Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Question about starting own business advice needed please?

I will try and make this short..My husband wants to buy his own tractor trailer truck and start his own trucking business, he will own his own truck but will contract out the loads with a company.Does anyone out there know anything about this and if there is money to be made or is he better off doing what he is doing right now which is driving for a company-He really thinks he could make more money being a owner/operator. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.ThanksQuestion about starting own business advice needed please?
1) Do what you love. You’re going to devote a lot of time and energy to starting a business and building it into a successful enterprise, so it’s really important that you truly deeply enjoy what you do, whether it be running fishing charters, creating pottery or providing financial advice.





2) Start your business while you’re still employed. How long can most people live without money? Not long. And it may be a long time before your new business actually makes any profits. Being employed while you’re starting your business means money in your pocket while you’re going through the business start up process.





3) Don’t do it alone. You NEED a support system while you’re starting a business (and afterwards). A family member or friend that you can bounce ideas off and who will listen sympathetically to the latest businses start up crisis is invaluable. Even better, find a mentor or, if you qualify, apply for a business start up program. Experienced guidance is the best support sytem of all.





4) Get clients or customers first. Don’t wait until you’ve offically started your business to line these up, because your business can’t survive without them. Do the networking. Make the contacts. Sell or even give away your products or services. You can’t start marketing too soon.





5) Write a business plan. The main reason for doing a business plan first is that it can help you avoid sinking your time and money into starting a business that will NOT succeed. (See “Why You Need A Business Plan” for other good reasons.)





6) Do the research. You’ll do a lot of research working through a business plan, but that’s just a start. You need to become an expert on your industry, products and services, if you’re not already. Joining related industry or professional associations before you start your business is a great idea.





7) Get professional help. On the other hand, just because you run a small business, doesn’t mean you have to be an expert on everything. If you’re not an accountant or bookkeeper, hire one (or both). If you need to write up a contract, and you’re not a lawyer, hire one. You will waste more time and possibly money in the long run trying to do things yourself that you’re not qualifed to do.





8) Get the money lined up. Save up if you have to. Approach potential investors and lenders. Figure our your financial fall-back plan. Don’t expect to start a business and then walk into a bank and get money. Traditional lenders don’t like new ideas and don’t like businesses without proven track records.





9) Be professional from the get-go. Everything about you and the way you do business needs to let people know that you are a professional running a serious business. That means getting all the accoutrements such as professional business cards, a business phone and a business email address, and treating people in a professional, courteous manner.





10) Get the legal and tax issues right the first time. It’s much more difficult and expensive to unsnarl a mess afterwards. Does your business need to be registered? Will you have to charge GST or PST? Will you have to have Workers’ Compensation Insurance or deal with payroll taxes? How will the form of business you choose affect your income tax situation? Learn what your legal and tax responsibilities are before you start your business and operate accordingly.Question about starting own business advice needed please?
Having a business of your own is having security. You can also select the kind of load and the route you want, You can schedule your trips better and have more time to do other jobs or more time with the family. You can also maintain your truck better because you own it. No more having to wait for a load while your truck is being repaired. The downside is you may not be able to offer a cheaper contract and compete with big companies because a company has more flexibility as far as pricing is concerned. You have more at stake because it is your savings you invested. The contract that they make with you may not there for a long time because price may still be a basic factor. In the final analysis there are risk on both owning your own business and being employed. Analyze these risks put weight on the risk of owning your business and working and see which has a lower risk factor. Good luck
the only thing that I can give about owning your own truck is from the


get go save every receipt that you spend on anything that has to with


your own business, it will benefit you at tax time.

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