Lenny got his business up and running in record time. He was making sales, building a healthy customer base, and enjoying a rather quick success only to find some visitors from his local municipality informing him that he was in violation of some major safety regulations.
Unfortunately for Lenny, it wasn't a mere fine, but he was forced to shut down. Lenny was a smart guy with a great personality.
His flaw in this situation was failing to find out about the rules before putting all his time, money, and effort into his business. You can avoid this by taking the time to get accurate information about your business.
Business is easy if you make it that way and catastrophic if you're careless and play it by ear. Making it simple translates into playing by the rules, and you can't play by the rules unless you know the rules. Each business and area has different rules, so it's your job to find out what applies to your business.
You have to keep in mind at times that you're dealing with different levels of government and may need to contact different departments. You may need permits, you may need to look into zoning, you may need to register for a tax ID, etc., etc. Then there are regulations for industries such as health and food, natural resources, product packaging, etc.
So to simplify this process, here's what I suggest: get clear about the characteristics of your business.
1. Write out exactly what you plan to do in your business manufacturing, retail, sales, consulting, etc.
2. If your business deals with products, make a list of them software, electronics, food, etc.
3. List the characteristics of your place of business you rent or own, you have walk-in traffic, you provide regulated services, etc. Now that you've defined a few characteristics of your business, you need to contact your local department that deals with business development and registrations and get the information you need. Many such departments offer products like home business kits and business startup guides.
To find the information relevant to your business in your area, go to your favorite search engine and type in:
Business Startup Guide City State
(e.g., Business Startup Guide Detroit Michigan)
or
Business Startup Guide Province
(e.g., Business Startup Guide Ontario)
or
Business Startup Guide Country
(e.g., Business Startup Guide Bosnia)
This will get you the information you need. Once you have the guide, go over the important issues and contact an official from the local department for any questions you may have and be sure to get the documentation to back up the answers you receive. In other words, if the person on the phone says that you don't need to collect taxes on children's clothing, ask for the section of the regulations that indicates this so you can add it to your records.
It's also a good idea to sign up for any newsletters or mailing lists that might be offered, so you can stay up to date with any changes.
Once you're clear about what you're required to do, then you can get professional help to complete the necessary registrations or you can complete them on your own.
Once you're set up and legal, then it's smooth sailing with regard to rules and regulations. The key is to know the rules before you start, not after. The only way to succeed in this area is to play by the rules from the beginning.
That's the way I see it.
To Your Success!
Acey Gaspard
Action Steps to Playing by the Rules in Business
- Identify what type of business you want to get into. At the very basic, identify the industry, product and/or service you want to provide and where.
- Make a quick online search for any city or state document regarding setting up your business. If you find any, download it and go through it.
- List any questions you may have regarding the document.
- Call or visit your local government department dealing with Business Development and Registrations.
Ask your questions and ensure that his/her answers are supported by existing legal documentation. Otherwise, you still run the risk of violating laws without realizing it.
Important Points to Playing by the Rules in Business
- Ensuring that your business is running legally should be one of the first things you do when establishing a business. Otherwise, you run the risk of investing a lot of time, energy and money on a business that might be shut down.
- Every business has its own set of rules so don't fall into the trap of consulting a friend or relative that runs a business completely different from yours. Different areas/locations have different rules too!
- It's not hard to find out the rules for your specific business. Simply do an online check or visit your local government agency responsible for business registration
[ Table of Contents ]
[ See Also : Our Business Guide on How To Start A Business - Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Starting a Business But Were Afraid To Ask ]
|
