Your Questions About Doing Business Online Government

Jere answers:

If you plan to incorporate then you need to register with the federal,state and city government. If you plan to run the business as a sole proprietor then all you need is a business license from your local city government. Some cities do not require you to get a business license until the business makes $3,000 to $4,000 so see what your local government requires for an e-commerce business.

Steps for getting started:
First and foremost write up a business plan.
1. Forming the business either through incorporating or as a sole proprietor. If you plan to incorporate then you need to get with your states Secretary of State to do this.
2. Find your SIC and NAICS code you will need either one or both for your business formation with the government entities.
3. Getting an EIN if required
4. Setting up a Franchise and Excise Tax and Sales and Use Tax account with the Dept of Revenue in the state you are in. You need to determine if you need one or both of these accounts. Just call the Dept of Revenue in your state and they are usually pretty helpful in answering all your questions.
5. Set up a business bank account or bank account with a DBA attached to it if you plan to do the business as a sole proprietor if you incorporate then a business bank account is what you need.
6. Set up a merchant and or paypal account. The merchant account you can set up through your bank and this allows you to take all major credit cards.
7. Build a website and get a domain name and hosting. You can either build your own website or have one built for you, some start out with a blog because it’s free and you can make it look like a standard website so take a look at this option and see if it will work for you. Just keep in mind if you use a blog you need relevant content in the body of the blog if it’s just full of product links then you will eventually get shut down. As far as building your own you can either buy software or use the online website builders. Using the software allows you to create your site how you want it just make sure the hosting provider you use will support the software, with the online website builders you will be limited to their templates and I believe you have to use their hosting but you can buy your domain name from anywhere and just direct to their server.
Research SEO for your website, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and you can read about this at any article directory. Once in the directory put in a search for what you are wanting to read about and you should get some articles to read up on. If your search comes up empty or not what you are looking for just reword the search until you do. The info is there you just need to use the right phrasing. If you are on a tight budget you may also look into free ways to market your site.
8. Get inventory.
9. Figure out how you plan to ship product. This all comes down to how you plan to handle inventory. Some people have their own and some get involved with companies that have the product and you sell it and they drop ship the product for you. This saves on you having to carry the product yourself and having unsold inventory in your possession. If you plan to do affiliate marketing then you need to sign up to the affiliate programs and get your code specific links to post on your site.
10. Marketing your website. Just because you publish a website doesn’t mean it’s visible to the search engines and the public at large so you need to submit the site to the 3 top search engines at the least and start marketing the site.

This is a basic order and some of these may overlap each other during the process but I hope this helps out. I’ve been through the routine and had to figure it all out myself. Just ask a lot of questions with the people you are dealing with to get things in order.

Jere answers:

Here are the steps to follow:

Step 1: Identify your product or service. It is necessary to know the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code and the Federal Supply Classification (FSC) code for your product or service.
NAICS codes: http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/naics.htmlFSC codes: http://fpdcapp.gsa.gov/pls/fpdsweb/PscWiz

Step 2. Check with the Small Business Administration (SBA) to determine that your business falls within the established table of small business size standards based on NAICS. Http://www.sba.gov

Step 3: Obtain a DUNS Number from Dunn & Bradstreet. Http://www.dnb.com

Step 4: Register in the Centralized Contractor Registration (CCR) System. Http://www.ccr.gov

Step 5: Determine if your firm qualifies for 8(a), SDB or HUBZone certification. These certifications are detailed at http://www.sba.gov

Step 6: Register in Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA). Http://orca.bpn.gov

Step 7: Begin to search for current federal government procurement opportunities. Http://www.fedbizopps.gov

Step 8: Familiarize yourself with both the federal Civilian and Department of Defense (DoD) contracting legal procedures. The Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) can be found at http://www.arnet.gov/far/. The Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) are located at http://www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/dfars/index.htm.

Step 9: Investigate if getting on the GSA Schedule is right for you http://www.gsa.gov

Step 10: Seek additional assistance, as needed, in the federal civilian and/or DoD marketplaces. Http://www.dla.mil/db/procurem.htm

Step 11: Familiarize yourself with the budget forecasts for your targeted agencies. Http://www.firstgov.gov

Step 12: Explore subcontracting opportunities from primary contractors

Step 13: Investigate government programs. There are several SBA programs that may be of interest to you, such as the 8(a) Business Development Mentor-Protege Program, the Small Business Innovation Research Program and Small Business Technology Transfer Research Program and the Technology Resources Network. Www.sba.gov

Step 14: Market your firm to the right contacts. Identify your prospective government customers, research their requirements, and familiarize yourself with procurement regulations and strategies require determination, direction, discipline and resources.

Jere answers:

There is NO way to ever send money by Western Union or moneygram and be protected. If a supplier doesn’t accept credit cards, they are NOT a someone you want to do business with. The ONLY way to have any kind of protection is to use a credit card. Period.

