Your Questions About Internet Business Phone Service

Jere answers:

First decide on what you want your business to offer. Stick to that idea once started. Evaluate who your demographic will be, how you will offer your goods or services to them, and “spy” on possible competitors who are already in the business.

For example:
For what age, gender, social group will you produce your service or product. (This will be crucial for advertising, design, logo, name of the company etc.)
Will you deliver the good or service via internet, phone, a store, an agency?
Do basic calculations of how much you would have to invest to get the company started. (mainly fixed costs)
Look for where your product or service will be needed the most, check out locations for a possible store to start off with.
Involve someone who studied economics, business or law (if you haven’t yourself). This will be crucial for contracts, legal issues, product placement, advertising and so on.
Do not hire random people. Be picky! The current economical situation allows you to pick from the best people who are out there.
Do not forget company and product registration so you are listed in phone books and other registries.
Have contact data ready for registration purposes. (eg. Business phone number, address, homepage)

It will be hard to start off from scratch without any professional help. I recommend going to already established companies that offer a similar or the same service or good that you offer. Tell them about your idea and ask them to invest in it, or give you some help starting off the company. Make a nice powerpoint presentation about your idea, it should be short, informative and convincing. Already established companies out there are more than welcome to help you with your idea, you just need to make it clear that your idea will bring profit in the future.

If you cannot get a company to invest in your idea, get a business coach who will help you professionally set up a company. It might cost a bit but for sure is good invested money.

This might also help you out:

http://www.score.org/bp_10.html

I wish you luck with your new company, and I hope it will become a success 🙂

Jere answers:

Dig a telephone line?

Comcast is a cable company, not a phone company, although they do provide digital voice service, so they would run a cable line to your home… Verizon, at&t, qwest, frontier, or whoever the RBOC or iLEC in your area would be the telephone company that would bring a telephone line to your home..

Depends on how far it needs to be run… It would more than likely involve installing several utility poles (something that the cable company does not do, but the telephone and electric company does) unless you already have poles installed from the electric company…

You are probably looking at several thousand dollars… Cable company wanted to charge one of our customers something like $50,000 to bring cable to a business, and that was only tunneling across one major 4 lane street to the back of a building that was just across the street…

You CAN get internet service.. You are just not thinking outside the box… Satellite internet is available just about anywhere globally… And you may have luck with a cellular modem – although if you really live in that rural of an area where you can not get 4G a cellular modem might not be worth it..

Jere answers:

How are magicjack or vonage scams? They are legitimate companies, that provide reasonably priced phone service..

Magic jack is not the best compared to land line phone service, but at $20 a year how can you compare the two? And how can you consider $20 to be a scam..

Vonage is one of the oldest VoIP providers in the market, you do not get to last that long, and have such a huge customer base with out knowing how to operate a VoIP business.. They have outlasted many of their competitors… Any other VoIP provider would not have been in business as long as vonage, and would be offering the same type of SIP based service…

Ooma is not that bad, but rather expensive up front.. And is really not free “lifetime” service, as there is an annual charge for taxes and fees… And the premier service is $125 per year..

The closest quality to a landline that you are going to get, with a lower cost would be the phone service provided by your cable company, and by bundling TV, internet and phone service you should be able to save more money on all 3 services..

If you really just want a regular phone line, then your best bet is to just go with your RBOC – which ever phone company owns the outside plant where you live (Verizon, ATT, Frontier, etc)

Jere answers:

Yes.
But you have to have detailed records.
If something is shared with the household, like phone, or internet service, or computer, Keep detailed logs.
Same for personal car used for business.
Get the IRS publication on in home office.

Space designated for office should be a room of its own.
Deducat rent, heat, elect based on the ratio of Sq feet in office to sq feet in house.

Anything bought for making money and used in the office is deductible:
stamps, paper, toner (if not shared), chairs, shipping material, cost of business checking, safe, all telephone exculsive to business.
Professional magazines keep in office.
Pro rate property tax or rent.

Jere answers:

You know how they always say success is the best revenge. Study hard, get a good job, and go into business for yourself. Then you might get a sense of how hard it is to make it in the world of business, and you might even change your tune. Not everyone who raises prices is increasing their profit margin. Running a fair enterprise yourself is the best you can do.