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Startup Questions

Help, information and guide articles regarding Startups and early stage businesses.

Guide to Paying $800 Annual California Minimum Franchise Tax

California Minimum Franchise Tax $800 – What You Need To Know by Tim Donahue Guide to Paying the $800 California Minimum Franchise Tax Starting a business in California brings with it a wave of exciting opportunities, but it also comes with certain financial obligations. One such requirement that often catches new business owners by surprise …

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Guide to Paying Sales Tax, and Business Taxes in California for Online Retailers and Etsy Shops

Guide to Paying Sales Tax, and Business Taxes in California for Online Retailers and Etsy Shops by Tim Donahue How to collect and pay sales tax in California – for online retailers and Etsy shops Welcome to our comprehensive guide on paying Etsy and online store sales tax in California. Navigating the world of sales …

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10 Essential Steps Checklist To Starting a Successful Small Business

10 Essential Steps Checklist To Starting a Successful Small Business by Tim Donahue Essential Checklist For New Businesses: 10 Steps To Starting a Successful Small Business Have you been mulling over the idea of starting your own business but feel overwhelmed about where to begin? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. To simplify this process, we’ve …

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Testing and Launching Your Website or App: The Ultimate Checklist

Testing and Launching Your Website or App: The Ultimate Checklist by Tim Donahue The Importance of Testing and Launching Your Website or Software Application Launching a new website or software application can be an exciting time for any business or inpidual. Whether it’s a tool to help manage your workflow, an online store, or a …

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How to Start a Business in California: A Comprehensive Guide

How to Start a Business in California: A Comprehensive Guide Step by step guide to learn how to start a business in California   Note! This guide is intended for founders who have already validated their business idea … …and gone through the important steps to make sure they want to formally start the business. If …

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How To Find Investors and Funding for Your Startup

How To Find Investors and Funding for Your Startup Wondering how to find investors and funding for your startup? Here’s our comprehensive guide to get you started Starting a business is an exciting and challenging endeavor – and many new founders quickly learn that they need more funding to build their business.  Without an adequate …

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5 Important Secrets About Starting A Business Everyone Should Know

5 Important Secrets About Starting A Business Everyone Should Know by Tim Donahue Before starting a business, consider these important secrets for every small business founder It’s important to be prepared for the road ahead when starting a small business. In this blog post, we’ll reveal the Important Secrets About Starting A Business that every …

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How to Avoid Business Failure: Key Strategies

How to Avoid Business Failure: Key Strategies There are several key strategies to avoid business failure. These include: By following these strategies, small business owners can prevent cash flow problems, poor marketing, quality control issues, and other preventable problems that can lead to business failure. The Importance Of A Strong Business Plan And How It …

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How to Choose the Right Business Idea for You

How to Choose the Right Business Idea for You  by Tim Donahue Here are some great ways to choose the right small business idea Starting a business is an exciting journey, but picking the right idea can be tough. The goal of this article is to help you identify the perfect business idea for you, …

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When Should I Quit My Job And Focus On My Business?

When Should I Quit My Job And Focus On My Business? April 5, 2023 by Tim Donahue Small business owners ask: When should I quit my job and focus on my business? Deciding when to quit your job and focus on your business is a significant decision that many aspiring entrepreneurs face. The importance of timing …

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Guide to Starting a Business While Working Full Time

Guide to Starting a Business While Working Full Time by Tim Donahue Starting a business while working full time is manageable if you time it well What’s the right balance? It’s common to feel overwhelmed when thinking about starting a business while working full time.  Balancing your personal life, work, and a new business can …

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How to Create a Successful Ecommerce Business

How to Create a Successful Ecommerce Business: Your Ultimate Guide Learn how to create a successful ecommerce business – this post will bring you up to speed The goal of this article is to guide you through the process of creating a successful ecommerce business from scratch. With the rise of ecommerce, it’s common to …

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Main Components of Building a Business For Entrepreneurs

The Six Main Components of Building a Business For Entrepreneurs 1 Minute Overview > Detailed Steps & Info > 1 Minute Overview > 1 Minute Overview:The Six Main Components of Building a Business Every business owner MUST deal with and understand the main components of any business.  Here’s the quick overview for those who just want to know what the 6 main components of building …

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How Much Does a Good Website Cost? Pros, Cons, and Comparisons

How Much Does a Good Website Cost? Learn everything to get you started on how much does a good website cost – including pros, cons and comparisons Have you ever wondered, “How much does a good website cost?” It’s a common question for anyone looking to create a new website or revamp an existing one. …

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The Ultimate 10-Minute Course for New Entrepreneurs

