If your thinking of starting your own business, you have to think of priorities, write down what your budget is and where and how to best spend this money.

Of course you’re going to need business cards and letterheads, and a website, and with so many web design companies out there, who can you trust with your limited funds, if you get it wrong it can end up being your worst nightmare, and with the strain of setting up your new business, you can certainly do without any additional stress.

It would be sensible to choose a local web design company that you can visit, have a talk with them and make sure you feel comfortable with how they work, and its very important that you can be involved with the actual design so you get just what you want.

Think just about how many pages you’re going to need, realistically, you should just go for a home page, contact and just adequate” product pages to get you started, as we always say, start small and grow.

The best thing about a website, whatever you do its not written in stone, unlike your company leaflet for example, once its printed that’s it, you’re stuck with it.

Ask if they can offer any kind of monthly payments, possibly you could just pay a small amount as a deposit to cover the initial design work and then a monthly fee until paid in full.

One of the best ways to generate new business is to get out there and meet other businesses, such as your local chamber of commerce or any local networking group.

There are networking groups all over and you really need to join these, get chatting to people, don’t try and shove your business on them but have a general chat about anything, because people buy from people, if they don’t like you, maybe your just too pushy, they won’t want to do business with you.

Ask them what they do, try and sound interested, then say, maybe we should exchange business cards, normally, they, just like you, can’t wait to swap business cards.
Dont insult them with cheap thin paper like business cards, it will send the wrong message, and don’t go over the top with costs, just go for the same quality and as everyone else, you need to project the right image, and giving them a cheap thin business card certainly won’t project the right image.

If you meet someone and get along with them, wouldn’t you rather give them your business than someone else down the road, even if they were cheaper?

It’s all about feeling at ease, it someone gets to know you and they meet you on a steady basis on the networking circuit, when it comes to needing your type of business; they are very likely to talk to you above anyone else.

Speed networking is very popular too, this gives you say two minutes to tell someone over the table about your business and then they have the same to tell you, a great way of swapping business cards in bulk.

And don’t forget, with all these business cards you have collected; just ask if it’s ok to email them with your monthly newsletter, they will all say yes.