Questions about initial stages getting your business off the ground.
1
vote
2answers
139 views
Getting started with an LLC
Two friends and I have run a website for a year or so and now we are about to add in our premium model so we can start bringing in some money. I have been advised that we should register an LLC prior ...
0
votes
4answers
196 views
Contract for start-up employees and how to secure myself as the leader of the company
I'm a computer science student and have had an idea for a website for a while. Up until now, I haven't told anyone about it(even my family and girlfriend). Anyways, I decided to tell a friend of ...
0
votes
1answer
23 views
Impact Investment/Tax Questions
I want to take some of the revenue that I generate with the for-profit business I'm starting, and use it to provide start-up social enterprises that I think are interesting with some funding to help ...
1
vote
3answers
143 views
How can I get my friends and family to support my startup aspirations?
I have a well paying job, kids, wife, and a mortgage. However, I got an idea that is not big, not hard, totally doable. I'm interested in the start up as a hobby but see it as potentially a long term ...
0
votes
7answers
596 views
Why did Instagram make it over other similar apps?
There are couple of apps similar to Instagram, such as Hipster, Pixl-o-matic, Lightbox, PicPlz & Retro Camera.
Why did Instagram make it over the others?
0
votes
1answer
69 views
What is a typical contract for employee's who want to work on a start up but get paid through future earnings?
I am thinking of bring someone on board to develop an application. I don't have money to pay him right now, but would like to structure something that would make it an worth while to developer the ...
2
votes
2answers
151 views
How to market a website where developers can buy and sell source code?
I've developed iPhone and Mac applications in the past, with reasonable success. Back then, Apple would take care of the distribution, and sales were pretty constant.
I just launched a website where ...
1
vote
4answers
372 views
What does a non-technical co-founder do?
I am a software engineer and I am thinking about jumping into the startup world. I realize that at some point in my journey, I will need help from someone. This someone could be a coder, or a ...
0
votes
4answers
208 views
Average Electricity Usage for a Startup?
I'm developing my business plan and I am trying to do some forecasting on my financials.
Can anyone help me get a clue as to what is average electricity usage (kWh) for a startup.
Lets say ...
0
votes
3answers
321 views
I want to start an iphone repair business. What is the best way to tell if a parts website is legitimate?
I want to start a business fixing iphones/ipods. There is this site that I have been looking at that seems like the cheapest place to buy parts, but I would be buying them wholesale from China.
My ...
6
votes
2answers
216 views
Do we need a lawyer before going live?
Once everything technical is said and done and we have a product to go live with, should we contact a lawyer? What kind of protection do we need from the "rotten eggs" out there? I know we need a TOS ...
4
votes
1answer
238 views
Do you need to “be a company” to make money online?
A friend and I have a great startup idea which we plan to put into action at the beginning of the summer. We've also worked some revenues into our business model by allowing users to pay for some ...
5
votes
6answers
282 views
DIY Payroll Processing?
I have tried (and been rejected by) a few online payroll solutions. As I am about to start (very soon) working with real employees, I need to find a way to do payroll more or less manually (though I ...
1
vote
2answers
462 views
How should you approach manufacturers when looking to source products for a new business?
I am planning a new E-commerce business and will be selling products that are only available from specific manufacturers. How should I approach these manufacturers when I currently have no live ...
0
votes
2answers
134 views
Have applied for Provisional Patent, looking for Angel Investor first
I have over 20 years of Software Development and 10+ Years of Project Development Management experience. I have plans to apply for two more Patents, (besides one Provisional Patent already applied). ...
1
vote
3answers
106 views
Company Web-Site
We are building up a new Digital Agency and we are creating our company web site. Because we have just started we don't have any clients in "Our-Portfolio" section nor relevant works that we have ...
0
votes
1answer
97 views
Chances for non-U.S. founders to succeed in Silicon Valley
If you're based in U.S., it is not very hard to get in touch with the right people in order to transform an idea into a product. It's easy to get to conferences, to apply to different startup programs ...
4
votes
3answers
402 views
Can I get away with being a mediocre programmer in a games start-up?
I have managed to get myself a job as a graduate programmer in a games studio developing AAA games - but just barely. I was hired more for my ideas than anything else - frankly, I think they made a ...
1
vote
2answers
93 views
Do two co-founders pair program during early stage of startup?
I have a startup with 2 co-founders (me and my partner). My partner is a programmer, whereas I am a half-programmer, half-designer, half-business guy.
I have had exceptional experience with pair ...
2
votes
3answers
394 views
Software Development company
we are a group of contractors and we have been working as senior developers for more than 15 years.
We have worked in retailer, insurances and media agencies and we got a very strong back ground in ...
1
vote
2answers
1k views
What date to use as business “start date” when filing for an EIN?
My LLC was formed as of yesterday. I am now in the process of applying for an EIN through the IRS. The application asks for my business start date. I am an online business, and have not technically ...
2
votes
2answers
101 views
Is it a Good Idea to promote your website at tech conferences like SXSW, Web 2.0?
My friend and I are about to launch our website in 6 weeks.
We do not have a company registered yet.
We are working on full time jobs and plan to set up a company once our website launches and kind ...
1
vote
1answer
354 views
How can a H1b visa holder be a co-founder with another Green Card holder co-founder?
I am on an H1b Visa working for company A. My Green Card has just been filed.
My friend is a Green Card holder working for company B.
We want to start a start-up business as co-founders. Can anyone ...
2
votes
4answers
128 views
Can I have different co founders on different parts of the company?
I want to launch different web services which have different co founders under one company, And still keep them separated from each other? for example should one of the apps not do so well I don't ...