The Ultimate 10-Minute Course for New Entrepreneurs Before you begin your new business: The Ultimate 10-Minute Course for New Entrepreneurs will prepare you Welcome, new and aspiring entrepreneurs! There’s so much to learn, so many decisions to make, and countless things to consider. It can become overwhelming – but that’s exactly why we’ve created this …

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Dropshipping 101 for Beginners: How to Start

Dropshipping 101 for Beginners: How to Start Here’s your full Dropshipping 101 for Beginners guide on what you need to know If you’re new to the world of ecommerce, you may have heard of dropshipping. Dropshipping is a business model where you sell products online without having to hold inventory. Instead, you work with a …

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10 Important Tips For Business Owners: Essential Advice for Success

10 Important Tips For Business Owners: Essential Advice for Success Give yourself a big head start with these 10 Important Tips For Business Owners Being a business owner is no easy feat, but with the right guidance, you can make your entrepreneurial journey a little smoother. In this article, we will discuss 10 Important Tips …

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How to Build a Profitable Online Business from Scratch

How to Build a Profitable Online Business from Scratch You can still build a profitable online business from scratch – here’s how So, you’re thinking of diving into the world of online business, and you want to know “How to Build a Profitable Online Business from Scratch”? It’s an exciting and challenging journey, but with …

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How to Bootstrap Your Startup Business Successfully

How to Bootstrap Your Startup Business Successfully Bootstrapping Your Startup Business: How To Do It and Why Starting a new business can be a thrilling adventure, but finding the right resources and capital to get it off the ground can be a challenge.  That’s where learning how to bootstrap your startup business comes into play. In …

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How to Create a Minimum Viable Product – A Step By Step MVP Guide

How to Create a Minimum Viable Product – A Step By Step MVP Guide How to create an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) – and why it’s so important when starting a business So, you have an amazing business idea, but you’re not quite sure how to bring it to life? Many entrepreneurs face this exact …

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Top 10 Techniques for Testing Your New Business Idea

Top 10 Techniques for Testing Your New Business Idea Testing your business idea – before building the business – is the critical step most new founders miss Are you excited about your latest business idea but unsure if it’ll work? Fear not, because today, we’re diving into the top 10 techniques for testing your new …

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What it Takes to Be a Successful Entrepreneur

What it Takes to Be a Successful Entrepreneur Learning how to be a successful entrepreneur:Do you have the right skills to run a successful business? Starting a new business is super fun, and also super hard some days. With the right mindset and skillset, it can also be an incredibly rewarding experience. Successful entrepreneurs possess …

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10 Fastest Ways to Start Making Money Online

10 Fastest Ways To Start Making Money Online There are countless opportunities for making money online, and many of them require nothing more than a computer and an internet connection. It’s important to approach these opportunities with caution and to be aware of the risks involved. Like any other type of work, making money online …

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Business Finance Basics Explained In 2 Minutes

Business Finance Basics Explained in 2 Minutes A Quick Introduction to Business Finance Nervous about the basics of business finance, accounting and all those complicated terms you’ve heard but weren’t sure about? Well, understanding business finance basics can be easy, and we’re gonna bring you up to speed on the basics – fast. We’ll break …

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What is a Target Market and How to Identify Yours

What is a Target Market and How to Identify Yours Target Market: The Foundation of Your Marketing Strategy Have you ever tried to make a perfect smoothie, blending various fruits and flavors to find the ideal mix? Identifying your target market is similar – you need to find the right blend of people who will …

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How to Get Customer Feedback For Your Business

How to Get Customer Feedback For Your Business The Importance of Customer Feedback Without customer feedback, you’ll never really know how happy your customers are. ” The best businesses focus squarely on customer happiness and continually seek feedback and input in order to drive their business strategies so they align with customer happiness. “ Customer …

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18 Helpful Books for Entrepreneurs Getting Started

18 Helpful Books for Entrepreneurs Getting Started Jump start your journey with this list of helpful books. These books are among the most popular and well-respected startup books if you check around online. They are chock full of wisdom and experience from many business experts, including business builders, venture capitalists, growth hackers, CEOs, and tech …

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Should I Begin Selling on platforms like Amazon, eBay or set up my own website?

Selling Online: Busy Platforms Like Amazon, eBay or Start My Own Website Instead? We look at the pros and cons of selling online on big platforms vs. setting up your own eCommerce site Starting an online business and selling online is super exciting. There’s no doubt. But it is challenging to know where to begin.  …

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How many sales should I expect? How many customers will order from my site?

