Change doesn’t have to be hard

Small business owners constantly deal with change and over the course of time realize it’s the normal way of doing business as a entrepreneur. Most entrepreneurs became entrepreneurs either from drastic change in their life that occurred, such as a loss of job, or from a need for more flexible hours, or perhaps they discovered a need in the market and went after it. These are all good reasons for change.

The thing with change is this: it does not have to be complex, it does not have to impact the world and it does not have to be difficult or painful. Change can be as simple as moving from writing things down in a daily planner to typing it into your calendar and tasks in electronic form.

Change is as much about knowing what to ask as it is how to go through it. What is simple to one person is difficult for another – this happens for one very simple reason: lack of knowledge. I say lack of knowledge but not in a bad way, in way that you had no idea such a thing existed in the first place or how simple it truly is. This is compounded by the fear of what might happen if you try something you are unfamiliar or uncomfortable with.

I had a discussion the other day with a business friend who runs a successful small business. We talked about reading. He hit the nail on the head when I told him I only read business related articles and books. His response was that in order to truly get perspective he reads novels – fiction or otherwise, they challenge people to think of the unthinkable, look at things in ways they may never have thought before and even evoke controversy with your beliefs.

This kind of analogy challenges me to rethink my reading habits. This means changing the way I look at business by changing they way I look at reading. It also tells me doing what I do best isn’t good enough, I need to be better. I need to tell people what I think and why I think that way so I can help them make better decisions through change.

This means coming out of my hiding place for the last couple of years and being that social person I used to be – even though Myers-Briggs tells me I’m highly introverted – that has to change in order for me to be successful at coaching you through this. I do this by making things seem very simple. By taking small steps at a time not one large leap. This is why I love my 4 for 4 program (read more about 4for4 here if you so desire). It fits my personality – focused, to the point and results oriented.

The under $2500 Start-up in less than a week

Sometimes, you just want to get started. Nothing fancy but something more than what you have today. You’ve decided to turn a passion, hobby or interest into something more. Where do you start?

Well, that’s the million dollar question and I can help you answer that. Let’s be clear, you need to define what your product or service will be before starting. This is a must. You also need to know who you intend to sell to or have sold to in the past and what it is you would like to say to them – describe your product or service, list them, have pictures and or testimonials readily available.

Next, you need a tax number. In Canada, call CRA and tell them you are starting up a sole proprietorship and want a tax number. They will ask you some basic questions and you will then be given an HST number. Some people might tell you that you don’t need one. I highly suggest that if you intend on making any kind of money (over $30k a year for example) that you get one now and start charging for it.

Set up a separate account specifically for depositing and saving HST. DO NOT SPEND THIS MONEY !! This is how businesses get in trouble financially. Operate on a cash flow premise and you will avoid this pitfall.

Now, in Nova Scotia there is this thing called Registry of Joint Stock. Here you can register and request a business name. In order to qualify for some government grants you need to be registered here. However, as a sole proprietor you are not legally obligated to register your business here. If you feel the need go here for more information: https://rjsc.gov.ns.ca/rjsc/ .

Now, you need a logo, business cards, website and email and maybe even a social media page. To keep this simple and within budget you can do a couple things – hire a company like trigve.com to walk you through this and set you up. or you can manage it yourself through connections you may already have, or a combination of both.

Let’s say you decide to go it alone – okay, good for you. Here is what I suggest:

1. ALWAYS buy your own domain name.. NEVER let someone do this for you and place the domain under their control. Once you build up your business it becomes exceedingly harder to get them to transfer into your name.
2. Buy hosting that auto-renews annually and pay monthly. As a start up, there is no need to incur costs up front when you can spread it out over time. Check out www.rebel.ca or godaddy.com for domain searches and hosting.
3. Next, you need a website. WordPress templates are the fastest way to get started on a minimal budget. You will need help setting this up. Call a friend or visit trigve.com to help you with this. You can find templates that can be modified to your business here: www.monstertemplates.com
4. Once you have your hosting set up – this can take up to 72 hrs for the domain to go live, be patient, you have no control over that, you can then install and modify your template, add your logo and content and start sharing the news!!
5. Hire a bookkeeper if you are not one yourself.

There are more layers to this, and much more you can do, however, you now have a web presence, a legal business and are ready to hit the road. If you decide you want business cards, work with a local printer like www.halcraftpritning.com.

It’s that simple.

Here is an example of one that just went live: www.alienlights.ca