Confessions of A Single Mom Entrepreneur: Great Business Links for Entrepreneurs - Part 1

Confessions of A Single Mom Entrepreneur: Great Business Links for Entrepreneurs - Part 1: "As promised, this is Part 1 of a series of links that I would like to share with all current and potential business owners. These are ..."

Great Business Links for Entrepreneurs - Part 1

As promised, this is Part 1 of a series of links that I would like to share with all current and potential business owners.  These are links that I found or were passed on to me by successful business owners and have proven to be very beneficial to me as well.  Since there are a variety of links, I have attempted to categorize them.  However, some sites may serve more than one purpose and I have added a short description of each. So, without further adieu, here are they are.

Website Development, Domains & Hosting

• BigCommerce (www.bigcommerce.com) - This is an Ecommerce web development site. If you are computer savvy and know a bit of HTML code, this is a great hosting site. The prices are very reasonable and vary based upon the number of products you would like to have on your site. This is the host that I use and I have been quite happy with the customer service and navigation around the site.  You are also able to connect your store with applications such as Ebay, MailChimp (for email marketing which we will touch on later), as well as automatically set your store to compare prices with sites such as Shopzilla.  Lastly, BigCommerce also allows you to integrate other merchant services with your store other than their own and you have the option to use their secure shopping until you find one that suits you best. Rating: 5 stars

• GoDaddy (www.godaddy.com) - I have found that Godaddy is great for a two-fold reason. Firstly, it is amazing site to obtain and register a domain for very economical prices.  The customer service is outstanding and even the most amateur computer user can easily migrate their current domain name from host to host. It is recommended that you purchase a .com domain for best visibility of your website. However, extensions such as .info, .org, and .net are starting to get more visibility and GoDaddy is actually running some great specials for as low as $1.99 for the first year. As far as web hosting, I actually was tempted to transfer to GoDaddy if I hadn't invested alot of time into my current site. GoDaddy has unbeatable prices for Ecommerce hosting as well as for their shopping security certificate; they will allow you to place a seal on your website as well as carry you through the process. I find this a very convenient site - a one stop shop for your website needs. Monthly hosting fees are also very competitive. Other great sites to obtaiin a domain name are: 1and1, Namecheap, Netfirms, Enom Rating: 5 stars

• Volusion (www.volusion.com) - Volusion is also another popular self-generated Ecommerce site.  I would recommend this site for the ones who are very computer savvy.  It does have alot of features and is a bit more pricey. However, I did find that it was a bit more difficult to navigate through it, as someone new to the Ecommerce world.  Volusion does make it easier to connect your site to social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Blogger, and the site templates are quite beautiful. Pricing or package selection is based upon the number of products you have uploaded to the system, versus BigCommerce where pricing is determined by the number of ACTIVE products which is a huge difference, so keep that in mind. Also keep in mind that Volusion has no setup fee, where BigCommerce does.Rating: 4 stars

• Wix (www.wix.com) - If you are looking for a great site with flash capability this is the webhost site for you.  Wix has amazing templates, especially for the artist, music producer, fashion model, or companies that wants to showcase many images.  The best part is that you can develop you site for FREE with a Wix generated domain name.  Now if you do want to add an Ecommerce function to your site, then you can upgrade your account. With the upgrade there are perks such as: the use of your own domain (special is a free domain for 1 year), no Wix ads, $50 free Facebook ad voucher, and a $75 free Google ad voucher. Rating: 3 stars

• Yola (www.yola.com) - This another FREE web developer and host site that I actually use as my information website. It is free with a Yola generated domain.  What I love about Yola is that it is simply a "pick and place" design and it can easily be integrated with applications such as YouTube, Genbook (for setting appointments), and flash.  No HTML knowledge is required and the end result is a professionally generated website. I mostly recommend this for an information site. However, Ecommerce can be integrated with Paypal. However, if you use other applications such as Google Checkout, this cannot be integrated. Rating: 4 stars

• Vistaprint (www.vistaprint.com) - Widely known as the place to obtain free business cards and other stationary, Vistaprint is also an option for web hosting. In my experience, Vistaprint is a great site for a starter website - the best place for getting your website and business onto the search engines, great free trials to help promote your business such as Google and Facebook, and great trials for tools for your busness footer.  Overall, even though there are pros and cons to a Vistaprint website, it is a great jump start to get your business noticed. Rating: 2 stars

• Some other great sites to consider are as follows.  I give each of these 3 stars, but it is all of a matter of what you are personally comfortable with in regards to ease of navigation, content, and price: Web.com, Intuit, Homestead, OfficeLive, Jimdo

 I hope this helps you start on you off your website for your business.  Keep in mind these are merely suggestions and the top choices by more than one source. However, there are many sites out there. Next week, I will post the top social networking sites to get connected with.

Confessions of A Single Mom Entrepreneur: Confession #1- : You can open a business with litt...

Confessions of A Single Mom Entrepreneur: Confession #1- : You can open a business with litt...: "I am very much aware that Confession #1 sounds like the opening to a infamous infomercial. However, as much as some may like to joke about ..."

Confession #1- : You can open a business with little to no money - Part 1

I am very much aware that Confession #1 sounds like the opening to a infamous infomercial.  However, as much as some may like to joke about these infomercials, the persistent ones have gone on to making nationwide commercials and are now big tycoons. But hey, I am getting ahead of myself.  Before the infomercials, and the advertisements and even social networking like Facebook, there needs to be a passion and a name that fits that passion.

