There are 5 people every entrepreneur should meet when starting a business:
- Lawyer;
- Accountant;
- Banker;
- Insurance Agent; and
- Marketing professional.
How do hire a lawyer that’s right for you? See my article on my new site, Iowa Business Law Services.
As we are now in the heart of tax season, many business owners are looking for an accountant to complete their taxes. That’s the wrong time to do it. Business owners need to establish a relationship with an accountant from the very beginning. It’s important to receive tax advice on which business entity is right for your tax situation. Hiring a good accountant for your business is absolutely essential. A terrific accounting blog is the Tax Update Blog.
Lots of business owners also wait to establish a relationship with a banker until they need a loan. Again, that’s the wrong time to start. Instead of opening an account at any old bank, get some recommendations and talk with business bankers before opening an account. Tell the business banker about your business and your plans. Try to stay in contact with the banker periodically if just to remind them you are still there. You never know when you might need a line of credit or loan. Establishing a relationship with a banker in the beginning can pay big dividends.
Find an insurance agent that specializes in insuring businesses. There may be hidden land mines out there that you can insure. I recently communicated with a business insurance agent regarding a contract matter for a client. The business insurance agent had important input that will protect my client moving forward. I seriously doubt an insurance agent dealing primarily with car and home loans would have known about the specific issues we were dealing with.
And if no one knows about you it will be tough to succeed! Consult with a marketing professional that is knowledgeable in your industry. A tremendous blog on marketing is Drew’s Marketing Minute.