starting at the beginning… a new business

I’m not a lawyer or an accountant, so anything I say here should be viewed only as advice from someone who’s done it, not an expert.

When starting a business, you must go to square one- find a good name. People used to name their businesses “AAA Widget Corp.” because in the olden days- pre-internet- when we used paper, everyone wanted to be the first one listed in the yellow pages. It worked, I guess, but I could never remember those names, or distinguish one AA or AAA from another.

Once you’ve chosen your business name, you need to register it with your state. There’s a great publication on the nj.gov site, called “Starting a Business Checklist” and I’m sure other states have similar publications to advise new business owners.

When your paperwork is done and you’ve set up shop, you need to put a “face” on your business. When you get up in the morning, you choose your clothes before you present yourself to the world, and your business material should reflect that same care- your logo or business name font/color should reflect how you want the world to view your business. Just as appearance makes a first impression on people, your choice of typeface and color scheme makes a impression on potential clients before you’ve ever said a word. The process of choosing a style for your business gives you another way to examine how you think of your business and how you want others to perceive it. Take no care of how your business presents itself, and you convey the notion that you will take no care with your product or service. The effect may be subtle, but it’s there and if you think about it, you’ll notice it.

Design is all around you. Have you ever forgotten the name of a grocery item, but know that you’ll recognize it when you see it- that’s package design. We recognize things instantly by their looks, and whether you think it should or not, it does matter. Given two items that do the same thing and are the same price, people will take the one whose appearance pleases them. So if you want to compete, think about your businesses appearance- your name, your font choice, your logo and/or color. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but it can’t be sloppy and it should remain consistent. Large corporations spend great amounts of money establishing branding and brand guidelines so that their corporate ID remains constant wherever it’s used. You may not be a big business yet, but the same concepts still apply.


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