Table of Contents Before Starting Your Business, Ask Yourself:
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Why Should I Plan?
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Do You Have the Right Insurance Coverage?
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SCORE Client Testimonials
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3 Steps to Finding a Free Business Mentor to Help Start or Grow Your Business
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Meet Your Orange County SCORE Volunteers
Pg 9
Crowd Funding for Your Business
Pg 10
Align These 3 Areas of Your Life for Business Success
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Promoting Your Business On the Internet
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Local Chambers of Commerce
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County Clerk Offices
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Local SCORE Chapters
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Orange County Libraries
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Business Resources
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SCORE Business Advice www.ScoreBusinessAdvice.com Published 1 time per year. Advertising inquires: A&E Advertising and Web Design Edison Guzman: (845) 940-5369 Subscription inquires: www.ScoreBusinessAdvice.com Publisher: A&E Advertising and Web Design Editor: Edison R. Guzman Advertising: Edison R. Guzman Published: September 2014
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CopyrightŠ 2014 A&E Advertising and Web Design All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated or converted into machine-readable form or language without the written consent of the publisher. Articles express the opinions of the authors and are not necessarily those of the publisher. Please note: The information contained within this magazine is for educational purposes only. Every attempt has been made to provide accurate, up to date and reliable complete information. No warranties of any kind are expressed or implied. Readers acknowledge that the author is not engaging in rendering legal, financial or professional advice. By reading this magazine, the reader agrees that under no circumstances we are responsible for any losses, direct or indirect, that are incurred as a result of use of the information contained within this publication, including - but not limited to errors, omissions, or inaccuracies.
SCORE Business Advice 1
Before Starting Your Business, Ask Yourself:
Hello. My name is Edison Guzman, and I am the current Chapter Chair of Orange County SCORE Chapter #465. This publication was created to help you either start your own business, or help grow your existing business. This year, we are proud to be celebrating SCORE’s 50th birthday along with the other 320 chapters nationwide. We are all here to help you realize your dream of starting and growing your business. You are welcomed to call and schedule a one-on-one confidential, no-cost counseling session, so that we can answer any of your business questions and guide you on your road to business success.
1) What are you best at? What is your past experience? Do you have natural talents? What do you like to do? Are you a fast learner? 2) Is your idea a good idea? Check the trends. Google.com/trends, ThinkWithGoogle.com 3) Is there a big enough market? Infousa.com, google.com/publicdata, City-Data.com 4) Is there a need? Does your idea get rid of pain, gives pleasure or none? 5) Who else is doing it? Google.com, Bing.com, YP.com 6) What is the profit potential? How many products must you sell or service hours must you deliver in order to meet expenses and thrive? Is it scalable? 7) How do I fund it? Savings, friends, family, banks, investors, credit cards, etc. 8) Do I need to protect my idea? USPTO.gov 9) Build or buy? Do I build a business from scratch, buy an existing business, or invest in a franchise? 10) Partnership or alone? Do you thrive with others, need their expertise, or their money? Answering these questions is just the start. In order to really see if your business is truly a good idea, you will need to create a business plan. You can do it yourself, with the help of SCORE counselors, or hire someone to create the plan for you. Once you’ve gone through the business plan process, there are 7 steps to starting your own business: 1) Choose your company name. 2) Research and register the domain name for your company . aeDomain.com, GoDaddy.com, NameCheap.com
You can reach us at (845) 457-9700 between the hours of 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday.
3) Choose company legal entity (Sole Proprietor, Partnership, C Corp, S Corp, LLC, LLP, PLLP) and file. dos.state.ny.us/corps/bus_entity_search.html
We also host workshops throughout the year, so ensure to visit our web site, www.OrangeNYScore.com for the most up-to-date schedule.
4) Apply for EIN (TIN) number. IRS.gov
Take Care,
6) Acquire required permits, licenses, and file retail tax collection forms if necessary. nys-opal.com
Edison R. Guzman Chapter Chair SCORE #465 2 SCORE Business Advice
5) Open company bank account.
