Everything You Need To Get To Your Next... 

Do you feel stuck? Do you feel like you can't progress in the company? Unjustly treated? Time for a change in scenery? Whatever the reason, one thing is clear... You are ready to grow! How can you advance? Should you leave? What is holding you back? Here are a few things to consider:

1. Step 1 - Identify Your Why: Can you remember what got you where you are in the first place? Were you excited to get the job? Why did you take the job? Opportunity? Bills? Family? Figure out your "why" to bring focus to your next move.

2. Step 2 - The Power of Empathy: This is not about emotions. It is important to understand how people view you and what your peers and managers experience day-to-day. We are not asking for drastic changes here. Without understanding, history tends to repeat itself.

3. Step 3 - Crossing Bridges: The key to opportunity is through relationships. No, we don't necessarily mean you have to know the president or a billionaire to advance in life. What we mean is you never know who holds the key to your next opportunity. Opportunities usually come from knowing people. When you do good by people, people will do good by you.

If you need help with advancing. I invite you to read the article: "The Great Bridge, crossing it successfully" published by the ASN Staffing Team. The article is available to read and includes an audio dictation.

Thinking of starting a business? It is easy to do. However there are some important steps to consider when doing so.

What you need:

1. A Fax Machine - Unless things change, the government operates in fax and U.S Mail.

2. A Trusted CPA - You do not want IRS problems. Please consult a CPA.

3. Financial Consulting - Operating a business can be tricky. Financial Consulting can help you see the "Bigger Picture" and avoid wasting time and money.

1. Step 1: If you have not created a business plan, I would recommend at least the fast option. Since most businesses fail you probably don't want to go any further without a plan.

2. Step 2: Think of a unique name. It may even be a good idea to check the availability of domain names if you plan on having an online presence. We use Godaddy to search for your perfect domain, however there are plenty of others.

3. Step 3: Depending on your state check the business database to ensure the name does not exist in your state. We won't list all U.S states. However, here are two states that we operate in:

   1. Texas - Texas SOS requires a username and password

   2. Michigan - Laura requires no username to access

4. Step 4: Fill out the required forms to form your business. Please speak with a CPA about business formations. Each business vehicle is different and you will want to avoid tax difficulties. In this example, we will use the Limited Liability Company (LLC) as our vehicle:

   1. Texas - Complete form 205_boc along with the payment form 807. Fax documents over and have a fax machine handy for your official response.

   2. Michigan - Submit your Articles of Organization along with payment. Follow the instructions to fax paperwork with payment and have a fax machine handy for your official response.

5. Step 5: You will most likely need access to a fax machine wherever you file and the rules may be similar from state to state. You will typically see the top 3 rejections as well as the response you are looking for:

   1.  Confirmation of Formation along with payment posted - Congratulations!!! You have formed your business!

   2. Duplicate name - The name already exists in your state. Please select a different name.

   3. Payment failed - You may have mistyped your 807 form (usually more with TX than MI)

   4. Type of Business not specified - You may have to state LLC in your business name for example, if you were filling an LLC. Even though you are submitting the LLC formation, the processors are sometimes technical.

6. Step 6: Apply for an Employee Identification Number (EIN). This unique number is what you will use to associate your business with the IRS. You will need this number to file business taxes and open a bank account.

Please note: There may be other forms required depending on your business. Like if you will have employees in Michigan, you have to send quarterly earnings. Please speak with a CPA.

7. Step 7: Open a bank account. Go to the bank of your choice and present them with (1) Articles of Organization (You must own at least 51% of the company, else your partner(s) must be present). (2) Employee Identification Number (EIN) and (3) Your State ID. (4) Funds to open the business - Do your research and find a bank that accommodates your business needs (like not charging fees if you don't meet a minimum balance).

8. Step 8: If you have not already, go ahead and purchase that domain name. There are all types of quick custom free website building that may even come with the domain. Try to get something up there. You can work on the $8,000.00 website of your dreams later.

9. Step 9: Paperwork - You should receive an annual statement in the mail once a year to renew. Make sure you keep your address up-to-date because if you miss this and fail to pay they will close your business. Also if you want to launch a different product under a new name, there is no need to form a new business. Typically an Assumed Name will accomplish this.

   1. Texas Assumed Name Form 503_boc

   2. Michigan Assumed Name Form 541

10. Step 10: Managing the company finances:

    1. Business Credit - At some point you will need business credit. There are tricks to building it. The best route is to consult a financial advisor. You will need your DUNS number from Dun & Bradstreet. It typically gets created on its own when you open credit in the name of your business, which typically relies on the founders personal credit scores. However you can contact Dun & Bradstreet for assistance and customer service.

    2. Invoicing and Payroll - There are a ton of applications out there to accomplish this. The industry standard in Quickbooks.

This is an overview of opening a business basics. You will likely encounter unique situations depending on your business. Outside of a CPA or financial consultant, you can probably figure the rest out on your own. Of course the more help you get the more successful you can be. However, I know for startups finances can be a challenge to growth. They have reasonable monthly pricing and industry standard applications and integrations. A free version that we would recommend is WAVE. It is a web-based platform that gets the job done but is less than industry standard.