Who I Help: The Self Starter

Ready to run and excited for what's ahead.

You’ve had enough at work, you’ve had a successful side-gig gain momentum, or you’re reinventing yourself as you strike out on your own. In any event, you’ve decided that you want to get your own thing – when you’re your own boss, you have management’s ear whenever you have a problem. You’re concerned about liability, protecting yourself and your family from downside, filings, and just how you’ll make it work.

Like any good self-starter, you’ve Googled the problem, maybe even run it through ChatGPT or some other AI website. The advice is fair enough – start an LLC, protect your intellectual property, get a business license, etc… This is usually the point you’re looking for a business lawyer or a certified public accountant (CPA).

First of all, I love my CPAs but we don’t use hammers to drill screws, let the CPAs handle tax issues and payroll questions, lawyers will handle the legal considerations.

Secondly, as someone who wants to make sure that my clients are in a position to succeed, I’m going to tell you to slow the roll. It’s great that you’ve done this initial research, had the conversations, and have an idea of what you want. I’ve seen this before and I’m not doing my job if I just pull your registration.

At our initial intake, we’ll talk about what you’re wanting to accomplish, what business you’re opening, where you’ll be, and who you want to provide for through your business. After we sort that out, I do something your typical lawyer or CPA doesn’t do – we’re walking through your business plan. If you don’t have one, you get my barebones template along with an education on how to pull one together.

Start up business owners are one of the most vulnerable populations because you are (i) idealistic; (ii) enthusiastic; and (iii) ready to sprint. I’ve been in that same boat and the result was a crash and burn. The hard lesson I’ve learned from these failures? Success is a consequence of planning and repeatability. If you’ve ever played the arcade games with the light that you have to stop to win a prize then you know you can win by randomly slapping the button, you can consistently win when you realize there’s a lag of a few lights between hitting the button and where it stops.

After working with me clients get an extremely clear picture of what the next steps are. They know exactly who they’re selling to, how to pitch to that audience, how to account for their business, when and how to handle taxes, and the systems needed to reduce stress. At that point, we dive into the corporate formation, documents to protect long term growth and operations.

If you are looking to start your own thing, don’t rely on Google and generalized advice to jump in before you’re ready – contact me for a consult where we make sure you’re in a position to succeed long term. Once your plan is in place, we’ll work together to make your dreams a (sustainable) reality.