My Offline plan

Write up a business plan and find an Angel investor.

can i not just explain my business plan? no good at writing as you can see. i'll google angel investor now thank you.

jesus man... you may be in for a long road.. Do yourself a favor and try to find a private investor, unless you need big money, then your options are loan programs (of every size and shape) angel investors or venture capitolists, small business startup loan programs in your local area may be the place to start if you are looking for 100k+

look into sba programs, credit cards there all kinds of programs... but honestly, without credit, and in this economy, be prepared to be dissapointed in the help you'll find.

Not trying to discourage, but i've been there... im actually starting this business as ultimately a funding source to keep my passion projects going and be able to pay my bills...

Unless you have a professional plan with an undisputably viable product/sercvice, a handsome and CLEAR return on investment, competent management team, and exit strategy, with sound knowledge of the market etc... You'll probly get the run around.

keep the faith brother! Start by doing a swat analysis or similar and researching thoroughly to make sure you've got a viable product and idea, because if so, you are going to be putting a lot of work into this...

But persist and persist and persist and you'll get there eventually.

Start researching and find out if the idea is solid and feasible, and then start ironing out the plan... keep us posted.

Good luck, were with you.
Jamie

oh by the way ignore the signature this is a different plan. that was just a tester.

I hope you know you cant patent business models... if it is related to SEO or marketing it is more than likely that your patent request wont pass the first revision.

Hi,

You need to contact the business registrar in your locality. We have a county office in Orange County, CA that allows us to pick and register a name for our business for a few bucks. Then you have to have a business announcement in a local business newspaper for a couple of weeks. When I did this a few years back the entire thing cost me $50.

Bonnie

You need to have a concrete plan of what your business gonna be. Without that, you can't move on.

ctadvert,

If you are in the U.S. you can visit the small business development centers at local universities to get help.

Yeah, if you are worried about your business name you need to file in your local area. Search for your area's local chamber of commerce, you can usually find a good number of resources and information there regarding setting up a business. Also, it might be a good idea to register the domain name you want.

You should also check out your local SBA (Small Business Administration) for help and information/resources in starting your business. They should also be able to assist you in writing a business plan or at least pointing you in the right direction.

If you have some top-notch sales people that are hyped up about this like you say they are, you should consider the possibility of offering a partnership/significant company role in exchange for their complimentary skills if they have any. This is not meant to insult but rather just a heads up, your lack of proficient writing skills and possible inability to effectively communicate could severely hurt your chances at both securing funding and dealing with clients. Look for strengths to supplement your weaknesses (we all have them).

A partnership may also help your chances of securing funding if your partner has good credit. You can check out Prosper.com or LendingClub.com for another option of funding, though they do have limits of $25k and $35k respectively, I think.

Also, my last piece of advice would be this. Utilize the internet for anything you need to know or learn regarding setting up, managing, and running your business. There is a huge amount of FREE information and how-to's available regarding general business operations.

Good luck.

You don't have to show them everything, you could establish your business as a legal business entity. Probably an LLC., but you should consult a lawyer. Either way, your agreement doesn't have to be %50 ownership, give them a percentage based on their involvement level. 10-20% is probably good if all they are doing is bringing something important to the table. If they are going to contribute financially or take on a portion of the debt to finance than they will probably want, and should deserve more, in my opinion.

I would think that having a website will allow companies beyond your immediate reach the ability to find you. But, I don't know what your business is so I can't say for sure. Just consider that a website is always up and running and can reach millions at a time.

Also, I just wanted to suggest that you could trade services until you get going. Provide your service or product in exchange for the services you need to get going. Trade for a business lawyer, accountant, etc.

You'd really have to evaluate the potential partners immediate contribution and their ongoing contribution to the business. If all they do is help you get set up and then do little more than act as a salesman in the future you should negotiate a smaller share or maybe just a bonus or percentage of profits over the first two years or so.

What is their contribution worth to you to help get your big idea going? And, is this something you can just pay someone else a small one-time fee to do? What is it worth to you and what are you willing to pay for it?

Prior to just agreeing on anything you should consult a lawyer to help set-up the organization and to review all aspects. Whatever arrangement you make with your future partner should definitely be in writing including what their role and responsibilities are, what requirements have to be met before they get paid, etc. You don't want to sign over a portion of your company, have this person slack off, and then later come calling for his share of your success. For as much as people would like to live in a world where a handshake would suffice, people always have their own best interests in mind, and small misunderstandings can turn into huge problems.

I would suggest you don't offer up a figure at the first meeting. Discuss the possibility of working together and let them know why think this is a good fit. Ask them what they would need to become a part of this and what they would like to see happen. Then go home and think it over, they might be happy with 5-10% depending on your projected revenues. Eg. if you are planning to net a million dollars then 10% would be pretty substantial.

Or, another idea would be a progressive option. 5% share in the company upfront, after a year you can both discuss a continued relationship and if the company is profitable you can raise the share to 10 or 15%. Just an idea.

There are sites out there that allow you to raise capital for startups.

"Brains are the cheapest cut of meat." Cant remember where its from but its mega true. Forget investors until u have a proven concept. Find a way to build a piece of it and get it performing all at the same time working on a business plan. Use adwords to test ideas and concepts. An idea is worth nearly zero. Watch Shark Tank or Dragons Den if you do not believe me. Get one piece of it going, preferrably the most profitable then move on to financing. I have this million dollar idea too and only need a few investors but I took small pieces of it and implemented it right away and make cash from it NOW not 5 years from now. I would never give up the majority for that now. Neither should u.