December 2011 – Direct Incorporation Blog

What should go on your contact us page?

Nearly every website has a “Contact Us” page. They’re ubiquitous, and they’re often a throw-away.

Name, address and phone number go without saying. A fax number can also be included, but is optional. Here are other things that should be included on the Contact Page:

Pictures
You should include a picture of the building, if for no other reason so people will recognize what they’re looking for after seeing your website. If you don’t want to put a picture of your building, at least put a picture of your sign.

Map/Directions
So many companies forget this, but including directions is vital. You can use the map provided by Google, Yahoo or Bing. The interactive map works best. Also, if your place of business is difficult to find or tricky in any way, include some directions written out to help customers get there.

Email address
Not everyone is willing to rush right out or even pick up the phone to call for more information. But they’re right there looking at your website, and they’re thinking about your product. Tell them who their customer service agent is. Putting a name to your customer service agent is advisable and ensures clarity about who customers should talk to and that inquiries go to one specific person. If several people will share the responsibilities of handling customer service inquires, something like “customer.service@yourcompanyname.com” is acceptable. Just make sure those emails are answered in a timely manner.

Social media links
This is an opportunity for your customers and potential customers to discover how to communicate with you. In the era of social media, it is absolutely essential to let them know where they can get additional information about your product and company. In addition to LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, make sure to include your blog, if you have one.

Optional: Contact Form
Depending upon your business and industry, it might be advisable to include a contact form with a call to action. This allows you to collect email addresses for future campaigns and special offers.

There are many issues you should look into before starting any business. We make it our mission to make it as easy as possible. If you need information on launching your website, we’re here to help!

Direct Incorporation Customer Spotlight

Company Name: Mark E. Wilson Accounting & Payroll Services, PC
Location: Rockwall, TX
Years in Business: Start-Up
Number of employees: 1

Business Profile

Direct Incorporation recently partnered with Mark Wilson, an accountant in North Texas to help incorporate a new business. Well, actually, he’s more than an accountant. In the services he provides for his clients, Mark is equal parts consultant, accountant and operations manager.

More than anything, Mark focuses on building relationships with his clients. “I’m not a typical bean counter,” Mark is fond of saying. “I’m hands on. I learn the business inside and out before making any recommendations.”

Although he works with businesses in many industries, Mark’s background makes his advice particularly valuable to medical practices. He previously held a position as operations manager for one of the largest medical practices in Texas.

Because every medical practice is different, the advice Mark gives each client is unique based upon the goals of the practice. Through analysis and experience, Mark is able to counsel physicians about making their practices more efficient and profitable.

Mark is a Quickbooks Pro Advisor and provides accounting and payroll service in Dallas, north Texas and southern Oklahoma, but chose Rockwall as home for his business. The city more than doubled in size between 2000 and 2010 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Because of its proximity, many consider it a Dallas suburb, but residents don’t think of their town that way. Attitude, much more than Lake Ray Hubbard, separates Rockwall from Dallas. Growth, quality of life and available services convinced Mark to open his business as an accountant in Rockwall.

How Direct Incorporation Helped

Mark chose the Venture Package because in addition to incorporation, he also needed domain registration, logo and website. “Working with Direct Incorporation was extraordinarily easy. They were very patient. Ed Stahlin really bent over backwards to help.” Mark said.

Mark added, “I would definitely recommend Direct Incorporation to any small business I’m working with. It is a one-stop shop to be able to do everything a small business needs.”

There are many issues you should look into before starting any business. We make it our mission to make it as easy as possible. If you need information on incorporating your business, visit our website.

Incorporating in Virginia.

Our state incorporation series today focuses on The Old Dominion: Virginia. In the past few years, Virginia has established itself as one of the top states in the U.S. in which to do business.

Our website includes summary of our services, and what you’ll need to know to incorporate a business in Virginia.

Benefits of incorporating in Virginia

Virginia is one of the top states for business in several key areas, according to a study by Business Facilities.

#1 in Economic Growth Potential
#3 in Business Climate
#9 in Employment Leaders.

According to the Small Business Administration, small business in Virginia accounts for 98% of the state’s employers and 48% of its private-sector employment. The number of minority-owned businesses has increased 51% since 2002.

Time and cost to incorporate in Virginia

The ease and speed with which a business is incorporated in Virginia can vary based on the company name and category of business activity. When incorporating an ordinary corporation or LLC, the average processing time is 4-6 weeks. For an additional fee of $100, the state will expedite the process in a week. The state’s fee to incorporate an ordinary corporation is $79; an LLC is $104.

Direct Incorporation’s Virginia incorporation services

We offer three packages to assist you with incorporating in Virginia, with prices ranging from $149 to $773. For more information on our Virginia incorporation services, click on a link below.

Standard Package
Premier Package
Venture Package

Do you have questions about incorporating your business in Virginia? Please leave a comment below and I will try to answer them. Thanks!

Why You Need a Business Plan

For a startup, it’s not enough to have concept for a company or an idea of what the next big product will be.

You need a business plan.

The Internet is ripe with different viewpoints on what should go into a business plan. The plan itself should be customized to fit your business and you, the business owner. A business plan is not just a tool to help you get a loan, although it’s almost always a requirement for any lending institution or financer.

The essence of the idea that will drive your business’s success should be contained amongst the executive summary, business model description, charts, graphs and analytics, executive team intro and anything else that the gurus say should be included in a sound business plan.

In short, you should write the business plan for yourself.

A business plan gives you a practical roadmap for the life of your business. It forces you to think about the future, including how your business will grow, how you’ll deal with competition and how you’ll deal with lulls in business.

As a communication tool, it helps you to express your ideas and goals with employees, vendors, customers and mentors. This can be vital to your success because it gives them a practical outline of how you intend to achieve success in business.

Entrepreneur.com has a page with a ton of information about business plan basics, including samples and how-to’s, perfect for someone just starting out in business.

Of course there are other issues you should look into before starting any business. We make it our mission to make starting a business as easy as possible. If you need information on incorporating your business, visit our website.