I know very well this will all be worth it in the end! Just have to keep moving forward.
 |
| Photo is from unknown location |
So where do we start? Do we begin with how to get licensed by the AZ BOC, or do we start with "I am licensed, now what"?
I am licensed, now what?
Well, the first steps can be done at the same time, so the following steps you can do in which ever order you feel fit.
1) Choose your business name - Check to see if it is available in AZ Check business name
2) Decide if you want to be a LLC, Sole Proprietorship, or a Corporation. (Click here for definitions)
3) Find a salon location - this must be done before you apply for your State Board Salon License.
4) Get a logo made - decide if you want to trademark your name and logo (I have not done this yet, you have to pay each state that you want it trademarked in. If you want to do it national, you have to go through the National Patent Database.
5) Apply for your EIN for your Tax ID - Be careful, some sites will charge you a crazy amount and I was able to find one that was FREE. You get this right away, and print off a few copies, you are going to need them. Apply online for EIN
Now that you have the first stuff done, it starts to get difficult.
6) Sign your lease for the salon location - Give it about 2 weeks from the time you plan on submitting your salon application, you dont want to start paying on your lease bfore you are ready to operate.
7) Go to the Secretary of State and complete your form for the LLC, Sole Proprietorship, or corporation. Be careful, they are absolutely NO help! If you get it wrong, they will deny your application and you may have to pay for each of the corrections. I was able to do this on my own and made no mistakes, except I messed up on my salon address. I also put my home address on the registry so I need to pay $5 to change that to the salon address, $35 if I want it rushed.
- Side note, they sent me to the AZ Corporate Commission first, and I found out that if you are doing an LLC, this is NOT where you go, you must go to the AZ SOS. The CC is for trademarks.
In the next steps you are going to be tying everything together.
8) Once your LLC or business name is registered, you can print this off, and even several times. You will provide this with your documents, although you don't technically need to, I found it is much easier to include.
9) Now, go to the AZBOC and pay your $110 and give them your application. They will need your Tax ID and your LLC documents, as well as the salon address.
10) You will also need to go to the city government where you are going to be operating your business and apply for a City Business License. This is $50 a year for the City of Glendale, however, I had to pay $85 for the fire inspection and the month of December. It makes sense that if you plan on retailing in the future, just get a Retail License, otherwise you will have to do this all over when you are ready to start selling.
11) Now that you are a business owner on paper, you need to get a business checking account. I went with a local bank. They require a $1500-7500 daily balance, don't be afraid to shop around. Because you want to keep Your social security number separate from your EIN, you must have a business checking account.
*sigh*
If this is not enough, you now need to get your website and logo up. This is where I'm at now and getting stuck on SEO - "Search Engine Optimization", or something like that. The goal with SEO is "Getting seen on the first page of Google". I went through www.GoDaddy.com, its pricey, but it's worth it with all the support you receive. Try it out and see how it all came together on my website, www.bashfullash.com.
BE SURE TO FOLLOW UP WITH EACH AGENCY TO VERIFY YOU ARE IN GOOD STANDINGS AND THEY ACTUALLY PROCESSED YOUR PAPERWORK.
As I learn more I will be sure to post. I hope to see you around!
xoxo
and GOOD LUCK, here is to a successful New Years!
Angie
Bashful Lash LLC
www.bashfullash.com
