Congratulations on your new business!
Starting a new business is a fun and exciting venture, but it can also be very overwhelming. There are so many things that have to be done in order to be ready to offer your products or services to the public.

Here’s a brief checklist of what you will need...

• DBA (Doing Business As), which you get at the Genesee County Clerk’s Office, on the 2nd floor of the Genesee County Building on S. Saginaw Street, downtown Flint (just north of the county jail). Enter the front of the building, go to the 2nd floor and turn left out of the elevator. It costs $10 to file a DBA. However, before you file your DBA, you must be sure that no other business already has the name you want. Go to this website to check: http://www.cis.state.mi.us/bcs_corp/sr_corp.asp
  
  
• A Business Plan. It’s a good idea to have a business plan, even if you don’t plan to borrow money for your business. However, if you plan to get investors, or borrow money for your business, you will need to prove how your business will work and why.
  
  
• A Bookkeeping System or Accountant. You will need to keep track of your income and expenses. To do this, you will either need a good accountant or a program that will do this for you. You will need to be able to print out receipts, invoices, statements, etc. We like QuickBooks. If you need something more robust, try Peachtree.
  
  
• A Federal Identification Number (FEIN). You can get this by calling the IRS at 1-800-829-1040. It is free. This number may be required by banks, vendors, and ultimately to file taxes. You may apply online at http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=102767,00.html
  
  
• A Michigan Sales Tax ID Number. This number may also be required by vendors and is needed to charge sales tax. You can get your sales tax ID number, in 15 minutes, over the phone by calling (517) 373-0888 x3. Other useful tax info can be obtained online at www.state.mi.us. You may apply online at http://www.michigan.gov/uia/0,1607,7-118--89978--,00.html
  
  
• A Business Checking Account. You will need a copy of your DBA and a couple pieces of ID to get a business checking account. A business checking account is absolutely crucial these days, as you will want your customers to write their checks out to your business, not your personal name. This makes your business appear larger. You would never pay a bill to a company in the owner’s name. And, by law, you cannot cash a check that is written out to your company. It must be deposited into your business account.
  
  
• A Website. This is absolutely crucial. Nowadays, not having a website is like not being in the phone book 10 years ago. Now, when someone wants to make a purchase of anything substantial, they first research it on the Internet. They can get a lot of information, and see pictures of what they are looking for, as well as pricing and even purchase their items, 24/7. It’s like having a 24/7 salesperson working for you. And it costs so much less than a yellow pages ad. Today, businesses are getting smaller yellow pages ads and just referring people from their ad to their website for more information. MTG websites start at just $250 for the design, plus $100/page. You decide how many pages you want. We can also host your website and email for you. [Details]
  
  
• Computers, Servers, Network, Printers, Fax Machine, Scanner, Software. If you aren’t a computer guru, it can be difficult to know how to setup your office network, shared Internet connection, and security. Luckily, you have Michigan Tech Group, LLC! We can come in, do a FREE network analysis, work with you on exactly what you need (and no more) to run your business, custom-build your workstations, servers and your network, and install and configure all of it for you! And best of all, our custom-built prices are usually much less than buying retail. We take all of the worry out of trying to figure out what you need, and we take care of all of your office equipment for you. Give us a call at (810) 496-4595 for a FREE Network Consultation. [Details]

Again, congratulations on your new business! If we can help in any way, please let us know. Click HERE NOW to see our New Business Offer!

Jim & Eric Shutes, Owners
MTG - Michigan Tech Group, LLC