How many sales should I expect? How many customers will order from my site? Average sales conversion rates If you’re a new business owner, you might be wondering how many sales you can expect and how many customers will order from your website. These are important questions to ask because they can help you plan …

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My Business Launched, But Isn’t Getting Sales: How Do I Find Paying Customers

How to Get Your Business Converting Customers to Sales What to do if your business isn’t getting any customers or sales Starting a new business can be exhilarating, but if your business isn’t getting customers, it can also be discouraging. To attract and retain customers, and begin  converting customers to sales, there are basic fundamentals that …

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Incorporating Your Business: Comparing The Main Business Types

Incorporating Your Business: Comparing The Main Business Types Comparing LLC vs. S-Corp and other business structures Curious about Sole Proprietorship and C-Corp? Let’s start at the beginning: Do you need to incorporate your business or not? If you are a home based business and doing something fairly simple it won’t get you in any legal …

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How To Be An Entrepreneur: The Ultimate Quick Start Overview

How To Be An Entrepreneur: The Ultimate Quick Start Overview You want to start a business – here’s an overview of the essential concepts you’ll need to know Starting a business can be both exciting and overwhelming.  Whether you want to be your own boss, make a positive impact, or generate more income, starting a …

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The Importance of Creating Systems Within Your Business

The Importance of Creating Systems Within Your Business It’s hard to understand how important business systems, processes and documentation are – until you see the amazing results you’ll achieve After you’ve got the business running, one of the most crucial aspects of how to run your business is creating business systems. What are business systems? …

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Can I Use Paid Ads as My Main Source of Traffic?

Can I Use Paid Ads as My Main Source of Traffic? The first thing on your mind after launching your business is “Where can I get traffic and customers?” Most entrepreneurs are tempted to run paid ads to drive traffic, thinking that this will result in sales and profits. But BEWARE, this is rarely the …

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The Fast Track Guide to Starting a Business: From Idea to Launch

The Fast Track Guide to Starting a Business: From Idea to Launch A five minute guide that will teach you what others take years to learn about how to build a successful business correctly. This is a quick start guide for those interested in building a business. This will be an overview for a person …

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The Three Main Parts of a Successful Small Business

The Three Main Parts of a Successful Small Business Understanding the components of each of these phases will help you get ahead and build a smart and successful business Starting and building a small business is an exciting and challenging process that requires careful planning, execution, and launch. A successful business consists of three major …

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Shopify vs. WordPress vs. Custom Coded Websites

Shopify vs. WordPress vs. Custom Coded Websites Comparison and pros and cons of using Shopify vs. WordPress vs. Custom Coded Websites When it comes to launching a website, there are a variety of options available, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. In this post, we’ll take a closer look at Shopify, WordPress, and custom-coded …

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How To Use Google Analytics

How to Use Google Analytics Overview: How to use Google Analytics and set it up on your website Google Analytics is a powerful tool that allows website owners to track and analyze website traffic. If you’re new to Google Analytics, it can be overwhelming at first, but with a little guidance, you can quickly become …

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8 Most Important Things You Should Know Before Starting A Business

The 8 Most Important Things You Should Know Before Starting A Business Fast track your business to become profitable and stay alive by follow these guidelines Starting a small business can be exciting and rewarding, but it can also be challenging and risky. Before you take the leap and start your own business, it’s important …

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Top Mistakes New Business Owners Make – And How To Avoid Them

Top Mistakes New Business Owners Make – And How To Avoid Them Some preparation goes a long way toward avoiding the most common mistakes Starting a new business is an exciting and rewarding journey, but it’s not without its challenges.  Many new business owners fall into the trap of making avoidable mistakes that can hurt …

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What Business Licenses or Permits Do I Need To Start A Small Business?

What Business Licenses or Permits Do You Need For Your Small Business? Every state has it’s own requirements but here’s the short answer: Most businesses will need a business license from your city or town. Usually this is done through your City Hall. Call them and ask how to get a business license. Basically you …

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How To Make A Business Profitable

How to Make Your Business Profitable You’ve started a business and want to make your business profitable. Here are some ways to get started. Running a profitable business is the ultimate goal of any entrepreneur. However, achieving profitability requires more than just hard work and dedication. In this article, we’ll cover several strategies you can …

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Find A New Business Idea – 10 Great Ideas to Find A Business Idea

Find A Business Idea – 10 Great Ways To Find A New Business Idea New business ideas are out there, here are 10 creative and effective ways to find a new business idea Starting a new business is a great way to unleash your entrepreneurial spirit and achieve your dreams. However, finding the right business …

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Do I Need To Be a Computer Whiz to Sell Online?

Do I Need to be a Computer Whiz to Sell Online? Learning to post, upload images, respond to customers and set up a payment account are needed, but you can learn these As an entrepreneurial expert once said, “If you don’t build your dream, someone else will hire you to help them build theirs.” Today, …

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Is It Still Possible To Start A Profitable Ecommerce Store Online?

