How To Start An Online Boutique Legally|Complete Illustrated Guide
This is the most people can't seem to find the information don't know where to go and know exactly where to start in this article you will go through the steps exactly where to start and steps to getting officially started
You Can Start Online Botique Legally By Following These Steps:
1. Picking a Business Name
The first step is the most important step in starting your business and that is picking a business name i know it doesn't sound like it's the most important step but it is and let me explain to you guys why picking your business name is crucial in the very beginning
Because this is the name that you're going to be using for everything so for your social media for your official like a business paperwork and stuff and you need to pick a name that's not already taken you need to pick a name that is unique and you need to pick a name that is going to have longevity
I mean picking a business name is the most crucial part of starting your business you want to check in the fictitious business name database that the name is not already taken
You also have to check that the domain is not already taken either cause sometimes like let's say you want to start bestboutique.com that domain name may not be available because somebody already purchased it
So you want to make sure that your domain is available you can do that by by going on GoDaddy and searching the business name and it'll tell you if it's taken or not if it's available if .net .org .com or whatever is available with your business name
That is why step number one is the most important get the biggest deals on the biggest branch you have to make sure that your name is available,It is also important though for the longevity of your business is something that's going to resonate with your customers and check Is it easy to remember, Is it something that means something to you and Is it important
Brand name is something that you can see your business growing in 20 years and you be proud of the name without having to change your name or Rebrand,So this is the most thoughtout process and the most crucial process because it's something that is going to be View forever
Hopefully if your business does last forever and you also need to check if the name is available on Instagram and on Facebook,Twitter,Snapchat everything you name it or like a modification a slight modification of the name is available preferably the entire name the way that you want it to be is available
Because you want to have that same name across all social media platforms and be able to Market yourself and advertise your brand across all those platforms, So just make sure that the name is available on everything you can possibly imagine in order to have a legit business
2. Apply For EIN Number
The second step you have to do is you need to apply for an EIN this is an employer identification number you do this with the IRS tis allows you to do business and allows you to have employees and allows you to create a business for all that purpose you need an EIN number
So you have to go to the IRS website and you decide what type of business you will be starting,you can register as a sole proprietor as an LLC , But if you're just starting out, you don't have big bucks you don't have a lot of money to invest you don't have a lot of assets to lose
I recommend starting as a sole proprietor into your business grows large enough that the self-employment tax is like ridiculous and you end up paying like an astronomical amount of taxes in the end in the beginning I recommend starting as a sole proprietor
3. Apply For Sellers Permit
step number three after you apply for your EIN number the IRS sends you an EIN letter and then you can apply for your sellers permit
What is Sellers Permit ?
A seller's permit allows you to purchase wholesale it allows you to purchase merchandise at wholesale prices the reason that you have a permit is for you to be able to purchase wholesale and then sell your products at a retail price and then pay the state that you live in the applicable sales tax
So you buy wholesale then you sell it at retail like is same as it when you go shopping and then you get charge sales tax, then you're responsible for paying that sales tax to your state for having a functioning business in your state.
So that step three is getting your resellers is in order to be able to purchase wholesale to sell retail so that you can pay your state applicable sales tax or in whatever state you're doing business you pay the applicable sales tax by getting a seller's permit from those areas
If you decide to do like pop-up shops in different cities or like let's say you do swap meets and stuff like that they each have their own guidelines sometimes they let you sell without a permit for the first two times or the first three times and sometimes you need a permit for That City so then you'll need to go get a seller's permit for that City and pay the applicable sales tax for that City whatever the sales tax is in that area or in that county
If you paid that when you're done making sales at that pop-up shop it's really important it's kind of tricky in the beginning but once you get a grasp on it, it's really easy to do
4. File The Business Name
Now you need to file the business name like the official business name, go to your County Registrar and you file the name that what you're going to be doing business,in business as GMO name so you file your fictitious business name, which allows you to use that name to do business
which is why step one was important because you're going to be filing that business name you're going to be doing business in with that name so it's important to make sure that it's available to get start your business,So obviously you're going to want to get paid in name of your business
5. Opening a Business Bank Account
When you are expecting to make some kind of income off opening a boutique or opening a business you need a business bank account where all the money goes into,I mean, California is not going to pay me cash cuse customers pay online with a credit card and then the money gets deposited into your bank account
In order to be able to open a business bank account you need the business dishes name people work they give you some forms that you need in order to be able to open the bank account you will need those official forms that say that you are a registered business you pay those fees in order to be able to open a bank account
6. Registering Your Business in the City
step 6 will be registering your business in whatever City you're going to be doing business in so like if you live for example in "yout city", you have to do your business out of your home then go to the city of "your city" and register your business doing business in the city of yours and then they have their own fees that they charge you for doing business in your City
They ask you about the space that you're doing business in so, is it a room in your house? Do you have an office in whatever your business city? Do you have a warehouse, they'll ask you all types of business name business questions that may or may not applicable to your business and then you answer them truthfully and then you register your business in that City and you have a business license for that City
7. Deciding The Platform You're Going To Use
Deciding what platform will you use what platform will you use to do business to basically set up your online store you can use woocommerce,you can use Shopify,you can use Squarespace,Bigcommerce,Storenvy,
There's so many options out there you just have to figure out which option is more suitable for you and which one you're able to use to the best of your ability,I definitely recommend playing around with the platform's kind of plant getting a free trial and seeing what you're more comfortable with what's going to suit your business needs what each platform offers that you could potentially use in the future or that you hope to use in the future, what apps they offer integration
So you just look into everything consider everything before setting your platform because once you set up on a platform that lets see your business grows to transition it to another platform is going to be pretty challenging not impossible,but you have to save yourself that headache in the trouble so just pick the best platform right
8. Buying Merchandise
This is where you buy merch and how do you buy merch there's several places in online sources like Ali Baba where you can buy or AliExpress where you can buy things from China and you can start with little items like accessories and stuff like that, I really wouldn't recommend clothes unless you have a reliable source
You are also able to attend any trade shows cause you've already done the official steps to registering your business. you're already a legit busines your EIN makes you a legit business,so that is what they require of you to be able to attend any of trade shows
9. Working On The Backend Of Your Business
You have to work on the backend of your website by that you will be doing your product shots putting in your prices putting in the weights of the products and just basically getting all around set up them create banners backgrounds you know, just everything to make your busines stand out setup process to getting your boutique your online boutique up and running
10. Start Selling By Promoting Products
The final one is to start selling so start promoting to family and friends start promoting across your social media that you have launched and just Making sales anywhere and any way possible if that means carrying merchandise in your trunk
If that means letting your friends know that you're ready to sell and you have your goods out there start selling the first people to generate income for your business are definitely going to be your family and friends,if they are not try to attend pop-up shops.,try to Attend any type of events that are local to you to be able to get your name out there and to be able to make sales so you can generate some revenue and continue to bring in new Styles and grow your social media presence
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