Question

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I just had a couple of quick questions for anyone who can answer them. First, I'm looking to start a small venture to target college students. As I am currently one myself, this is an area that I am familiar with. I wanted to start a venture that involved typing up papers and perhaps some desktop publishing specifically aimed at the college student market. Knowing that college students are on a limited budget, these services would be offered at a low cost. I also know how much many of my friends hate typing up their papers and stuff of that nature and so I thought this would be a very good idea.

What I needed to know was if this type of venture needed a business license and I also wanted to know if anyone had any marketing strageties. Any info I could get would be extremely valuable, as I have not been able to find any info as to whether I would need a business license for this, as it will strictly be a computer/Internet-based busiess.

Thanks in advance!

[Mel]

I'm not an expert by any means but I think getting a business license is up to you. I know some people will tell you have to have one but I also know others who have been operating without one for years.

I think it depends on how you plan to do things. If you are wanting to make this a long term business where it hopefully will still be running 5-10 years from now, it would probably be a good idea to go ahead and get one. But if this is something like a side job just to make a little money while you're still in school then I don't think it's necessary.

As far as marketing...word of mouth works well. Start by offering it to your friends, their other friends and so forth. You could also offer to give them one project for 1/2 price for referring others to you or something along those lines.

Of course, this is just my opinion. :wink:

[Debbi]

Hi,

I just noticed this post and I wanted to let you know my findings. Licensing depends upon the state, city, and county ordinances for your area, as well as the field you are working in. I would suggest checking out the .gov page for your state and going from there.

If you need help tracking anything down, let me know.

dc

[MiaBellaGold]

I agree with Debbi

When I did research it depended on where you were located as to what you needed to have. What a great idea! I know a lot of students that would love to have someone type for them.