All anyone needs to send money by Western Union or moneygram is:
1) A first and last name to use on the form as the sender’s name
2) A first and last name to use on the form as the receiver’s name
3) Money

All anyone needs to pick up the cash is:
1) The first and last name used on the form as the sender’s name.
2) The first and last name used on the form as the receiver’s name
3) The eight or ten digit money transfer control number (MTCN#)
4) The test question and answer

And, all too frequently, only one or 2 of above listed requirements are actually needed to pick up the cash and disappear.

That is it, no ID required.

If you are:

1) sending money as part of a work-at-home job
2) buying from a website
3) buying a pet or car/truck/trailer/motorhome/caravan
4) helping an online boy/girlfriend
5) paying taxes/fees on a loan/lottery/draw/government grant
6) paying visa/bank/airline/travel fees
7) paying deposit/rent for an apartment/house
8) paying banker/barrister/lawyer/court fees
9) paying a transportation/courier/shipping company
10) receiving/forwarding money onto someone or some company

Then you are being scammed.

Just keep in mind that Western Union and moneygram are unsafe and unsecure ways to send money.

Western Union and moneygram do not verify anything on the form the sender fills out, not the name, not the street address, not the country, not even the gender of the receiver, it all means absolutely nothing. The clerk will not bother to check ID and will simply hand off the cash to whomever walks in the door with the MTCN# and question/answer. Neither company will tell the sender who picked up the cash, at what store location or even in what country the money walked out the door. Neither company has any kind of refund policy, money sent is money gone forever.

If you google “Western Union scam”, “fraud moneygram scammer” or something similar you will find hundreds of posts from victims and near-victims who lost money via Western Union and moneygram.

Jere answers:

I think below given steps help you.

1. Write a basic business plan, outlining your business structure, what services you will offer, your fee structure and payment/accounting methods, and who your target market is (for example, businesses, individuals or nonprofits).
2. Consult with a professional Web developer to begin designing ideas for your website, such as how you want the site to look and what features and functions it will have for you as the business owner and for your customers. If you are well-versed in Web design, you may wish to build your own site. Since your business will be conducted online, it is important to have a professional-looking and fully operational website.
3. Generate two or three different names for your business, and begin researching potential domain names for your website. Register your chosen domain name to reserve it. If you have chosen a name similar to another company that does bookkeeping, seek the advice of an attorney knowledgeable in trademarks before registering. This will avoid future problems with the business name you have chosen.
4. Research Web-hosting services to determine which provider offers the functionality, bandwidth and support you will need to maintain your bookkeeping business for the best price. Consult with your Web developer about Web hosts he recommends or the features you need, especially security features if you intend to store your clients’ bookkeeping accounts online. Once you’ve chosen a Web host, your developer should be able to get your site up and running.
5. Obtain the appropriate business license from your local, county or state government. Although your bookkeeping business will be conducted primarily online, you must work somewhere (such as a home office), and most localities require even home-based businesses to have a business license. Depending on your local regulations, you may also need an individual professional license to perform bookkeeping or accounting services. Additionally, if your business is not operating as a sole proprietorship, you must apply to the Internal Revenue Service for a federal employer identification number for tax purposes.
6. Begin marketing your business by placing ads online, creating social media accounts for your business (Facebook, Twitter) or writing a blog related to bookkeeping. Additionally, you should network in traditional ways as well by attending professional conferences and seeking clients in your area.

Jere answers:

If you plan to incorporate then yes you need to register with the federal,state and city government. If you plan to run the business as a sole proprietor then all you need is a business license from your local city government.

Steps for getting started:
First and foremost write up a business plan
1. Forming the business either through incorporating or as a sole proprietor. If you plan to incorporate then you need to get with your states Secretary of State to do this.
2. Find your SIC and NAICS code you will need either one or both for your business formation with the government entities.
3. Getting an EIN if required
4. Setting up a Franchise and Excise Tax and Sales and Use Tax account with the Dept of Revenue in the state you are in. You need to determine if you need one or both of these accounts. Just call the Dept of Revenue in your state and they are usually pretty helpful in answering all your questions.
5. Set up a business bank account or bank account with a DBA attached to it.
6. Set up a merchant and or paypal account.
7. Build a website and get a domain name and hosting.
8. Get inventory.
9. Figure out how you plan to ship product. This all comes down to how you plan to handle inventory. Some people have their own and some get involved with companies that have the product and you sell it and they drop ship the product for you. This saves on you having to carry the product yourself and having unsold inventory in your possession.
10. Marketing your website. Just because you publish a website doesn’t mean it’s visible to the search engines and the public at large so you need to submit the site to the 3 top search engines at the least and start marketing the site.

This is a basic order and some of these may overlap each other during the process but I hope this helps out. I’ve been through the routine and had to figure it all out myself. Just ask a lot of questions with the people you are dealing with to get things in order.