7) Implement marketing plan. ScoreBusinessAdvice.com
Why Should I Plan? Charlene Maurer Finerty Proper planning and monetary controls are a must in our personal and business lives or enthusiasm and excitement too often morph into unfortunate stories. Stories compare to jumping off a very long pier into smashing waves without a life vest not knowing how to swim.
important? I can’t do that.” Rewarding and repeated comments are, “I feel so relieved. It’s starting to look like a real business.” Why? Because it is a practice session, solving problems, making decisions and running a phantom business in advance.
your household’s life. I will provide a free Personal Cash Flow format to anyone who emails me with that in the subject line. If you have a business or want to have a business, PLEASE complete a business Cash Flow for the next 12 months and repeat for 2 or 3 future years. This is a budget showing money you expect to deposit monthly and expenses you will pay each month. The bottom line is the anticipated balance in the checkbook. It may indicate deposits need to increase or expenses need to decrease. I say Cash Flows are magic. I know you won’t believe me unless you have done them or until you do one.
Planning may suggest or force you to look for a better source of goods, buy differently, keep your day job and start the business on the side, then leap to full-time a year or two later. Maybe the location has to be smaller or larger, maybe rent instead of buy or vice versa, sell more or less. These are the “what ifs” of planning. On rare occasions, a Detailed planning flushes out ideas plan says, no. Better to find it out envisioned only in your heart and head. before spending tens or hundreds of It organizes fragmented thoughts, thousands of dollars. It doesn’t mean forces you to compile costs, develop don’t have a business, it just means do The remaining task is constant fair pricing, obtain insurance quotes and it differently or find another idea. vigilance - compare actual to forecast as spill forth estimated results. Planning months tick by. goals, sequencing timelines, etc. are not Recently, I had a string of speaking as hard as they are time consuming. A requests. One was personal finance. Charlene writes, teaches, critiques common mistake is not finishing a first Another, how to start a business. The business plans and sells a write-itdraft. revelation? These topics strongly link yourself class on DVD. together. You must manage your Writing and teaching custom personal financial life responsibly Contact at 845.343.1515, business plans elicits frequent before stepping into entrepreneurship. Charlene@PlansAndProfits.com, comments, such as: “I never thought of PLEASE do a personal Cash Flow. www.PlansAndProfits.com, that. Gee, there is a lot to writing a This involves recording what you know www.BusinessPlanWritingClass.com plan. I didn’t know that. Why is that and anticipate for the next 12 months of Small businesses frequently fail due to unexpectedly finding “no-money-inthe-checkbook.” Planning never guarantees success nor access to loans, but many failures can be averted by forecasting current or planned business cash flows.
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SCORE Business Advice 3
Do You Have the Right Insurance Coverage? Gregory M. Hogan, CIC, CLU, RHU During client interviews, my goal is noncompliance letter with a fine to understand clients’ risks and needs so attached. If you need WC, you most likely also need NY Disability. Did I can best help them. you remember to get it? By asking questions and listening, areas that cry out for coverage are Property - Do you have a building discovered. Many times the business or business contents that you’d lose, owner never knew coverage was say, in a fire? Does your lender require available for a need she didn’t know it to cover their interest in a loan to she had. “I’ve never heard about that you? Think about it, you may have before”, they’ll say. “Do I really need thousands of dollars in equipment and that coverage?” The answer is usually, inventory that could be gone in a flash. A few premium dollars today, could ‘it depends’. prevent thousands lost tomorrow. It depends on the business type, the business owner’s landlord or lender, Liability - Do you have customers even the business owner’s willingness come see you? Do you go see (and ability) to take risks. Some customers? Does your landlord require coverages are mandated by law, such as it? As a business owner, you have a Workers Comp and NY Disability. target on your back and people will sue Some are required by lenders and you. Are you prepared? If you are an landlords (property/liability), and all are LLC or corporation you may think you designed to provide payment should are protected from personal lawsuits. you suffer a covered loss. The Think again. There are plenty of cases paragraphs below highlight some of where a business owner was held these coverage types and identifies why personally responsible, despite being a they may be necessary. corporation or LLC.
during business use of a vehicle. Depending on the vehicle, a business auto policy may provide more coverage at a lower premium. Errors & Omissions - Do you give advice to clients for a fee? Could someone sue you for breach of contract? Lawsuits for bad advice or improper dealings are not covered in standard liability policies. Business Income - Will your revenue stop if your business is shut down due to a covered loss? Will your employees suffer with no income while the business is not operating? Sure, you may have property coverage to rebuild your building and buy new stock, but will the business survive this downtime? Business income coverage can provide the capital needed to keep a business afloat.
