Starting a Business

How to Close an LLC: Limited Liability Company Dissolution
How One Typical Facilitator (Mistakenly) Concluded the Client Wasn’t Doing Strategic Planning I got a call last week from a facilitator, asking for advice about an aspect of strategic planning. He kept asserting that his client, a manufacturer of outdoor recreational equipment, wasn’t doing strategic planning. I asked how he came to that conclusion. He …
Starting an LLC in Wyoming might seem overwhelming financially, but let’s walk through the process and break down the costs to show that it can be surprisingly affordable. Despite what you might think, setting up a business entity in Wyoming doesn’t have to drain your wallet. It’s actually a smart, budget-friendly step for budding entrepreneurs. …
Hey there! Excited about setting up a Limited Liability Company in Illinois? You’ve landed in just the right spot. Before diving in, though, it’s crucial to understand the financial aspects. From the get-go, you’ll encounter fees for filing, plus ongoing costs to keep your LLC in tip-top shape. This guide will clarify the expenses involved …

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The benefits of having a business plan include: Helping you to clarify your vision and deciding whether or not to forge ahead with the idea. Determining if your product and/or service has a sufficient market to support it and whether or not it will be profitable. Providing an estimate of your start-up costs and how …
Recently someone asked for a simple definition. As it turns out, business plans mean different things to different people. I tend to think of them as presenting the vision or goals for a business, along with a road map for achieving those goals. It can be sketched on a napkin, written on a few pages, …
(The following post applies as much to for-profit Boards as nonprofit Boards — many for-profit Boards, especially in family-owned corporations, operate as working Boards.) A “working Board” is a personality of a governing Board. There is no clear delineation as to what’s a definitely a working Board or not. However, it’s commonly viewed as a …
In Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 of this topic, we reviewed the first 12 of the 15 questions to be answered during the “plan for a plan” portion of strategic planning. Part 5 describes questions 13-15. 13. How will you get the buy-in of members of the organization? There seems to be growing cynicism …
Over the years, I’ve reviewed books and articles about business planning, and written some myself, but I can’t remember one of them that said much about luck. Sure, risk – which is really bad luck – comes up often. Watch out for things like slow sales growth, unexpected competitors, new regulations, price drops, expensive labor …
What About “Big Names”? Many Board members believe that adding a very prominent person to the Board will bring great prestige and credibility to the Board. They believe that funders and other organizations will take those Boards much more seriously. Often, that’s a big mistake. Rarely do those famous people ever show up to the …
For this blog, I’m simply going to quote from an excellent comment recently posted to my social enterprise blog Risky Business by Jeffrey Wallk: “Clear articulation of value. This is not the value proposition (here’s what we do / offer). This explains in very simple terms exactly how your product / service will help someone …