Starting Your Business
Where do I begin?
You’ve got a concept. You’re ready to take the business world by storm. But where do you begin? If you have dreamed of starting a business but still have a lot of questions about how to get going, you’ve come to the right place.
Attend a Start-Up Basics Workshop
If you have a startup idea or are in the first year of business operation, taking a startup class is a must. Learn about legal structures, licensing, tax requirements, financing and more.
Get Started
To move forward with your business concept, you’ll need to build up a toolbox of knowledge and resources. Here are a couple of recommendations to get started:
- Expand your knowledge by taking regular workshops
- Watch free e-learning videos from home
- Familiarize yourself with the Colorado Business Resource Book - refer to it often
- Contact the Small Business Navigator and review our small business FAQ
- Start to map out your business idea using the Business Model Canvas or any similar tool
- Conduct Market Research
Meet with a Business Advisor
After attending a startup class and taking action on a couple of the steps above, you’ll be ready to sit down for an initial SBDC advising appointment. At your first appointment, the advisor will review your business idea and the progress made to date. Bring a list of questions or paperwork you’d like to review. Our advisors can help you:
- Conduct a market analysis and test the feasibility of your concept
- Develop a business plan
- Determine legal structure, choose a business name, register your business and obtain licensing
- Develop a financial plan, including profit and loss projections, cash flow analysis and capital requirements
- Determine potential funding sources
- Set up an accounting system
Track Your Progress
We expect growth from our clients. We have an advanced online system that allows you to track your progress. On an annual basis, we report aggregated client data to show the strength of our small business community so we can continue to provide you with affordable and no-cost services. To update your business statistics along the way, sign in to your client dashboard.