Employment Practices Liability Do you have employees or customers? If so, then this coverage is almost mandatory in today’s climate. It will Workers Compensation (WC) Auto - Do you have a vehicle(s) for cover employee or customer lawsuits Do you have employees, on payroll or use in your business? Do your for discrimination, among other things. not, and do you want to cover yourself? employees use their cars for your Gregory M. Hogan, CIC, CLU, RHU is Even if you pay your workers on a 1099 business? Just because the car is basis, you may have to cover them for insured through a personal policy does a broker at Hutchings Insurance WC, but too often employers learn this not mean you are covered. Some of the Agency in Middletown NY. Visit his web when it’s too late...after someone is largest writers of personal auto site at HutchingsInsurance.com or call injured or the state sends a insurance will deny claims that occur him at (845) 343-2148.
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SCORE Business Advice 5
SCORE Client Testimonials writing some credibility. I've incorporated What's Your Wheelchair, and am currently in the process of building my own self improvement course. At the course's completion, it will be available for retail online. I'm also interested in becoming affiliates with multiple companies and programs, but only those whose products and services I feel can truly inspire and motivate people. I am a marrow deep believer that if someone can see the personal power and self worth within themselves, they will be able to manifest all of their dreams. I walked into SCORE one year ago, introduced myself and said I wanted to open a small business because I needed to bring an income into my home. At the time, I had a business idea. After meeting with different SCORE mentors, however, all with their own expertise to bring to the table, we decided the cons of my idea heavily outweighed the pros logistically. And I had overlooked my biggest asset that made me different from a large percent of society… My physical disability, particularly the severity of it. My website, my book, the course I am in the process of creating and the ceiling less possibilities of What's Your Wheelchair, Inc. would not be in existence without SCORE. None of it. I didn't even realize what my personal assets where until I met with the folks at SCORE. I didn't have a bank account full of funds to spend on starting a small business, and once we agreed on what kind of business I should build, I knew absolutely nothing about how to build it. I was a good writer, that's it. I've learned how to create, maintain and update a website, self publish a book and am now learning how to conduct a webinar, which is to be part of my self improvement course. And after my self improvement course is completed, with the help of SCORE, I will learn how to create another slice of the endless pie What's Your Wheelchair, Inc. I’ve been working with the SCORE program for about a year. In that time, I’ve been able to achieve numerous things, the first being creating the website WhatsYourWheelchair.com. I have a spinal cord injury and am paralyzed from the shoulders down. The idea behind the website is regardless if they are visible or not, everyone in life has their wheelchairs. I’m a writer, and every week I post two new articles on the site, sharing my life experiences with my readers. My mission and my hope is through sharing my experiences, an individual can learn the importance of self esteem and self worth, which leads to self confidence. Without confidence, nothing is possible. With it, anything is, and you can make your dreams come true. The website morphed into a book of the same name, which I self published. The book contained all of the articles I had posted at that point, along with twenty five new articles that were exclusively for the book. The website and book were a foundation built to give my name and my
6 SCORE Business Advice
To simply say I'd recommend SCORE to an individual looking to start their own business is incorrect because it gives inadequate credit to the SCORE program. Being disabled, numerous free programs exist to help you get into the workforce. I've contacted and visited every single one I can find, and SCORE is the first program of its kind that has truly helped me work towards creating a business that will generate income. One of the best things about SCORE is if you are willing to work hard and do your part, the folks at SCORE do theirs and then some. You never leave the SCORE office with that horrible feeling of, "Where do I go from here?" If you're smart, you'll make another appointment with SCORE. To every individual I've come in contact with at SCORE, thank you so much for your continued kindness and unwavering support. You are all fantastic cheerleaders! Amy Alexander WhatsYourWheelchair, Inc. WhatsYourWheelchair.com
