North Pole Community Chamer of Commerce

	Business Resource Home
	Starting a Small Business - Business Planning - Licenses, Permits & Insurance - Business Financing - Accounting, Taxes & Employees - Marketing - Ongoing Activities
	Growing Your Business - Government Programs - NGO/Non-Profit Programs - Business Development - Local Resource Development - Training & Employment Info - Ecommerce Resources - Export Opportunities - Small Business News - Business Tools - North Pole Member Directory
	Where to Turn for Help - Local Mentors - Small Business Discussion - Suggestions & Comments

Business Planning

Creating a Business Plan
Deciding on a Legal Form for Your Business
Choosing a Name, Logo, Domain Name

Creating a Business Plan

Every starter business should have a business plan (besides just being a good idea, a business plan is often a pre-requisite for obtaining financing from a lending institution).

We have found the following resources to help get you on your way to putting your own business plan together:

Business Planning Resource Center
Business plan information and explanations. Sample business plans. Business plan software and small business community links. Award winning
Alaska InvestNet
Alaska InvestNet's Entrepreneur Business Plan section has some great templates for putting together a business plan.
Doug Williams and Associates provide small business consulting. Consultants help with business advice on management, business plans, marketing, website promotion, operations and small business startup.

Deciding on a Legal Form for Your Business

All businesses need to have some sort of legal form. Here are some of the most common types of legal entity for small businesses:

Sole Proprietorship
The simplest type of business to set up. You need: a business name, a social security number, and a bank account in the name of your business.
Limited Liability Corporation
Check out Forming a LLC Company from the Alaska Department of Economic Development.
A Corporation
Check out Forming an Alaska Corporation , a site that explains the minimal filing requirements for forming a corporation under Alaska Statutes. You can also download Sample For-Profit Bylaws

Choosing a Name, Logo, Domain Name

One of the fun, and often frustrating, parts of setting up a business is deciding on a name and creating an identity (logo, letterhead, email address, website address, etc.).

Be sure to check the state names register to make sure your new name is not already taken by another business in the state. Do this before investing too much time and effort in establishing a corporate identity.

An essential part of your name search should be to visit Network Solutions to see if your business name is available as a domain name (.com, .net, or .org). Use the field on their website to see if your business name is still available. Be imaginative if you find that your first choice is already taken and keep the name short, memorable and catchy.

Also, check out US Patent and Trademark Office to search for trademarks and patents.