FREE Business Start-up Checklist [ With 15+ Samples ]

People who are working in a company or working for a particular boss is often called a corporate slave. This comes with the thought that you work for an individual or company who gets wealthy and successful, while you remain a slave worker. This is what most people think it is. That is why a lot of these so-called corporate slaves work hard, save, and decide on a business plan so that they can open or start their own businesses in the future.

Easy as it may seem, but starting a business is never easy. Aside from being hardworking and having all the needed funds to support a business, you also need to have knowledge on how starting a business works. One important tool that you can use to help you with starting up your business is a business start-up checklist. This checklist is truly helpful as it can guide you through the things that you need and must comply when starting your business.

In this article are different business start-up samples and business start-up templates that can definitely help you organize your business. Different samples are available to meet your needs with different types of businesses. You can download these samples and use them as your own. So what are you waiting for? Download now!

Small Business BC Starting Your Business Checklist

My New Business Start-up Checklist

Starting Your Business Checklist

Owner’s Checklist for Starting a New Business

How Do You Start a Business?

How you can start a business largely depends on the type of business you want yourself to get into. But it is best to start small and grow your business later on. That is only a piece of advice, and whatever you want to do is still up to you. But we will still be providing you with some helpful ways on how you can start your business.

• Do you have any idea what kind of business you want? This is the first step that you should think of and brainstorm if you plan on starting your own business. You should also be doing a lot of research. Researching will save you from a lot of unexpected and unwanted things that are related to starting up a business.
• After careful thought and brainstorming, you now have come up with a business idea. The thing that you need to do next is to make a business plan. What is a business plan? It serves as your guide on where your business is going as well as the potential risks your company is going to face, and how you will be able to sustain your company.
• Do you have more than enough funds to start your business? Ask yourself this question. If your answer is yes, then you’re good. If your answer is no, you might want to find ways on how you can achieve this.
• You also need to plan all of your finances. This is an important part of preparing for starting up a business. Once your financial plan goes wrong, your business might possibly go down. You just don’t want this to happen You worked so hard just to be able to start up your business and there is no way that you possibly want it to go down. So you know what you need to do and that is to create a financial plan.
• Choose the business structure that you want to venture in. This will influence the name that you will have for your business, as well as the ownership for your business. It is best that you consult an attorney or a professional regarding this matter so that you will be able to choose the business structure that is right for you, and one that will fit your needs.
• When starting a business, it is also important that you pick a good and catchy business name, one that will get the people’s attention. It can also be something that lets your friends or relatives know that it is your business.
• Once you have selected your business name, check out if it has already been registered or trademarked by another business. If the business name you have selected has been used already by another entity, you will need to choose a different one and check if it is available.
• Then have your business name registered either with your state clerk or county clerk. Registering your business means that you are doing a legal business. But you’re still not done with legalizing everything. You will need to comply with all the required paperwork.
• Now you need to do the rest of the paperwork. Completing the required paperwork will let you get your business permit to be able to legally run or operate your business. Make your research about what is required for the type of business you will be putting up. You can also check the department in your area that is responsible for handling business registrations and business permits.
• Have an accounting system put in place. This will help you throughout running your business. You can even hire an accountant for this sole purpose. Although it may be an additional expense, having an accounting system set will largely benefit your business in terms of the finances. You will be able to keep track of your expenses and earnings so that you won’t have to bother where did what go.
• Choose the best location for your business. Of course, you wouldn’t want to put your business in a really shady place or a hidden place. Who would buy from your business if they don’t even know where it is? Choose a location that is accessible and can easily be found.
• Lastly, when everything is in place, you need to market and promote your business. This is important so that you can gather customers to support your business. Having an effective marketing strategy is the next thing you need after starting up your business. Create your own marketing plan by gathering ideas from sample marketing plans. This will let the public know about your business and encourage them to check out what you have to offer.

 

Follow the steps above and use a business start-up checklist at the same time. They will make your task easy and convenient.

Business Start Up Checklist

Business Start-up Checklist

Business Start-up and Resource Guide

Start-up Basics

What Is in a Business Start-up Checklist?

We’ve been talking about this business start-up checklist, but we have not really seen what it contains or includes. By referring to this checklist you can make sure that you have everything about starting a business covered. There might be a lot, so brace yourselves!