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Have a great business idea? Meet with SCORE! After multiple meetings with SCORE, I opened MedWise Billing in 2006. Once Affordable Health Act began, medical providers were retiring or merging with large practices. I realized it was time to expand my business. During 2007 my SCORE coach came to me with a personal medical bill issue. I decreased his bill from $106,000 to $22,000. Realizing the services I could offer, I returned to SCORE January 2012 and launched MedWise Insurance Advocacy. Since commencing the new division, my sales exceeded 100%. Thank you Edison Guzman at SCORE for coaching my marketing and advertising! Without you I could never sustain the amazing company growth. Adria Goldman Gross MedWise Insurance Advocacy, Division of MedWise Billing, Inc. B-845-238-2532 | F-845-783-1376 MedicalInsuanceAdvocacy.com Hach Technology Solutions, LLC has been getting advice since January, when I first started my business. How have my monthly meetings helped? SCORE:
Has provided me guidance toward people who specialize in small business insurance and book keeping. Has helped with web page styles, business Facebooking, ideas for email marketing and the best type of advertising for my dollar. Encourages me to try new ideas to get my name out there such as: writing articles and newsletters about my services teaching classes for my market niche so that I will be seen as an expert joining the Orange County Chamber of Commerce Gives constructive criticism to keep me realistic in my expectations. They remind me that a successful business doesn’t happen overnight. Leland J. Hach, Sr. - Hach Technology Solutions, LLC (845) 744-5908 - www.HachTechnologySolutions.com
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SCORE Business Advice 7
3 Steps to Finding a Free Business Mentor to Help Start or Grow Your Business In just 3 steps, we’ll show you how to find, develop and nurture a business mentor that will help you through the booms and busts of small business ownership.
Step 2 - Carve Out Time in Your Busy Schedule to Devote to Meeting with a Business Mentor It’s not easy for entrepreneurs to find time to meet with a mentor when so much is happening with the business that appears to be and maybe is, more pressing. But, in order to get help, you have to commit some of your time and energy to meeting with your mentor. It’s just like exercise—you’ll be glad that you did it and will feel energized when you finished.
Whether you’re just getting started, or are a business veteran and looking for answers, the following will help you find the right help for you. Step 1 - Figure Out What You Need Help With — and Yes, Everyone Needs Help from Time to Time Pick out the top three challenges you or your business faces—and prioritize them in order of having the biggest impact on your business success.
Step 3 - Find a Mentor you Click With There are several local SCORE chapters nationwide. Choose the most convenient for you for a face-to-face confidential meeting. If you can’t get to a local chapter, visit www.Score.org for an online, or “virtual,” mentor.
Answer These Questions and Create the Perfect Marketing Plan What Products/ Services Price
Place
Why
What products do What need does it you need? fill?
What price will you sell it for?
Why is that the right price?
How will products Why choose be distributed? these channels?
When
How
How Much
Who
When do you need it?
How will the product fill the need?
Product cost, volume to be sold, etc.
Who is your target market?
How long will that How will the price How much sales price be valid? develop over and margin will be time? created?
Different prices for different segments?
When do customers choose different channels?
How will we create or enter these channels?
What are the cost/benefits of these channels?
How do different segments use different channels?
Promotion
What types of promotion to be used?
Why choose these activities?
Timing: Launch, lifecycle, etc.?
How will the promotions be executed?
Costs/benefits of the promotions.
Target groups for various promotions?
Other
What is the market size of your market?
Why should someone buy from you?
When do you test different strategies?
S.W.O.T. analysis?
How much can you scale/grow your business?
Who is your competition?