Is It Still Possible to Build a Profitable Ecommerce Store Online? Absolutely!   But read on, because there are some key strategies you’ll want to know Starting an ecommerce business is an attractive way to earn money in today’s digital age. According to Ryan BeMiller, CEO of shopping cart review site ShoppingSignals, “Ecommerce is a …

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Online Marketing Basics: A Beginner’s Guide

Online Marketing Basics: A Beginner’s Guide Need to learn more about online marketing basics? Here’s a good start If you’ve starting a business and have done any research at all, you already know that that online marketing is essential for any business looking to grow its customer base and increase revenue. In this beginner’s guide, …

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Wix vs. Shopify vs. Squarespace vs. WordPress

Wix vs. Shopify vs. Squarespace vs. WordPress Which Website Building Platform is Best for You? So, you’re ready to build a website and are looking for the best platform to make it happen. With so many options available, it can be tough to choose the right one for your specific needs. In this article, we’ll …

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Most Popular Profitable Businesses You Can Start From Home

Top 10 Profitable Business Ideas Most People Can Start Before we begin – what you should know: This is a great list of businesses that you should consider if you don’t know what you wanna do just yet. But I don’t wanna make it sound like these are all easy because they are not. Starting …

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How To Begin If You Want To Start Selling Online (but don’t know how)

How to Begin if You Want to Start Selling Online (But Don’t Know How) If you’re looking to start an online business but don’t know where to begin, you’re not alone. The good news is that there are many different platforms and online selling websites that you can use to get started. The key is …

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What Does a Small Business Need to Start?

What Does a Small Business Need to Start? “There is no finish line. There are only mile markers.”-Michael Ventura This is really true when you are beginning the path toward building a small business. Also you’re not alone –  according to the Small Business Administration, there are nearly 31 million small businesses in the United …

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The 4 Business Basics Every New Entrepreneur Should Know

The 4 Business Basics Every New Entrepreneur Should Know The 4 Basics For Starting a Successful Startup Business Entrepreneurs know that starting a business can be both exciting and overwhelming, especially if you’re new to the game. With so much to consider, it’s easy to feel nervous and unsure about where to begin. But don’t …

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What Business Can I Do as a Beginner?

What business can I do as a beginner? Are there still small businesses that a beginner can start, without much money or skill? There are! Welcome beginners. Starting a small business can be an exciting and fulfilling journey for anyone looking for financial independence, flexibility, and the ability to turn their passions into profit. Whether …

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What Is the Easiest Business to Start?

What is the easiest business to start? Introduction Starting a business can be a great way to turn your passions and skills into a profitable venture. Besides the money, which most people are after, you will also find a wonderful sense of achievement and satisfaction. It’s really worth the hard work. What is the easiest …

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How to Increase Website Traffic: 8 Important Steps

How to increase website traffic: 8 most important steps you can implement   SEO Basics – A Guide For Beginners 8 steps to increase website traffic Should you try to drive more traffic to your website alone, or do you need to hire help? How long will it take to increase my website traffic?   …

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Who Is My Target Customer, and Where Can I Find Them?

Who Is My Target Customer, and Where Can I Find Them? Target markets! Target Customers! Target Audiences!  You’ve heard about all this – but what’s the real importance and how much should you care? Starting a new business can be an exciting and challenging journey, but it’s also important to understand who your target customers …

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Just launch! The Importance of Launching, Iterating and Improving as You Go

Just launch! The importance of launching fast, iterating and improving as you go • Does everything need to be perfect before you launch? • Validate your business ideas in public • Learn from your mistakes early on – get feedback from users • Build momentum  • Save time and resources by validating your idea right away  Most founders are afraid to …

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How to Find a Team for Your Business and Why It’s So Important

How to find a team for your business and why it’s so important How to find, hire and work with programmers, developers, artists, sales people and everyone you may need for your business • The importance of a solid team • How to find programmers? • How to find designers? • How to find marketing people? • What should …

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What You Need to Know About Raising Venture Capital For Your Business

What you need to know about raising venture capital for your business Initial considerations and main components of a good pitch deck How much money will you need to raise What exactly is traction and why is it critical when raising money for your startup  What are investors looking for in your pitch deck?  How …

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What You Need to Know to Create an Effective Website

What you need to know to create an effective website Important rules for business owners for effective professional looking web design   Your website is the “face” to the world for your business… …it’s often the first thing people will do to check you out and decide if they think you’re legit and trustworthy and …

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What’s the Most Important Step in Starting a Business?

What’s the most important step in starting a business? Don’t begin building your business until you’ve done adequate research and validation. The oldest story in the startup world is the founder who has a “great” idea and begins building the business before doing the important step of researching it fully. It’s easy to make this …

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