Establish your Business
Obtain a Google business profile for the location it resides. This will come in clutch later when you are in operation. Not only will it help people find you directionally on maps, know when your hours are (edit this when ready to open) and direct them to your website, but it will provide a presence for you in local searches for businesses like yours and offer an outlet for collecting business reviews.
Write a business plan.
A well thought out business plan will help you stay focused, be an asset in setting up the legal aspects of your business and help you in applying for loans or grants, should you choose to.
Structure and establish your business (LLC, etc.)
Get your sales tax permit with your state and register online to pay state taxes. Submit your taxes in the first few days of each month for the month prior.
Get a business bank account.
Look for a bank without fees or low minimum balance before fees are charged. Any extra overhead is an expense a new business cannot afford.
Credit unions are preferable, as they tend to be more likely to work with and assist local businesses.
Acquire the proper insurance for your business. (general liability, etc.)
Obtain your state’s agritourism legal code sign for the entrance of your farm business. In our state, you apply to be a registered "Farm Hub" and they provide the signs if you are accepted.
Obtain a business email, web domain address, website with e-commerce capabilities and payment processing.
We use Square, an all in one solution that also provides robust reporting to help with record keeping. This is very helpful when it comes time to pay taxes and vendors.
To save money, use a free Gmail account with the name of your business as the address. (Ex: bluemountainfarmok@gmail.com)
Be sure to set up an email sign up immediately to begin collecting an audience to receive future email marketing campaigns.
Don't overuse this privilege or you will lose people. Only send email campaigns when you have an event to promote, event details to send to confirmed guests, a sale to announce or big changes on the horizon by way of exciting announcements.
Stay organized and keep good records.
Set up an affiliate account with Amazon and other related businesses, so you can funnel your audience through your links and generate extra income.
Once set up, this just keeps working for you without the need for further work. All you have to do is be sure to share those links and/or codes when you post to your social media channels.
Be careful how you communicate and how often you share external affiliate products. Don't overuse this resource or people will view you as disingenuous. Take the angle of a helper, not a salesperson.
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2 окт 2024