8 SCORE Business Advice
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Meet Your Orange County SCORE Volunteers The volunteers of Orange County SCORE, Chapter #465, have rich and varied business backgrounds. Counselors share their business expertise and knowledge in all aspects of small business. In addition, all counselors have specific areas of expertise, which are listed below. To learn more about each counselor, please visit our local web site, www.OrangeNYScore.com. Volunteer: Peter Artusa Company: All County Window Cleaning Expertise: Business Operations, Business Strategy & Planning, Sales, Marketing & Public Relations
Volunteer: Harvey Horn (Former Chapter Chair) Company: Retired Expertise: Management, Product Development, Plastic Manufacturing and production
Volunteer: Paul Campanella
Volunteer: Lewis Kornish Company: Retired Expertise: Business Operations, Sales, Marketing & Public Relations, Supply Chain Management, Business Strategy & Planning
Company: Action Plus Project Management Expertise: Medical Device, Pharmaceutical, Food and Cosmetic Manufacturing and FDA Compliance. Project Management, ISO9000, HACCP, Global Food Safety
Volunteer: Eric Egeland, CPCU, AU Company: Capacity Business Consulting, Inc. Expertise: Feasibility Studies, Funding, Analysis, Business Improvement Volunteer: Charlene Finerty, Chapter Co-Chair Company: Plans and Profits, LLC Expertise: Business Plan Service, Business Operations, Business Strategy & Planning Volunteer: Valerie Gross Company: Orange County Chamber of Commerce Expertise: Chapter Support, Workshop Registrations, Appointment Schedule Volunteer: Edison Guzman, Chapter Chair Company: A&E Advertising and Web Design Expertise: Advertising, Marketing, Web Design, Internet Marketing, Graphic Arts, Workshops Volunteer: William Herring Company: Retired Expertise: Sales and Marketing, Manufacturer Representative, Mergers & Acquisitions, Wholesale Operations, Business Services Consulting Volunteer: Gregory M. Hogan, CIC, CLU, RHU Company: Hutchings Insurance, Inc. Expertise: Property, Casualty, Life, Health and Disability Insurance Broker
Volunteer: Bruce Lott Company: Lott Business Solutions Expertise: Banking, Financial Services, Insurance, Construction, Industrials, Utilities, Real Estate Volunteer: Cynthia Marsh-Croll Company: Orange County Chamber of Commerce Expertise: Business Operations, Public and Professional Organizations, MWBE Certifications Volunteer: Michael Mazzuca Company: Riverside Bank Expertise: Business Banking, Commercial Lending and General Banking Volunteer: Rolland Peacock III Company: TD Bank, N.A. Expertise: Banking, Financial Services and Insurance, Business Finance & Accounting, Business Strategy & Planning Volunteer: John Rosenberger Company: Goldstein Karlewicz & Goldstein LLC Expertise: CPA, Tax Manager Volunteer: Arlean Veve Company: Orange County Chamber of Commerce Expertise: Chapter Support, Workshop Registrations, Appointment Schedule
Call (845) 457-9700 to schedule a free, confidential face-to-face counseling session. We will evaluate your needs and match you with the perfect counselor that will help you start or grow your business.
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SCORE Business Advice 9
Crowd Funding for Your Business You have a business idea and need financing? What if you could connect with a group of like-minded people with funds to spare? You will have a good chance of getting investors, right? That’s exactly what crowd funding is. In simple terms, crowd funding means raising capital for any business venture through a ‘crowd’ of small investors. Is it Legal? Yes, crowdfunding is legal, Congress passed H.R.3606 on 3/23/2012. How does it work? Crowdfunding uses the reach of the social media and the Internet to make it easy for entrepreneurs to connect with potential investors. Add to that, the power of microfinance, and you have a capital raising technique with a huge potential. In simple words, you post a pitch online, use tools like social media, blogs, and word of mouth of publicity to spread the word and catch the attention of potential investors. Crowdfunding sites offer a powerful platform where entrepreneurs can pitch their business ideas, spread the word about their pitch, and connect with interested investors registered on the site. The Crowd Funding Advantage: The hardest part of starting a business is raising capital. Crowd Funding can make the road smoother. Here are the top advantages:
It’s the most cost effective technique to raise funds for your project. You get feedback on your idea, even before you launch your business and get a feel of what the market response is likely to be.
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Crowd Funding can also doubleup as a marketing tool! You can create a buzz about your business even before it’s launched. Crowdfunding websites can help you find a community of small investors to fund your business, without the risks of traditional financing. Some sites focus on funding creative projects. Other sites focus on meeting specific needs in the marketplace or community. Crowdfunding Websites (SCORE does not recommend or endorse any crowdfunding sites) 33needs. 33needs enables everyone to invest, make a social impact, and earn financial rewards. AppBackr. Appbackr is a wholesale marketplace for mobile phone apps.
users, corporations, and national institutions. MicroVentures. MicroVentures targets companies that are creating technologies, products and services in core areas, such as business products, consumer products, electronics, online technology, and more.
