Originally presented to the Boulder Entrepreneurs Meetup

1. How to Start a Business

2. What is a business? A Business is a group of people who have form a legally recognized organization designed to provide goods and/or services to consumers or other businesses. Business is people centric. Organized efficient effort.

3. Why? Reason to be? Desire Lifestyle Necessity Write down your motivations Control of your time Follow your dreams Money See Opportunity Do what you love!

4. SWOT Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats Internal External

5. Determination Choose to succeed. Declare it. Look in the mirror and say: “ I am in the business of __________.” or “I am a __________.” Congratulations you’re a Sole Proprietor! No additional paperwork required. “ The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man's determination.” Tommy Lasorda

6. Define the path What kind of business are you going to have? What is it going to look like? Visualize it. Are you selling a product or a service? What is the benefit / advantage you provide? Who is going to benefit? What problem does your product or service solve ? “ Little by little one walks far” Peruvian Proverb Your business plan will include these.

8. Vendors

9. Clients

10. Strategic partners

11. Accountants

12. Lawyers

13. Technicians

14. Designers

15. Business coaches etc.... Determine who you will need on your team

17. Limited Liability Partnership

18. Limited Liability Company

19. S-Corp

22. Part time job or part time business

23. Credit Card

24. Personal loan

25. Savings

26. Angel investor

27. Bootstrap

28. Business sales

29. Venture Capital

31. Logo

32. Website

33. Business Cards

34. Flyers / Brouchures

35. Newpaper

37. Twitter

39. TV

40. Magazines

41. Billboards

42. Car wraps

43. Google ads

44. Google local Identify Your Target Market

46. Contracts

47. Fulfillment

49. Checks

50. Cash

51. Payments

52. Terms

53. Collections

54. Write offs

55. Accounting

57. Evaluate the Market

58. Compare Vision (internal) to Market Reality (external)

59. Invest / Grow / Maintain

60. Advisors

61. Board of Directors

62. Desire Scientific Method Compare Results to your Hypothesis. Change as necessary.

63. Goal Setting Meaningful and measurable Example: $XXXXX a month in retainer income 10 new clients this month Internal

64. Business Cycles Seasonal Honeymoon period Market location Market change Competition External

65. Where to Start / What to do next Startup Internal vs External Vision compared to the Market reality Maintain or Grow Plan vs Execute Steering the Ship Mile high view

66. Focus / GTD

68. Take Action “ The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” Mark Twain

69. Your not alone Mark D. Lusher Omnidant LLC 1035 Pearl St. Fourth Floor Boulder, CO 80302 tel. 303.731.6072 cel 720.940.6629 [email_address] http://www.omnidant.com http://www.marklusher.com http://www.prosperingnow.com http://www.mindscapehosting.com "Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage.” Niccolo Machiavelli