0
votes
1answer
52 views
Marketing in absense of portfolio of projects for a software start-up.
I am starting a mobile/web development outsourcing company. My development team (currently 4 developers) is moving to my starup from our prev. company, that worked in IT, but not in SD outsourcing.
...
2
votes
2answers
223 views
Dealing with uncooperative co-founders
Just Started a business with some co-founders.
How do I set up a system so that:
When a co-founder is unwilling to work/cooperate with the rest of the team
He/she is removed
Thanks
2
votes
2answers
66 views
irs tax start-up zero revenue
I am doing taxes for someone who had about $1,500 in 2011 expenses for a new business (sole-proprietorship) but no income. Can she deduct these start-up costs in 2011 or will she have to add them to ...
1
vote
1answer
33 views
Collaborating with virtual marketing teams?
I understand there are a LOT of project management tools out there. But they all seem to be focused on development teams. Now my startup will include a distributed marketing team, so i would like to ...
2
votes
2answers
187 views
Introducing the idea to friends I'd like to add to the startup - How to and at which conditions?
I'm in the process of trying to establish my first startup.
At the moment I'm working with a friend of mine on developing the idea, and we had already created a prototype for our product on a mobile ...
3
votes
1answer
408 views
Pre-launch Marketing Strategy?
We're in the process of launching a "social contest and campaign builder" tech start-up, months away from launching in fact.
What pre-launch strategies have worked for your start-up? What are the ...
1
vote
2answers
146 views
How to find developers to use my product?
We are developing back-end web services for app developers. We developed Windows Phone 7 client and working on clients for other platforms. How can we reach developers (especially Windows Phone 7) to ...
1
vote
1answer
107 views
How does the “invite friends and earn cash” functionality work?
I'm seeing new startups use the "invite friends and earn cash" invite functionality. How can I manage my financial status with this process? Is it an investment in the short term or long term? Is ...
0
votes
4answers
252 views
Can/Do different departments work together?
Or are they isolated, where developers keep to themselves and sales people keep to themselves?
Is there a need for developers to even collaborate with sales or marketing people, for example? Im asking ...
0
votes
2answers
134 views
At what point should I register my business?
I've just finished building my first project (or rather, the first I've brought to completion) and am ready to start finding some early adopters. At what point is it important that I register my ...
-1
votes
1answer
161 views
how important is the .com TLD? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
what's more important - .com or name?
I am in the very early stages of what I hope to be a very profitable company. It is solely an online presence (think Digg, ...
4
votes
1answer
106 views
Advice for early-stage hiring?
I am the CEO of a rapidly growing startup and our growth has begun to outpace our resources as a 3 person organization. So we have begun looking around for people to hire, both as programmers, as ...
0
votes
3answers
2k views
How does one pay back an investor?
I am starting a fashion retail business this year, and I need a total initial investment of $300,000. I don't know about financial issues regarding shares, equity and dividend. I'm currently looking ...
1
vote
7answers
87 views
How to find a way to help translating the site with multi-language?
The user interface for my site is multi-language supported. But some of words are just translated from Google. But they phrases are inaccurate.
I want to know if there are any online services or ...
2
votes
2answers
305 views
How do I draft a letter of intent?
I have an idea I am working on that I believe will be useful. I have been told that verbally several times.
Rather than spend money on developing it to completion, I want my proposed ...
2
votes
1answer
163 views
non-resident Online Business setup
I live in New Zealand and I am looking to start an online website sourcing and selling products within the USA via drop-shipping methods. This part of the process is underway. However, I understand I ...
0
votes
3answers
219 views
Starting a startup with no real industry experience
Lets say you have just graduated from uni/college and you have a wonderful idea which you think you wanted to do. You know programming but you don't know the relevant skills to make it happen { Learn ...
4
votes
3answers
128 views
Mother company in the US or in Europe
My question concerns a new business: I belong to a team or software developers. Up until now, we've each done our "own thing", as self-employed workers. Altogether, our business takes place in the US ...
6
votes
6answers
649 views
Startups and full time jobs
I've come over from Stack Overflow. I'm currently working full time as a web site developer, and like many people have got a bit fed up of working for someone else and want to set my own business up. ...
2
votes
2answers
153 views
Freelance work whilst in Full Time employment and Taxes
I am a Software Developer and I live and work for a company in the UK and pay PAYE taxes and NI Contributions through my wages for this jobs salary.
I am looking to start working on a couple of ...
2
votes
2answers
270 views
How to start a UK online business? (admin)
A few years ago I had an idea for an online business, its going to operate as a freemium model and simply deal with information no tangible goods. since then I have been creating the site learning ...
0
votes
3answers
139 views
What type of developers to hire for outsourced development?
I'm trying to build a minimum viable product SaaS website as a proof of concept, and wanted to know what type of developers I should be looking for if using an outsourcing website like odesk / vworker ...
7
votes
3answers
269 views
What to do to boost user registration
I started planning a new web service. I started to write some effect maps to define primary goals that are basically related to growing numbers of:
site traffic
user registrations
user shopping ...
4
votes
1answer
151 views
Evaluating a startup
My question is, what is the best way to evaluate a software startup as a perspective employee from the point of view of viability i.e. economic viability.
I am more interested in hints related to ...
1
vote
1answer
118 views
Identifying a missed business opportunity [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Where to draw ideas from?
My hope is by asking this question, that many of you who are very proficient in doing a start-up would be able to enlighten some of us who just ...
1
vote
3answers
107 views
Where to seek the right sales executives working on a revenue share basis?
We're a startup company providing payment services/network/platform, we are similar but not like conventional payment service providers. The product has just been developed, compliance is underway - ...
