25 Things to do after forming your new business
- choose accountant, and determine if company will operate on accrual or cash basis
- purchase accounting software (such as QuickBooks)
- engage a lawyer for company
- create offer letters for employees
- determine and arrange for employee benefits, such as health insurance
- create confidentiality, assignment of inventions and non-competition agreements with employees
- choose a payroll service (such as ADP or Paychex)
- create policies (such as vacation accrual and use policy, anti-discrimination policy) and employee handbook
- open bank account
- obtain credit card (consider AMEX for special cards for small businesses)
- obtain general liability insurance
- obtain Workers Compensation insurance
- create logo
- create website, and ensure that designed for search engine optimization (consider www.superwebomatic.com)
- establish Federal Express and UPS accounts
- establish courier accounts and relationships for local deliveries
- choose office space and sign lease agreement
- purchase or lease office furniture
- purchase or lease office equipment (PCs, servers, copy machines, scanners)
- obtain virtual phone system services, vanity 800 numbers, unlimited extensions and call forwarding (such as www.Grasshopper.com)
- create and purchase business cards
- create, host, manage and maintain servers and email accounts (and other IT needs)
- consider protecting any intellectual property (including trademarks, patents and trade secrets)
- consider public relations and marketing (such as press release, registering with local chamber of commerce and registering with online search engines) and creating brochures and other marketing collateral
- join trade organizations
