When starting a new business, there are so many facets to consider that it’s hard to track them all. Fortunately, since we’re living in the golden age of apps and software, it’s never been easier to take care of these elements.
While you need to focus on the core components of your business, such as product quality and operational logistics, these eight online services can help you jumpstart the other aspects of your company. So, roll up your sleeves and let’s get cracking!
Create Your Business Model With BizPlan
Whether you’re selling products online or offering personalized services to your customers, you need to develop a comprehensive business model. While creating this piece is not 100 percent necessary, it will come in handy when building your company from scratch. Some core elements of a business model include:
- Customer Insights – Who are you selling to, and why will they want your products or services?
- Product Details – What are you selling, and why is it valuable to your customers? Also, what’s the profitability of your product?
- Growth Potential – How much demand exists already for your product, and how will that demand grow over time? Do you need to expand to new markets to keep your momentum going?
- Management Team – Are you the only one running the business, or are there other partners and managers?
- Marketing Plan – How will you market your products to your target audience, and what steps will you take to reach your goals?
BizPlan can not only help you craft the perfect business model, but you can get access to world-class advice and insight from other entrepreneurs and established enterprises. Even better, BizPlan can connect you with investors so you can raise capital and start your business on the right foot.
Create a Logo With an Automatic Logo Maker
When it comes to marketing materials, a high-quality logo serves as the foundation for everything else you may create. So, it’s imperative to have a stunning and polished logo ready to go as soon as you launch your business.
Before, you would have to find a graphic designer and request multiple mock-ups. This process took time and cost money, even if you didn’t like anything the designer created. Fortunately, you can use artificial intelligence to make logos much faster and more efficiently.
All you need to do is enter a few details about your company, such as the name, slogan and industry. Then, you can pick some colors, fonts, and graphics, and the software will generate tons of free logo designs. Then, once you find one you like, you pay for it.
Logo makers are somewhat limited in what they can do, but they’re excellent for generating ideas and seeing what your logo could look like on different products (i.e., shirts), your website, and social media. You can also edit and refine your logo, so it’s unique and captivating.
Establish Your LLC With Tailor Brands
Along with your business model, you may also want need to establish a business entity. This is how the government and the IRS will recognize your company, so it matters quite a bit. The primary types of business entities include:
- Sole Proprietorship – You’re the only person at the company, and that’s the way it will stay forever.
- Partnership – You’re starting a business with one or more people.
- Limited Liability Company (LLC) – You’re starting a business solo or with others and want a flexible entity structure.
- Corporation – You’re building a rigid business structure with a CEO, CFO, and a board of directors.
For most businesses, an LLC is the best option because it limits the owner’s financial liabilities and offers a lot of flexibility with how you structure your company. Also, LLCs allow pass-through income, meaning your business earnings aren’t taxed twice.
Filing for an LLC is super easy when using Tailor Brands. They can walk you through the process and take care of your paperwork. They can also act as a registered agent and accept legal documents on your behalf. Overall, you could establish your company in a matter of minutes.
Set Up an Employee Payroll System With Gusto
Even if you’re the only one working at your company right now, chances are you’ll need to hire some help in the near future. When you bring employees on board, running the business gets much more complicated.
Fortunately, Gusto makes it easy to handle everything, including:
- Employee Benefits – Build a comprehensive benefits package to attract top-tier talent.
- Payroll Reporting – Don’t worry about missing any details, forcing the IRS to come knocking.
- Time Tracking – Gusto offers a simple time-keeping system that allows for time off requests and PTO.
- HR Experts – Not sure whether you’re violating any HR standards? Connect with Gusto’s team and find out!
Overall, Gusto makes employee hiring and management so much easier than it would be if you tried to do it all yourself.
Build Your Brand’s Website With Wix
All new businesses these days need a polished and professional website. This site will act as your digital hub, allowing you to attract new leads, close new sales, and market your company aggressively.
Thankfully, you don’t need tons of capital to get a website off the ground. Sites like Wix allow you to create everything for free, then pay for the site once it’s finished. Wix can also host your website, so you don’t need to work with third-party hosts and domain registrars.
Wix has a simple, intuitive interface that allows anyone to build a high-quality site. You don’t need programming knowledge, and you can incorporate tons of features and tools to make the site as interactive as possible. While Wix isn’t necessarily the best for online retailers, it works for virtually all other business models.
Start an Email Marketing Campaign With MailChimp
The best way to ensure your company’s success is to market your brand aggressively. While many digital marketing options are available (including SEO and social media), email marketing is still one of the most reliable.
MailChimp is a straightforward email marketing platform that allows you to gather contacts, segment them into different groups, and automatically send emails. The interface is pretty intuitive, and you can start your first campaign in minutes.
We also like that MailChimp connects with your website and allows you to build landing pages. The platform even comes with analytical tools to see how well each campaign performs. Finally, the pricing structure works well for companies of all sizes since you don’t need to invest much money upfront.
Develop Marketing Materials With Canva
We already talked about creating a logo and building email lists, but there are many other ways to market your business. If you’re a bit design-savvy, Canva can empower you to create various graphic elements like:
- Business Cards – The best way to get your name out there is to hand custom-made business cards to new prospects. The more captivating the card, the easier it is for leads to remember your brand.
- Digital Ads – Running ads on Google and social media sites is the best way to generate new business. Canva allows you to create compelling ads that will get people to click.
- Print Materials – You can make flyers, postcards, pamphlets, and more with Canva’s intuitive design tools. While you need some money for printing costs, customers often prefer to have something physical to hold, rather than just a digital representation.
Overall, once you get your marketing creativity muscles flexing, Canva enables you to take your ideas as far as possible. Plus, it’s suitable for both beginners and experienced designers.
Take Care of Your Business Expenses and Taxes With TurboTax
Finally, running a business means handling tons of operational logistics, including taxes, financing, compliance, and more. TurboTax is your one-stop shop for managing your company’s financial elements. You can also use this site to help plan your business model and secure funding if you’re trying to limit the number of online tools you use to launch.
With TurboTax, you can take care of invoices, accounting, business operating reports, tax filing, and more. Plus, if you’re trying to expand your business, you can secure funding and look into new markets where your brand might grow rapidly.
Overall, when it comes to the back end of running your company, TurboTax will be one of your most valuable assets. As you can see, there are tons of online tools to help you run every aspect of your new enterprise. With these sites and platforms on your side, there’s no reason you can’t thrive!