How would I go about starting my own business?

[panda]

I only have an idea but where do u go from there? I want to sell personalized logos for my line of work cuz there isn't that much out there. I can't find what I want so why not make or sell it. I have no idea other then that.

[DarkNight]

Do as much research as you can, find blogs and forums on the internet, and ask people who already are in business

[Ryan Ong]

You need a business plan, financing, registration, logistics process, payment process, staff considerations, and insurance.

You need to find out:

1) Your target demographic.

Who would hire you? How old are there? Are they male or female? What line of work are they in? Where do they live? Which magazines or TV shows do they watch (so you can advertise correctly)? What sort of logos do they normally want?

2) Your copyright laws:

What if clients see the logo, and then copy it without paying you (do you know how much it costs to sue someone)? What if they modify the logo slightly, claim it's not your design, and then refuse to pay you?

3) Your payment process:

How do they pay you? Paypal? In cash? By cheque? What business software will you use to create invoicing? How will you track who owes you money and send bill reminders? What happens if a customer pays late? What happens if a customer defaults and claims bankruptcy?

4) Barriers to Entry:

Do you have competitors? What if someone duplicates the service but charges less?

5) Marketing:

Will you have a website? Will you send newsletters? Who is answering all the customer e-mails? Who is handing out flyers, and where? Which websites will you advertise on, or will you use adwords? How will you design the website (Wordpress, html, etc.) and handle the Facebook and Twitter aspects? Which software do you use for e-mail blasts?

6) Whether the idea is scaleable.

For example, if you are the only creating logos, and it takes you an hour to make one, then how many customer requests can you handle? If 2,500 people asked you to design logos, could you handle the workload? Otherwise there is a maximum cap on the number of customers you can handle.

These 6 steps are preliminary considerations. After that you need to conduct a survey to project your returns (how long before you break even), compare the money you make with what you'd make in a 9 to 5 job (if it's less, what's the point?), shop for the relevant insurance, register the company name, and build a portfolio.

[James]

TBH i feel the same, but i need answers like you. Pleas let me know if you find a answer

[Emma]

Use this basic checklist to make sure all the important steps are taken before you launch your new venture. This business checklist will make sure that you cross all your t's and dot all your i's before your business launch.

Steps to Starting a Business -
http://www.developer-resource.com/starti...siness.htm

Other sites you might find helpful are:
SBA - http://www.sba.gov/
SCORE - http://www.score.org
Small Business Resource - http://www.small-business-software.net
Business Link - http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/home

Goodluck!