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Quad-Cities businesses have held ribbon cuttings and opened their doors in the past month. Here are some of the places that opened for business in September. Silverstar Car Wash held a ribbon cutting to celebrate its grand opening at 1914 Division St.
in Davenport on Sept. 13. This is the second Silverstar Car Wash in the Quad-Cities.
Memberships start at $19.95 a month and there are locations across the Midwest. The first Quad-Cities location at 306 Avenue of the Cities in East Moline.
Another location is planned for Bettendorf on Devils Glen Road. Leaders from Continental Cement, Summit Materials and Green American Recycling all gathered Tuesday at the Continental facility in Buffalo for a ribbon cutting honoring a new $38 million building that will allow workers to burn recyclable materials instead of fossil fuels. Continental Cement in Buffalo held a ribbon cutting on Sept.
10 for its Green America Recycling Expansion. The plant is located at 301 E. Front St.
The new facility will reuse waste materials instead of burning fossil fuels. It represents a $38 million investment in the Buffalo plant. Continental is owned by Denver-based Summit Materials, which bought the long-time cement company in 2015.
Eve’s Garden and Greenhouse, 6227 Northwest Blvd. in Davenport, held a ribbon cutting to celebrate its new business on Sept. 11.
The business is owned by a mother-daughter duo, with help from their husbands. They believe gardening goes beyond a hobby to connecting with nature and enhancing life, a press release said. The business aims to provide a wide selection of plants, supplies and advice.
Core Dermatology held a ribbon cutting for its new location at 1950 E. 54th St. in Davenport on Sept.
26. Core aims to empower patients to live healthier lives through dermatological care, an announcement said. It offers a full Med Spa, a surgery center and expanded schedules.
Vera French Foundation held a groundbreaking for its Carol's Village Gardens on Sept. 12. The new development is set to offer 30 units total of one and two bedroom apartments.
It is located at 820 Harrison St., Davenport, next to Vera French's Carol Center. The project is part of Vera French's efforts to provide housing in the community.
Carol's Village Gardens was first envisioned in 2019 and is set to open in the summer or fall of next year. Short corn offers farmers a variety that can withstand powerful windstorms that could become more frequent due to climate change. (AP video by Nicholas Ingram) In many ways, the internet has leveled the playing field for small business owners everywhere.
Online businesses are relatively easy to start, without the kind of up-front costs a brick and mortar business demands. However, this relative ease doesn't mean that you can simply jump in and hang out your shingle. As with any business, you need to establish a strong footing for your online business.
While the steps outlined below by LegalZoom don't necessarily have to be completed in order, their objective is to provide you with a foundation that's solid enough to bear the weight of your future business growth and success. Just because it's easier to start an online business doesn't mean no costs are involved. As with a physically based business, the first step to take with your online business is to assess your idea's feasibility .
The most brilliant online business ideas can be unsuccessful if your product or service has no market. Even if you've hit on the solution to a problem that plagues many people, you're just throwing money away if the problem turns out to be one that most people don't care enough about to spend time or money solving. With this in mind, you need to evaluate your online business idea.
The following are just a few of the questions you need to ask yourself: How to perform market research In order to evaluate your online business idea and answer these questions, you'll first want to conduct market research. From a broad perspective, you want to identify your target audience, understand the problem they have, and determine whether or not your business can be the solution. Here are several research methods to try: Ultimately, you want to confirm your business idea addresses a genuine market need and at least has the potential to stand out among the competition.
Once you know your idea is feasible, it's time to put together a comprehensive business plan. Even if you don't plan on obtaining funding for your business, at least not initially, having a business plan is valuable because it lets you spot any potential bumps down the road and plan for future growth and profitability. The work you did in step one gives you a good base from which to develop your own business plan , and multiple resources are available online to help you put together the core elements of a solid plan, including the following: An effective plan will help you to identify your market further, clarify your objectives, provide a marketing roadmap, and assist you in making the kinds of decisions that may mean the difference between success and failure.
Choosing your business' name is an important step in the startup process. Because your business will primarily function online, your chosen name must be available for registration as a business name in your state and within the digital space. This means you will need to check whether the name you want is available as a: If your chosen name isn't available as a domain name or social media username, consider different permutations of the name, and remember that many domain name extensions beyond the original ".
com" are available. Additionally, it's important to check that your name and domain name aren't impinging on any registered trademarks. The business type you choose will dictate the legal and tax requirements you need to meet.
Most small business owners choose from the following structures: It's always a good idea to consult an attorney to determine the appropriate business type for your new business. Because each structure has different tax requirements, you may also want to consult a tax professional. Like a brick-and-mortar business, you will need to file all the appropriate business-formation documents and other paperwork to ensure your new business has a solid legal foundation.
