the way.
Business start…
This part deals with setting up your actual business. It is not too hard, just a little time-consuming, and can be expensive depending on where you are at. The biggest thing to think about is what to start out with. If you are planning on doing it all yourself or hiring someone later on, then an LLC is all you need. You can use your spouse as a manager, but usually most LLC’s you can be the manager and owner. Write up a quick mission statement, talking about what you do and talk about and your all set. Once you have looked over the paperwork, filed and awaiting your incorporation papers. You can then start with the forming of your business to where you can take payments (for deposits from affiliate marketing, donations, and sale of services).
A great tip for using an LLC is that it is used all over the world. In the US, there are a few states where the taxes are lower for LLCs and any S, C corporations. The only downside is that you also have to have an address in that state to incorporate. Luckily there is a new service out that does this for you, and even bulk mail your letter or email you the letters. As far as I know, you can find their ads on Instagram, and the service usually costs around 20 bucks or less. This is something that is coming back into fashion again. This was common during the late ’30s to ’70s to have a mail forwarding service or use an actual address for business purposes.
And another thing…
The biggest thing I can’t stress enough is to make sure that when you fill out your business formation, to make sure the address is correct, and use your full name. This ensures no issues with anyone with a similar name (meaning your name, why they ask for a middle initial or full middle name) since this is dealing with a state government and will be passed on to the Federal level for tax reporting reasons and the like. I will also mention that when you were brainstorming your idea, make notes of what you want to use for a website name. Using the online business name search tool for your state of incorporation, you can find the name you want to use, while cross-checking with the domain seller to ensure you can get that domain.
Domain and business names…
I wanted to say that this section, it’s rather important, but also not something to stress yourself out about. You want to think about a name for your blog, that will be available as a domain name. The rule of thumb here is that if your buying a .com domain you may run into where it’s really expensive, if you can’t find the .com domain that matches your picked name during brainstorming, try and look for a .net or .info or something like that. It would be cheaper, and usually, you can get your name without the cost, but also a lead on if the other more desired domains are available. Also if there is a bundle with similar domains for a cheap price, take them. It only helps more domains pointing to your site than having a few sites with the same name. Generally, .com, .net, .org, .info, and .biz are common and can be pricey depending on the name, how many characters are in the name, and the uniqueness of it as well. Keep this in mind when looking for a name. This is why a lot of business names are one word, and short on characters.
Start and keep moving…
So a lot of information to take in. A lot of this information is basic knowledge, but a lot of those gurus and coaches will not tell you about the costs, or the tedious steps you need to take just to register a domain or an LLC. It does take some money, but if you do it right, you will not have to pay thousands of dollars just to get started. Yes, it would make it nice, but you will find that running ads will be your biggest spend, but there are ways to offset the expense of high ad spending when using social media without ads to help move the analytical needle so to speak.
Something else that you may need to keep in mind. I wrote a post about fintech banks that goes over a few things and is best for those starting out and want a quick bank account for your new business and website. You can even use your EIN (employer id number) to set up the account and not use your personal information and keep your personal and business separate. This is key in keeping anyone from piercing the veil between you and your business.
I do hope that you have found some of this useful and I will keep posting more content about this subject matter and may go into more detail later on. A lot of the information that I have gotten was from researching and making a few calls to verify the information. Do the legwork and make sure you do research and do keep track of your finances. You don’t want to bankrupt yourself over a hosting provider, and building a website. You will want to be low cost as much as possible right now and usually you can get everything done for about 300 dollars or less.