Small Business planning starts from the time you are deciding to go into business or purchase a business. You should begin with a Business Attorney who can help you through this process to educate and empower you from the beginning. This not only saves time, it will save you in dealing with problems. You are the decision maker, and the more information about the legal, tax issues and the problems many Business Owners face, the better you will be at setting your mission, vision and strategy to build the business. Asset Protection and structuring your business are the beginning of building a solid investment to grow. You must remind yourself daily that the business is an investment and you have a job at the business. Your job in the beginning will take on many roles, but as you proceed to grow, you should have a strategy to put people better at positions than you in place. You must really envision where you will be in 3 to 5 years, and what you and your family will need now and in the future.
Succession Planning or Estate Planning for the Business should begin on day one. This investment needs protection in the event you have an unexpected medical or family event, especially if this is your livelihood. You must set goals for your Wages and Fringe Benefits especially if you are replacing a job with a business. You may not begin where you wish, but this takes review and understanding of the laws, banking, taxes, employees, and other pieces of the Small Business Puzzle. This will also help motivate you as your grow the business through sales and adding employees. A Trusted Advisor Business Lawyer can help you with each step of growth.
At some point, you will want to transition or sell the business, and if you have been focusing on your Growth and Succession Plan, you should know the value of your business, the Key Performance Indicators (KPI), and how to make the business have a separate identity than its owner. You are building your investment and your team so that you are the full person you are meant to be, and when the time comes you have many opportunities to disengage, whether you spend less time at the business or transition it to another.
Would you not want to build your team of advisors from the start, starting with your legal advisor? If you are ready to get started, fill in that contact card. I represent businesses in Summit, Portage, Stark and Medina Counties, and consider some in Cuyahoga County, Ohio.