Business Startup Consulting
Starting a new business is one of the most exciting times for all business owners. It requires so many different tasks and skill sets that few owners can adequately handle all of the steps by themselves.
We find it interesting that many business owners bring in consultants who have actually never started a real business themselves! Having a professional consultant WHO HAS SUCCESSFULLY STARTED MULTIPLE BUSINESSES before working with you, is golden!
Several members of our team have started their own companies. Many have been directly involved in helping companies start from the ground up, from franchises, and from purchases.
There is a LOT to think about and plan for and it is very difficult to do it yourself AND be successful. Since most startup companies fail to succeed, why not avoid as many mistakes as possible and have the best chance for success?
Here is an incomplete list of just some of the important items that must be handled with most startup companies:
- Business Concept (implementing a great idea is what it's all about!)
- Business Plan and Marketing Plan
- Business name, taglines, domain name, logo, graphics
- Business type (sole proprietor, partnership, LLC, corporation, non-profit corporation)
- Business license, sales tax number, certifications, registrations, licensing, memberships, etc.
- Financing (self, investors, SBC, bank loans, grants)
- Target Customer identification
- Copyrights, trademarks, patents
- Location planning, traffic analysis, building lease or purchase, vehicles
- Fixtures, signage, furniture, decor
- Insurances (liability, property, worker's compensation, health, etc.)
- Hiring strategies, job descriptions, management roles, pay scales, incentives, employment-at-will, labor Laws
- Timecards, payroll process, QuickBooks, outsourcing, Employment Law
- Website design and development, social networking, email system, blogs, Search Engine Optimization SEO
- Advertising (large variety of options), ad tracking to justify expense, ROI
- Grand opening, ribbon cutting, press releases, bulletins
- Business networking, social networking, B2B, community involvement, mixers, business associations
Need business networking opportunities? We run the Advanced Business Roundtable.
Want a great book on How to Name Your Business?
According to Gallup, only 44% of small businesses have an active social media strategy. According to a Financial Times Survey, 91% of businesses report that social media has no real impact on their sales. Tired of throwing money away? Let's talk!
Only 37% of employees strongly agree with this statement: "I know what my company stands for and what makes our brand(s) different from our competitors." This signifies a great opportunity for companies to engage and align their employees with the brand purpose in order to accelerate the brand's performance. This is critical in retail and service settings! Let's talk!
There are four reasons that companies hire business consultants:
1. Unbiased Outside Viewpoint for a fresh perspective.
2. Specialized Skills that aren't in house.
3. Controversial Decision Maker for politically-charged issues.
4. Temporary Help that's often cheaper than long-term employees.
According to Gallup, 68% of Americans who don't already have one, want to start their own business. But only 8% of these plan to start one in the next 12 months! All it takes is a mentor to help dreamers put the pieces together to make that startup business a reality! Let's talk!
Where we Serve
Our headquarters are located in Roseville, California in Placer County in the Greater Sacramento Mega-region, but we serve clients around the globe. Other regional communities that we serve include Antelope, Auburn, Carmichael, Citrus Heights, Davis, Fairfield, Folsom, Granite Bay, Lincoln, Loomis, Natomas, North Sacramento, Orangevale, Rancho Cordova, Rocklin, South Sacramento. We also serve key cities across the United States including Los Angeles, Napa, San Francisco, the Bay Area, Denver, Seattle, Simi Valley, Portland, Salem OR, Santa Barbara, Albany NY, Honolulu Hawaii, and Santa Rosa CA.