Cofundos. Cofundos crowdfunds open- PeerBackers. Peerbackers is for business owners to raise capital from source software projects. their peers — in small increments — in exchange for tangible rewards. FansNextdoor. FansNextdoor is a platform for all creative professionals to ProFounder. ProFounder is a promote and fund their projects crowdfunding platform for together with their fans. entrepreneurs to raise investment IndieGoGo. IndieGoGo offers anyone capital from their communities. with an idea — creative, cause-related, entrepreneurial — the tools to build a campaign and raise money.
Quirky. Quirky offers product designers and inventors the chance to bring their products to market.
Kickstarter. Kickstarter claims to be the largest funding platform for creative RocketHub. RocketHub is a community for “Creative and Fuelers” projects in the world. — those with projects and those who Kiva Microfunds. Kiva allows people contribute. Submit your project to the to lend money via the Internet to people “Launchpad” for fueling. in developing countries. Kiva itself Do your research and due diligence to does not collect any interest on the loans it facilitates. It is purely supported see which, if any of these services is by grants, loans, and donations from its right for you. ScoreBusinessAdvice.com
Align These Three Areas of Your Life for Business Success... Edison R. Guzman Whether you’ve started a business, or are in the process of starting your business, your chances of business success will increase when you align three areas of your life.
yourself these questions.
Once you’ve dug deep within you and truly answered these questions, you will be able to start a business that will be a Too often, we overlook the obvious when starting a business. natural success for your personality type. If you’d ask yourself what you’re passionate about, what If you feel that you’re not in the right business, or want to drives you and what are your greatest talents, you would start one with the best chance at success, take a few minutes probably be in a totally different business right now. and answer the questions within the spheres in the diagram That’s why it’s very important to take your time and ask below. It will deliver the lifestyle you seek and deserve.
When you run a fun business that you can automate and is scalable, you will be able to grow it to any size you wish. Your imagination is your limitation.
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You must always ensure that your mission is aligned with your vision in life. How do you see yourself or your business 5, 10, 15, 20 years from now?
SCORE Business Advice 11
Promoting Your Business On the Internet Edison R. Guzman The internet is no longer just about having a web site, it’s about being found online when someone needs what you have to offer. Your prospective customers may need you today, in a week, a month, or even a year. This is why when you create your online presence, you must keep this in mind and plan for it. When creating a web site, you can do it yourself, or hire an experienced company to do it for you. There are many free web site do-ityourself services available on line, and if that’s where you have to start, it’s better than not having a web site.
- HTML editor or web design software (Kompozer, CoffeeCup or Dreamweaver)
Photo editing software (Photoshop, GIMP) Audio recording and editing software (Audacity – audacity.sourceforge.net)
Video Camera or Web Cam
Video ripping, editing and converting software (AVSMedia.com)
Screen Capturing Software (Camtasia by Techsmith.com)
These tools will allow you to create Just keep in mind that your web site an online presence, accept credit card payments, keep your web site up-torepresents you, your product and/or date, add audio, add video and make services and your overall business. If your company look as professional as you design it poorly, it will reflect possible. badly on you. These are the basic tools you need when creating your web site:
Domain name (aeDomain.com)
Hosting account (GVOToolKit.com)
Web site (HTML or CMS such as Wordpress)
Email marketing system (GVOToolKit.com)
Merchant account (Local bank, PayPal.com, AcceptCreditCardsNow.biz)
Advanced users: - FTP software (filezilla-project.org)
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You can learn to use all of these tools by watching online tutorials, educational videos or becoming a member of educational web sites such as www.BusinessU.co.
6. Social Media Marketing 7. Email marketing 8. Joint ventures 9. Affiliate marketing 10. Video marketing 11. Banner advertising 12. Article marketing 13. Solo ads 14. Co-op ads 15. Blog posting 16. Webinars 17. Teleseminars 18. Forum marketing 19. Product reviews 20. Testimonials There are dozens of ways to get traffic to your web site. You simply need to start a campaign and test your way to success.
