Business/Project Start-Up
Get Your EIN/TIN – IRS Website for Registering For Your EIN
Get Your Business Incorporated:
Choose Your State for Incorporation:
*To file articles of organization for an LLC in MI go HERE, https://www.llcuniversity.com/michigan-llc/forms/
Build Your Business Credit:
- Dun & Bradstreet – A great way to build business credit, but it doesn’t happen overnight, expect it to take about 6 months.
- CreditSafe – This is a great service to check the company that you are thinking about working with
Build Your Personal Credit
Learn Your Human Design
This will ensure you are building your business in a way that aligns with who you truly are, increasing the chances of success. Visit A Return To Essence and let Richard Learmont help you discover what you were truly meant to be and your true purpose.
Copyrights, Trademarks, Service Marks, Patents, and Protecting Your Trade Secrets (IP – Intellectual Property):
Figure Out Which IP You Have to protect.
Copyright (©) is used to protect original works of authorship – examples that need copyright are novels, music, movies, software code, photographs, paintings, and anything that is artistic in nature, literary, or intellectually created. To copyright your work, simply add the copyright symbol (©). Registration is not required.
Trademark (™) is used to indicate a source of goods and distinguishes them from your competitors – examples that need trademarks are a word, phrase, design, or combination that identifies your goods or services. You can Apply Online for a Federal Trademark. If you want your trademark on the state level as well click on your state abbreviation for the state you are interested in. A Service Mark (SM)is used to indicate a source of services and distinguishes them from your competitors, but is the same as a trademark, so the application process is the same.
Design Patents is used to protect a new design, an original design, or an ornamental design. Apply for your Design Patent Online
Utility Patent is used to protect an invention that is a new and useful process or product, as well as any new improvement of a product or process. Apply for your Utility Patent Online.
Trade Secrets are confidential business information that gives your business a competitive advantage. Protect your trade secrets at all costs. Information on Trade Secrets/Regulatory Data Protection.
State Trademark Websites:
Affordable and Professional Virtual Phone Systems
Talkroute is a great professional system that you can set up entirely based on what you need. It gives you all the capabilities of a phone system in office, but it is virtual, so you can have a team working remotely and it will connect them all together for a great client/customer journey. Getting a business phone line is highly recommended. And it’s affordable!
Get Your Domain Name
Web Hosting with Go Daddy
Use a Calendar to Set up Your Appointments
We recommend Calendly because you can get started for free and it integrates with many other calendars smoothly, and after the free trial it is very affordable.
Email Campaigns and Pipelines
Nutshell is easy to set up and very professional. Their plans are very affordable. You can add companies, leads, and people to your pipeline.
Get a LegalShield Plan
Protect yourself and your business with a LegalShield plan. You will have access to a local law firm, which will be assigned to you. They will help you with contracts, collecting money, making calls, or drafting letters on your behalf. It is highly recommended that you have a lawyer you can trust when starting and running your business. You can use LegalShield and IDShield for both personal issues and business issues when you have the appropriate plans.