YOUR BUSINESS _ SPRING 2024 7 6 8 BUY A WEBSITE DOMAIN Once you've decided on a business name, make sure the domain name is available for your website. Having a domain name makes you look more professional, and emails can come to you via yourname@yourdomain. Check it's available by going online and selecting from one of the many companies offering domain names for sale. It doesn't cost much to register, but you will have to pay for it annually. 9 HAVE A WEB PRESENCE There are plenty of web-hosting companies, but it pays to choose one in the UK so you can contact them during business hours. You can opt to design your website yourself or pay a designer. Sites such as weebly.com or wix.com have templates and a large selection of royalty-free photography you can use. PAINT A PICTURE This is the fun part! Your logo speaks volumes about the kind of business you are. It's worth spending a bit of money on getting this aspect right, as your headed paper and business cards will advertise your company to customers. FIND YOUR PLACE Can you work from home or will you need an office or small unit to develop your product? If you're renting premises, this needs to be included in your business plan. You also need to think about how accessible it is for potential customers, suppliers and employees. 10 BE SEEN Create a presence all over social media and target your audience, telling them about your launch. Contact your local paper, which may want to run a feature on you. Budget for advertising to get your name out there. Offer a free service or money off in the first few weeks to encourage new customers and get them to spread the word. 39http://www.weebly.com http://www.wix.com