Tài liệu BUSINESS START-UP & RESOURCE GUIDE STARTING A BUSINESS IN NORTH CAROLINA doc

Published by the University of North Carolina’s

Small Business and Technology Development Center

Get your free download of this publication at www.sbtdc.org/pdf/startup.pdf

BUSINESS START-UP &

RESOURCE GUIDE

STARTING A BUSINESS IN NORTH CAROLINA

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BUSINESS START-UP & RESOURCE GUIDE

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BUSINESS START-UP & RESOURCE GUIDE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Business Start-Up Planning ......................................................................... 1

Assess Yourself as a Potential Business Owner ....................................... 2

Personal characteristics ..................................................................... 2

Demands of owning your own business ............................................. 2

Business experience and management skills .................................... 2

Self-analysis ....................................................................................... 3

Conclusions ........................................................................................ 5

Determine Concept Feasibility ..................................................................... 6

Define your business idea .................................................................. 6

Redefine the concept .......................................................................... 6

Define your market through research and analysis ............................ 7

Enhancing your chance for success ................................................... 9

Examine Critical Issues & Make Important Decisions ............................ 10

Entry options ..................................................................................... 10

Buying an existing business ............................................................. 10

Buying a franchise ............................................................................ 12

Starting a new business ................................................................... 13

Selecting and using professionals .................................................... 14

Selecting a business location ........................................................... 16

Minimizing your risks ........................................................................ 16

Insurance protection ......................................................................... 17

Legal Considerations & Requirements ..................................................... 18

Regulatory requirements .................................................................. 18

Tax information ................................................................................. 20

Incorporating a business .................................................................. 23

Insurance .......................................................................................... 23

Protecting intellectual property ......................................................... 24

Select the type of business structure ............................................... 24

Employer responsibilities .................................................................. 27

Develop Your Business Plan ...................................................................... 30

Business plan outline ........................................................................ 30

© 2012 by the University of

North Carolina’s Small

Business and Technology

Development Center

5 West Hargett Street

Suite 600

Raleigh, NC 27601-1348

(919) 715-7272 or

(800) 258-0862 (in NC only)

[email protected]

All rights reserved. No part

of this publication may be

reproduced, stored in a

retrieval system, or

transmitted in any form and

by any means—electronic,

mechanical, photocopying,

recording, or otherwise—

without the prior written

permission of the publisher.

Revised edition

February 2012

This material is based

on work supported by

the US Small Business

Administration (SBA).

Any opinions, findings,

conclusions, or

recommendations

expressed are those of

the author(s) and do

not necessarily reflect

the views of the SBA.

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BUSINESS START-UP & RESOURCE GUIDE

Arrange Your Business Financing ............................................................ 35

Getting the funding you need ........................................................... 35

Equity funding ................................................................................... 35

Debt funding ..................................................................................... 37

How to choose a banker ................................................................... 39

What a lender looks for ..................................................................... 40

Tips for getting and using small business credit ............................... 41

Worksheet: Uses and sources of funds ............................................ 43

Resource and Information List ................................................................... 44

State resources ................................................................................. 44

Federal resources ............................................................................. 45

Other resources ................................................................................ 46

Licenses, permits and taxes ............................................................. 47

Internet resource addresses ............................................................. 48

Index ............................................................................................................. 49

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BUSINESS START-UP & RESOURCE GUIDE

INTRODUCTION

BEVERLY PERDUE, GOVERNOR OF NORTH CAROLINA

Small businesses are the lifeblood of our national and state economy.

The entrepreneurial spirit that propels people to create and grow new

businesses has been an essential part of our growth as a state.

The Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC) has

long been an organization which nurtures this entrepreneurial spirit by

providing counseling and training for would-be business owners. This

Business Start-up and Resource Guide is one of the most highly used

and valued tools used by people who are thinking about starting a

business in North Carolina. The SBTDC also provides valuable help

and counseling to established businesses as they grow.

The SBTDC is one of the reasons that North Carolina is known as a

great place to start and develop a business. By working closely with

partners across the state, it will continue to play a role in making us an

even more business-friendly state.