Startup Q&A

Get your legals and financials in place first.  The structure of your business is most important along with contracts for your business, so liability is clear.  The other parts of your business maybe more exciting or interesting but if you don't get the basics right you wont have a business for long. 

I'd love to hear if you have any thoughts on this @Daniel Rouquette @Chris J "The Only CEO with a Mohawk" Reed - 1,600 LinkedIn Recommendations !

Good question.

I would suggest you ask why you want to go into an accelerator before deciding which are best. Different accelerators have very different sylabus (some have none) and therefore the outcomes are very varied. In addition, some accelerators ask for equity in your company which you may not wish to give up.

Once you know your parameters, it's time to do the research. I suspect 99% of people who are looking to get into an accelerator shouldn't even be trying! In my view, you're better off discovering if there are customers for your idea rather than spending the time in an accelerator.

Good to know about Ozbargain. Nowadays, many entrepreneurs start a business without programming experience and background. For one, the skill can be learned if they have the drive. And another reason is the abundance of local and overseas programmers available. In this growing gig economy, you can easily hire app developers, website programmers, UX designers to build the product you need.

Hi Andrew,  If you are in Australia then the BEC's (Business Enterprise Centres) are a good resource.  They have business advisors on staff that will meet with you and advise you on what free resources are available.  I would also try googling strings such as 'shoestring start-ups'  'free business resources' etc.  Good Luck!

Not an easy question to answer, Richard. But if you get really stuck, there are marketing consultants and identity firms whose job it is to do this.

You will want your business name to: help you stand out from your competition; provide recognition for your company, and; steer potential clients toward hiring you.

In my own experience, there are several qualities that help make a great business name. It should be:

• meaningful – say something about who you are and what you do
• future-oriented – permit growth and change
• memorable – easy to say and spell
• visual – looks good when presented graphically
• unique – able to be trademarked and owned

There are many different categories of naming – descriptive; metaphoric; acronym; family; fabricated, among others. The trick to selecting the right type can sometimes lie in knowing who your target market is and what are their particular problems.

In other words, positioning.

Great question James. I still work full-time on top of my several ventures.

Ideas for part-time work:

• Freelancing - provide services you know on a freelance or contract basis. This can work great for business advice, design work, PR, social media management, copy writing, blogging
• Waiting tables, Bar Tending or Barista - these jobs typically have fairly good flexibility for hours and times if you need to work around business meetings or such.