This includes: Since these requirements vary on a state-by-state basis and the nature of your business, it's important to do your research so you meet any applicable requirements. Again, it's often helpful to consult with an attorney with experience in business startups in your particular industry to make certain you're on the right track. An online business's website is as important as the physical location of a brick-and-mortar company, and you should put as much care into this part of the startup process as you would if you were location and lease shopping.
Here's how. Decide how to build your website You have several options to create your website , including the following: When looking at how you will build your website, consider available payment processors (such as through Square, Apple Pay, or PayPal), their fees, and whether they meet your customers' preferences. Choose your domain name and hosting platform Next, you can register your domain name with the website builder you use or another service like GoDaddy or Google Domains.
The web host you choose is an important consideration as well, provided you build a custom site. You can have a top-notch website, but it will do you no good if your host has too much downtime or if the speed of browsing your site is too slow. In addition to checking out reviews online, consider asking your personal and business network contacts.
Other online business owners, in particular, can provide invaluable information about a web host's reliability. Plan your sourcing and fulfillment strategy Depending on the products or services you'll be offering, you will also need to evaluate and choose your sources of supply and inventory, as well as how you will deliver your product or service to your customer. Again, a number of options are available.
Given the importance of having inventory on hand—or a good on-demand provider—and a reliable method of fulfillment, spending adequate research time on this aspect can mean the difference between success and failure. It's important to market your online business while you're working on each of the previous steps. Your business plan will provide you with the information you need to develop effective marketing strategies for your potential market.
Then, you'll need to choose the right channels to reach your customers, such as: No matter what strategies you go with, it's important not to skimp on implementation. By building up your target market's anticipation of your launch through social media and various advertising methods, you will be paving the way for a successful launch. Before launching, you should test every element and feature of your online business to confirm the customer experience is where you want it to be.
Start by testing your website on various devices (desktop, tablet, and mobile) and browsers to verify compatibility. You should also confirm everything functions, including the navigation and menu items, product pages, payment processor, and other relevant features. Once you're confident everything works as intended, you're ready to launch.
While you won't actually be "cutting the ribbon" the way you might with a physical business, you'll be doing so metaphorically when you make your website live and announce to the world that you're open for business. This announcement can be made in a variety of ways, including: During the launch phase, you will reap the benefits of the work you did during your prelaunch marketing. Of course, your work will have only just begun, but by going through these eight steps, you will have built a solid foundation for your online business.
Laying the groundwork in this manner means you can devote your time to running and marketing your new business rather than dealing with the various fires that might arise if you've neglected any of these important steps along the way. There's arguably never been a better time to start an online business. E-commerce sales are projected to account for over 20% of all retail sales in the U.
S. by 2027, compared to less than 15% in 2022. Besides the expected growth, starting an online business comes with numerous benefits, including the following: Flexibility Unlike traditional businesses with fixed hours and locations, an online business allows you to set your own schedule and work anywhere as long as you have an internet connection.
This flexibility also extends to your work environment—you can operate from a home office, a coffee shop, or even while traveling. Low startup costs Starting an online business is usually less expensive than opening a physical location, as you don't necessarily need to pay for rent, renovations, or repairs. With lower overhead costs, you also have more flexibility to allocate resources where they're needed most, whether that's building your business website, purchasing software, or padding savings in your business bank account.
Global reach With an online presence, you're not restricted to local customers or traditional business hours. Your website is "open" 24/7, allowing customers from different time zones to visit at their convenience. This also means you can tap into niche markets that you otherwise couldn't reach locally and expand your customer base.
Scalability As your business grows, it's generally easier to accommodate the increased demand without proportional increases in physical infrastructure or staff. Likewise, if you need to downscale during seasonal fluctuations, you won't have as many associated expenses or long-term assets to maintain. Automation and tools You can find numerous tools and programs that can handle everyday tasks associated with running your online business, including inventory management, order fulfillment, and customer service, among others.
As you become more familiar with the operations and implement these tools, you can improve efficiency while freeing your time for more important matters. Depending on your business model and needs, you might consider using some of these tools to help start your online business: How do I build an effective website for my online business? To build an effective website, focus on user-friendly design, clear navigation, and mobile responsiveness. You can either use a website builder or hire a professional developer for more complex designs.
It's also a good idea to reference successful online business websites you'd like to model after. Can you start an online business with no money? Yes, it's possible to start an online business with no money , including graphic design, writing, and other freelance services. You can usually find free or low cost online courses to build your skills in these areas.
However, expect to invest time and effort to grow your business. Can you sell online without a business? You may be able to sell online without a formal business through marketplaces like Amazon. However, most online businesses must have licenses to operate, so you should check with your county, state, or the Small Business Administration to confirm what you'll need.
What challenges of starting an online business should I prepare for? You should prepare for challenges related to earning customer trust and establishing a name for your business . You may also face technical issues or struggle with scaling operations as you grow. Still, the exact challenges ultimately depend on your business type, strengths, and weaknesses.
Belle Wong, J.D., contributed to this article.
This story was produced by LegalZoom and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media. Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly..