If you don’t have the time, but you have the budget, then I suggest you hire someone that can do this for you, so Once you’ve created your web site, that you don’t waste too much time and you need to get people to see it. You do money. this by driving traffic with specific In business, you’re either investing internet marketing strategies. time in growing your business, or Here are 20 ways to do this: investing money. You choose which gives you the best ROI. 1. Pay-Per-Click advertising 2. Search engine optimization 3. Search engine marketing 4. Blogging 5. Online Press releases
Edison Guzman is owner of A&E Advertising and Web Design, and founder of hvBiz.com. He can be found at (845) 940-5369. His web site address is www.aeAdvertising.com. ScoreBusinessAdvice.com
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SCORE Business Advice 13
Local Chambers of Commerce Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce One Civic Center Plaza Poughkeepsie NY 12601 dcrcoc.org (845) 454-1700 Goshen Chamber of Commerce 223 Main St. P.O. Box 506 Goshen NY 10924 GoshenNYChamber.com (845) 294-7741 Greater Monroe Chamber of Commerce 787 Route 17M # 0330 Monroe NY 10949-0330 gmcoc.com (845)475-8686 New Paltz Chamber of Commerce 257 Main Street New Paltz NY 12561 NewpaltzChamber.org (845) 255-0243
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Orange County Chamber of Commerce 30 Scott's Corners Drive Montgomery NY 12549 OrangeNY.com (845) 457-9700
The Business Council of Westchester 108 Corporate Park Drive, Suite 101 White Plains NY 10604 WestchesterNY.org (914) 948-2110
Putnam County Chamber of Commerce 953 South Lake Blvd. Mahopac, NY 10541 PutnamChamberNY.org (845) 228-8595
Tri-State Chamber of Commerce 5 S. Broome St. P.O. Box 121 Port Jervis NY 12771 TriStateChamber.org (845) 856-6694
Rockland Business Association One Blue Hill Plaza, P.O. Box 1567 Pearl River NY 10965 RocklandBusiness.org (845) 735-2100
Ulster County Regional Chamber of Commerce 214 Fair Street Kingston NY 12401 UlsterChamber.org (845) 338-5100
Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce P.O. Box 405 Mongaup Valley NY 12762 Catskills.com (845) 791-4200
Warwick Valley Chamber of Commerce South Street Caboose, P.O. Box 202 Warwick NY 10990 WarwickCC.org (845) 986-2720
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County Clerk Offices
Local SCORE Chapters
If you’d like to start your own business as a sole proprietor or partnership, you must file with your local county clerk’s office. Below are seven local county clerk’s offices within the Hudson Valley. You must file a Business Certificate for each county you wish to do business within. Visit each county’s web site in order to download a copy of the blank Business Certificate.
Dutchess - Chapter: 59 1 Civic Center Plaza Rm. 400 Poughkeepsie, NY 10261 Phone: (845) 454-1700 x1021 Fax: (845) 454-1702 Web: dutchess.score.org
Dutchess County Dutchess County Clerk 22 Market Street Poughkeepsie, NY 12601 Phone: (845) 486-2120 Fax: (845) 486-2138 Web: www.co.dutchess.ny.us
Sullivan County Sullivan County Clerk 100 North Street Monticello, NY 12701 Phone: (845) 807-0411 Web: www.co.sullivan.ny.us
Orange County Orange County Clerk Parry Building 4 Glenmere Cove Road Goshen, NY 10924 Phone: (845) 291-4000 Web: www.co.orange.ny.us
Ulster County Ulster County Clerk's office. 244 Fair Street Kingston, NY 12402 Phone: (845) 340-3288 Fax: (845) 340-3299 Web: ulstercountyny.gov/countyclerk
Putnam County Putnam County Office Building 40 Gleneida Avenue, Room 100 Carmel, NY 10512 Phone: (845) 808-1142 Web: www.putnamcountyny.com
Westchester County 110 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Room 330 White Plains, NY 10601 Phone: (914) 995-3070 Web: www.westchesterclerk.com
Rockland County Rockland County Courthouse 1 South Main Street, Suite 100 New City, NY 10956 Telephone (845) 638-5070 Fax (845) 638-5647 Web: www.rocklandcountyclerk.com
Orange County Libraries Central Valley: woodburylibraryocny.org Chester: rcls.org/chs Cornwall: cornwallpubliclibrary.org Florida: floridapubliclibrary.org Goshen: goshenpubliclibrary.org Greenwood Lake: gwllibrary.org Highland Falls: rcls.org/hfl Highland Mills: woodburylibraryocny.org Middletown: thrall.org ScoreBusinessAdvice.com
Monroe: monroelibrary.org Montgomery: rcls.org/mng Newburgh: newburghlibrary.org Pine Bush: pinebushlibrary.com Port Jervis: portjervislibrary.org Tuxedo Park: tuxedoparklibrary.org Walden: waldenlibrary.org Warwick: albertwisnerlibrary.org Washingtonville: moffatlibrary.org