• Determination of the viability of the business
• Creation of a business plan
• Creation of a financial plan or the finances
• Market research
• Get opinion and advice from family
• Creation or choosing a business name
• Preparing and creating a domain name to use for the business
• Know and make a list of the required legal documents to register and run the business.
• Apply for an employer identification number
• Have a company bank account opened
• Look for a good business location that you can buy or lease
• Obtain necessary licenses and permits:
  • Federal permits
  • State permits
  • Sales tax permit
  • Business license

• Plan on how to hire and how many employees to hire
• Plan on a record-keeping and accounting system
• Choose a business insurance you want to use
• Have your business cards made
• Create a marketing strategy
• Advertise the products and services that you are selling

These are just some of the things that you would usually find in a business start-up checklist. There might be more or there might be less depending on what type of business you will be venturing in. You can also check out and download sample business requirement documents to help you figure out which documents are required for your business.

Home Business Startup Checklist

Sample Start Up Checklist

Restaurant Startup Quick Guide

Restaurant Pre-Opening Checklist

What Is the Purpose of Using a Business Start-up Checklist?

The main purpose of using a business start-up checklist is to make sure that prospective or new business owners will be made aware of all the necessary and required things that are needed to start and run the business. The checklist will guide them on the step-by-step process of deciding what type of business to venture in and what they need to do to make sure that the business is legal. A business start-up checklist is truly an efficient tool as it not only prepares new business owners for the things they need to do, it also helps them make sure that they do not miss out on every important detail about starting a business.

The Pros and Cons of Starting a Business

You might be one of those individuals or corporate slaves who think that starting up a business would be their way out toward a better life. That is somewhat true, but it is not all the time a way out for everybody. There are people who are just lucky and manage successful businesses while there are some who venture into the wrong business and end up being in debt. It may be sad, but that is the reality in the business world. You gain some or you lose some. To give you a better picture of what you should expect when starting up a business, here are some of the pros and cons.

Pros

• It is rewarding. If you really dreamed of the day that you will be able to start a business, then doing so will make you feel like you are on cloud nine, most especially if your business turns out to be successful.
• You are the boss. Everybody wants to be the boss of their own business or company. You own your time and nobody dictates you on what you should and should not do. You have all the freedom that you want.
• You have a larger portion of the income. If you own the business, a large part of the income goes to you. Of course, you would want to use it to further grow your business. You wouldn’t be able to earn this much money by being a corporate slave, would you?
• You own your time. You may not have a lot of free time, but you also don’t have a time limit. You don’t get late and you will definitely not have any salary deductions. That’s one good thing about having your own business.
• Some may see purchasing an existing business as something that is not considered as starting up a new business. It is still beneficial for many business owners.

Now that you know about the pros of starting your own business, let’s now take a look at the cons.

Cons

• Is self-employment good for you? This and other important questions are some of the things you need to ask yourself. It will help you determine your strengths and weakness because once you have started, it would be a waste to turn back.
• Starting a business is a risk. As rewarding as it may seem, with all those benefits you can take advantage of, it is always a risk to start one as you will never know if it will be successful or not. You need to be totally prepared financially, emotionally, and physically.
• The cost. Who says starting a business is going to be cheap? If you come from a wealthy family where money is not an issue, then this wouldn’t be a problem. But what if you saved up for the time to start your business? The cost for starting the business will always be an issue and it’s up to you to create your own accounting system to make sure you keep track of your earnings and spending.
• Doing your research about the certain market you will be venturing in may take a lot of time and a lot of confusion. Yes, you read it right, confusion. This is usually the case if you’re new to doing business. You might need to get professional advice, and trust me, they don’t offer that for free.
• We’re down to the business goals. Without these goals, your business might just be floating in midair and you might just end up losing it. That is why you should know what you want to do with your business and know what you consider as successful.

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Business Start-up Checklist Template

Starting a Business Checklist

University New Business Checklist

What Are the Advantages of Using a Business Start-up Checklist?

Why do you need a business start-up checklist? It’s a checklist and it provides you with all the things you need to know about starting the business. If you have seen a business checklist sample before, then you have seen that it includes a list of important things. Let us provide you with more details about the advantages of a business start-up checklist.

• A business start-up checklist keeps you organized throughout the business start-up process. It serves as an outline of the steps and things that you need to take in order to be able to run the business.
• Having a business start-up checklist lets you know what things you have accomplished and what things you have not. You will be sure that you wouldn’t miss on anything that you need to do.
• Doing a business start-up checklist helps you prepare for what you need. Because you know what has to be done and when to do them, making preparations is made easy and convenient.
• There are now a lot of business start-up checklists that are available online for free download. You can choose from the different variations. We also have free printable checklist samples, like wedding checklists and project checklists, that you can take advantage of.
• Business start-up checklists vary depending on the type of business it will be used for. With the availability of various downloadable and printable checklist, you are sure to find one that will definitely fit your needs.
• A business checklist serves as a reminder that you still have these things to work on and process for your business.
• Utilizing a business start-up checklist keeps you right on track of the business stuff that you need. It is always a good thing to be on track, especially if you have a lot of things to do.