Steve Wynn didn’t just get up and running with his Wynn Hotel on the Vegas strip because he was lucky or savvy or even so smart. For decades, he honed the necessary skills to ultimately play with the Big Boys (and Girls). His hotels are stunning, elegant, and indulgent.
So how did he do it? How does any wise business owner or entrepreneur get it all rolling?
He didn’t do it alone.
And neither can you.
Hiring a team of excellent people who you trust is of paramount importance, and tapping into resources that are entirely easy and readily available is key. Given this little thing called the World Wide Web, you’re in luck. Almost all of the information you need is quite literally at your fingertips.
Consider these excellent resources to get and keep your business up and running.
Business.com
Business.com is one of the better-known resources, and there’s a reason for that. It’s reputable and it’s great. It’s a one-stop-shop for many of the necessary requirements that you’ll need:
- Payroll Services
- Postage Meters
- Credit Card Processing
- Accounting Software
- Web Design
- Phone Systems
- Online Marketing
- Document Management
- Promotional Items
CityMax
CityMax is another excellent resource. This one is particularly well chosen because it targets the small business owner who is just getting up and running. Establishing yourself with some credibility and eye-candy for your website viewers are the goals here, and this resource is well suited for the small business owner who isn’t looking for an entire package. This website’s goal is to help you to primarily establish a great website and marketing, as well.
BusinessUSA
BusinessUSA (formerly Business.gov) is solid. In 2011, President Obama charged various government agencies with the task of organizing this excellent website. It’s simply a plethora of information that every entrepreneur or business needs to get up and running.
It is described on the website as “a centralized, one-stop platform to make it easier than ever for businesses to access services to help them grow and hire.” And that’s a fair description. It really delivers. Salient pages include learning about taxes and credits, finding business partners, accessing financing, and resources for veterans.
Bigcommerce
Bigcommerce is one the best resources for an online-only store. While EbayProStores.com is also good, customers seem to prefer Bigcommerce because of their consistency with overall satisfaction.
Bigcommerce offers every service and tool you’ll need to get your online store up and running, literally, in a matter of hours. From creating your online store to designing your storefront to ranking high in Google searches, marketing, hosting, and providing the data for your analytics — it’s all there.
Rates range from $25/month for the Bronze package, which includes up to 100 products and three staff logins, to $300/month for the Diamond package, which includes unlimited product listings and up to 100 staff logins.
Online searches will yield thousands of results for business resources; narrow your own search by starting with these, and team up with the resources that best speak to your needs. It’s best to just dive into the deep end by getting all of the various systems up and rolling at the same time. That’s a lot to manage by yourself; teaming up with a resource that can lift the burden of learning curves and investments of time will free you up to do what you do best: producing and selling your goods and services.
Take a deep breath, and just dive in. Good luck!
Valerie J. Wilson is a freelance writer and a budding small business owner. Specializing in blogging for businesses and organizations, Valerie hopes to grow her own business and has some early signs of success with the resources mentioned in this article.