Orange - Chapter: 465 30 Scott's Corner Drive Montgomery, NY 12549 Phone: (845) 457-9700 Fax: (845) 457-8799 Web: www.OrangeNYScore.com Putnam - Chapter: 678 110 Old Route 6 Room 8, Building 3 Carmel, NY 10512 Phone: (845) 225-6030 Fax: (845) 225-0311 Web: www.PutnamScore.org Rockland - Chapter: 677 Rockland Community College Rm 6102G Brucker Hall 145 College Road Suffern, NY 10901 Phone: (845) 426-1206 Web: www.RocklandScore.org Sullivan - Chapter: 697 c/o Sullivan County Partnership 198 Bridgeville Road Monticello, NY 12701 Phone: 845.343.1515 www.SullivanCounty.Score.org Ulster - Chapter: 533 1 Development Court, Rm. 101 Kingston, NY 12401 Phone: (845) 339-0468 Fax: (845) 339-0780 Web: ulster.score.org Westchester - Chapter: 306 120 Bloomingdale Road White Plains, NY 10605 Phone: (914) 948-3907 Fax: (914) 948-4645 Web: www.ScoreWestchester.com SCORE Business Advice 15
Business Resources BBB (Better Business Bureau) www.bbb.org BBB is the resource to turn to for objective, unbiased information on businesses. Their network of BBBs allows them to monitor and take action on thousands of business issues affecting consumers at any given time.
Business Resources in NYS business.usa.gov Just about anything you want to know about running a business, including a searchable database of available grants and financial resources for your business. Corporation and Business Entity Database Search www.dos.state.ny.us/corps/ bus_entity_search.html See if your company’s name is available before you incorporate. Corporation filing information, fees, and publications www.dos.state.ny.us/corps/ dom_busfile.html NYS filing fees when incorporating your business. Federal Business Opportunities www.fbo.gov Federal agencies are mandated to advertise on this site. You can download the solicitations that you are interested in, and receive emails on types of work that you are interested in.
Internet Tools and Resources www.GVOToolkit.com Tools needed to get your business on the Internet. Hosting, company email accounts, video conferencing, email marketing, video hosting, domain name and more. Build your own website with these tools. IRS Web Site www.IRS.gov Find all related issues with US Federal taxes. Minority and Women Owned Business Development www.esd.ny.gov/MWBE.html You will find information related to the certification process, resources for technical assistance, access to capital, contract opportunities, MWBE Events, and a vendor registry search tool to help you find New York State certified MWBEs. NYS Department of Labor www.labor.ny.gov Have employee questions? This is the place to answer anything and everything which has to do with labor laws within NYS. NY State Web Site www.dos.ny.gov Everything you need to know about doing business in NYS can be found within this web site including taxation and finance.
Government Loan Programs www.GovLoans.gov A comprehensive list of all Government loan programs, and how they can financially help you start or grow your business.
NYS Online Permit Assistance and Licensing www.nys-opal.com If you want to start a new business or expand your current business, this site will help you find the New York State business permits you may need.
Grant Programs www.Grants.gov Free listing of all available government grant programs.
Official U.S. Internet Gateway www.usa.gov This is the official home page to all of government.
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SCORE “Counselors to America’s Small Business” www.Score.org Main web site which contains many business resources, business templates, examples, and online counseling. Small Business Administration – www.sba.gov The official SBA web site offering programs and services that will help you start, grow and succeed in business. U.S. Disability Programs and Services
www.disability.gov The federal government website for comprehensive information about disability-related programs, services, policies, laws and regulations.
US Patent and Trademark www.uspto.gov An agency of the department of commerce. Just about everything you need to know about protecting your invention and more, can be found on this site. Veterans www.sba.gov/vets The Office of Veterans Business Development's mission is to maximize the availability, applicability and usability of all administration small business programs for Veterans, ServiceDisabled Veterans, Reserve Component Members, and their Dependents or Survivors. Women Business Owners www.WomenBiz.gov Federal contracting opportunities for women-owned small businesses (WOSBs) .
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