So the next question is: What is your passion?  What is something you have so longed to present to the public that you love doing or have the talent for? And even more importantly, is this something that is not only profitable, but also serve as a positive impact or inspireothers?  One of the biggest mistakes in owning a business is to push a product or service without a sense of purpose or passion behind it.  Every business should have a story to tell; not just the desire to make money by offering discounts and free items. After the discount or the free items, what makes a customer return?  With that in mind, choose a name for your business that speaks about your passion.  Do you want to do business from home, online, or find a location for your business? In my case, I truly believe that I have been able to climb this ladder of success through God's favor.  Seeing that my primary product is wedding favors, I chose the name Favor The Moment - God favored my moment and I am using it to favor the moments of others.  I also chose to run my business online from home which in many ways, is very cost effective and blended better with my lifestyle as a single parent. Needless to say, your business name, as simple as it may be, should not be taken lightly for it is what will follow you, define your business, and the name that will be passed from one perspective customer to another.

That being said, once you have chosen your business name the next step is to register it in your name.  Business.gov is the best place to go for all your business questions.  However, I would like to highlight a few key points.

• Choose wisely: Make sure you choose a name that will set you apart from the competition. In fact, check to see if other businesses have the same exact name for some names are trademarked. Your county clerks office can assist you in searching for names that are being used and trademarked.  You may also want to do a search for names that may have an LLC (limited liability corporation) seal as well.
• Once you've chosen your name, you must register it with the federal government. At times, you may want to do business under another fictitious name. For example, my company is Favor The Moment, LLC yet for a portion of my business, I do business as (DBA) Favor The Moment Boutique. I find that this allows for versatility as you start to expand your business. However, make sure this is also recorded with the federal government for tax an liability purposes.  The laws and costs for registering a buinsess are different for each state and can be reviewed here http://www.business.gov/register/business-name/dba.html.  For the most part, the cost runs from $25 to $30 in most states.

• After you have registered your business name, it is now time to obtain a Federal Tax ID number. If you have employees, business partnerships or a corporation you also must obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN of form SS-4). This can be done online for free online at IRS.gov.  It may take a week to 2 weeks to receive your number. Call the IRS at 1-800-829-4933 for more information.

• Once you have registered with the IRS, you now must register with your state revenue agency.  For some states, your state tax ID number is the same as your federal tax ID number. Other states will issue you a separate  number. If you do plan to sell and resell products, you will need a Sales Tax Permit or Vendor's License and in some states both. Follow this link to get more information about your state. Also, there are specific information on License and Permits for each state as well.

This all may seem quite arduous but is extremely necessary in starting your home based or store front business.  Plan on spending under $100 for this process, which isn't bad when you look at the bigger picture and your dream is underway to becoming a reality.  If so financially inclined, some business owners have also hired legal counsel as they start their business which is also very useful.

Part 2 of this blog will focus on writing a business plan as well as determining how to file your taxes and bookkeeping techniques.

Where to start when your life is in a box

As I look back over the past year, maybe year and a half, I see many things; things I would rather not dwell on yet things that I know have developed me into the person I am today.  Even at age 38, I realize now that you are never too old to grow and learn more about yourself and your infinite potential.  Almost year ago, my children and I were in the midst of poverty and homelessness - stuck in a box, if you will, where I couldn't see past the four walls that I perceived as my life as it was and possibly would always be.  Nevermind the fact that I graduated with honors in highschool, was a college graduate in the field of engineering, a former musician, a full-figured model and successfully continued to raise 3 children on my own with no paternal assistance. To me, that was just someone else I used to know.  I basically made myself a prisoner on my own and reeked havoc on my self-esteem.  With the assistance of negative minded individuals I surrounded myself with, I was constantly reminded that I was never good enough or lived up to their standards.

Standards...what about my own standards...my own dreams, aspirations and desires?

January 1, 2010, while I sat on the couch in the living room of the shelter apartment we occupied, something just completely snapped inside of me...in a very positive way. My daughter came to me and said, "Mom, I want to go home".  This immediately had more meaning to me than the face value. To me, home was where I was way before all the turmoil began in my life.  Home was where my heart is.  In my heart, I wanted to be able to share a talent as well as a lifelong dream to help others know the value of family and the memories that help keep it together.  Coming from a rather disjointed family myself and losing my mother before I could even have the time to bond with her, I wanted to be able to have memories for not only my children, but for other families to develop a safe haven to know where "home" is.

I recall a song sung by Kelly Price and Karen Clark Sheard called God's Favor, where they say that "God's favor is more precious than life".  It is God's favor that should be cherished above any other. My desire and my favor was my passion for the wedding business and after many tries at a catchy business name, I settled on the name Favor The Moment, where I could use the gift that God favored me with to favor the moment for others.

As of November 24th, I have had my business open online for 7 months, acquired over 700 followers on both Facebook and Twitter (some, being notable individuals), have developed many long lasting and influential business contacts, and have been contracted for the next 2 years to make radio and television appearances with regards to wedding planning.  Although I consider this quite an accomplishment in a short time, my biggest accomplishment has been me allowing myself to open myself back up to the full potential God has favored me with. And now, I would like to share this with others so they can do the same.

Check out my next blog where I will begin to show you how I started my own business with little to no money as well as share links to websites that can assist you in doing so.