How to turn your $600 Stimulus Check into a Business in 6 Steps

We are all about to get $600 from the federal government in the form of a stimulus check, I know I know it isn't what we received before, but it is something. Some of us are in situations where we need to pay something off or get a car or something that was needed, however for those who do not have it spent, what are you going to with that $600? I would suggest starting your business or at the very least set up the "structure" of your business. Caveat: I am not a lawyer who is going to charge you $5000 for a paralegal to file your paperwork, but I will show you what I did step by step to set up my LLC (Limited Liability Company) and my DBA's (Doing Business As) and I will also show you how to get your sellers permit and register for your domain name (website www.) and a couple of places to build your website. I will also discuss how where to build your logo and how to protect it.

Assumptions: You already have some idea on your business, scope or what kind of business and a name

Step 1 Set Up Your Business Structure
Look up your Secretary of States website (here is what California's Looks Like Click Here and do a "Business Search" to see if someone is already using your the idea you have for a business name. Once you are clear no one has the same name (now I will say if they are doing business in a different industry you might be able to duplicate)  you would then apply for Sole Proprietor, LLC or S-Corp (Corporation). i did the LLC because I have a home based business and I can write off several of my expenses including a portion of my rent on taxes. Total filing FEE in CA $70 for LLC

Step 2 FIle Your DBA
Once you have set up your business structure you need to register your business with your county and/or city or both. DBA is an an abbreviation for "Doing Business As" which means your LLC can manage your business so that your name is not directly attached to the business for liability purposes. This is where you use the name of the business that the customers will be dealing directly with, for example our LLC is Dreams Delivered which manages both Hairlivery.com and Medtoursla.com The local court building is where we file the paperwork (you do necessarily need to have an LLC to accomplish this, you can put it in your name , but will have to pay another fee to change it once you have your LLC) for about $26 and will last for about 5 years. They will give you (2) copies one to use to open a bank account and the other to use for a required publication you need to publish for several weeks (it is not expensive about $50) in a local newspaper (they will give you a list). Total Fees Application $26 + Publication $50 = $76

*Some cities will require you to get a business license and/or permit (depends on the type of business) which can add more cost

Step 3 Get Your Website Name (Buy Your Domain)
You have now set up your business structure and registered now you want to set up up a website and it starts with buying your domain or www.whateveryourbusinessiscalled.com. The most popular place to search and purchase websites/domains is Godaddy. The cost is usually on one or two year basis where you will see the savings on a two year agreement. They do offer websites as well, please take a look if you feel like you see something you like, might be easier to deal directly with them. If you are going to be serious in business you will need a real website so do not go cheap here, buy it a buy a good one.  Total cost of a website $11.99 for first year (You will get e-mail addresses with this purchase)


Step 4 Design Your Logo + Brand Colors using Canva
Now that you have your website you will need to fill it with your products or offer, but first you need to establish your identity which means you need to build your logo which includes also includes picking your brand colors. Canva has made it super easy for anyone to create a logo, click on this link here to see what you can create. You can upload photos, create logos, memes, etc. You can also create other marketing materials like flyers and social media content with your existing pictures, very easy to use, user friendly and if you need tutorial click here. Total monthly cost of Canva Pro $12.99

Step 5 Set Up Your E-mail List
One of the most important and critical things a new business can do is collect e-mail address of your clients and potential clients. One of the oldest forms of digital marketing but also one of the most best ways to interact and potentially market to your customers. There are 2 major players in this space one being Mail Chimp which allows you to have a free account for up to 2000 e-mail addresses (we like mail chimp). The other would be Constant Contact which is good as well, but I am not sure about the starter rate (free) so please take a look here. Total Cost of Mail Chimp FREE (for first 2000 e-mail addresses)

Step 6 Set Up Website
You will need to set up a website ( hint try to find one that offers hosting too, because hosting is a whole other blog post, lets keep this simple) through a designer (which can be expensive and sometimes a headache) or have one that you can build yourself also call a "plug and play" design which means the will provide you a template or the bones of the website and you will  add pictures and other relevant information. We have used word press which can be a little difficult if you are not familiar with it, if you want to learn how to set up a word press website click here. We have also used weebly which is super easy and they provide hosting, it cost around $15 per month. Total Monthly Cost $15

This is just some of the basics of starting a business, you will still need to do several other things to make sure your business succeeds. You can see we are easily under $600 for everything I mentioned above. I always want to say that my experience is just that, and is subjective, as your city or state might operate very differently. I am only trying to plant seeds of success, you all need to do the watering daily.  Peep the extras down below.


Extras:
Sellers Permit/Wholesale License is Free and usually issued through the state which is where you will also pay your sales tax For more information on how our (LA) works click here

Use Google Voice for free, you get a local number that allows text messages as well as sending photos. You can forward to your mobile phone or preferred

Learn about drop shipping and how it can be an option if you need to sell something but no money for inventory

If you want to protect your logo, business name, and phrases associated with your business you will want to apply for a trademark which can be found here

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