Business website help
August 4th, 2013
Of course, I’d like to save money and do it myself but I would be learning everything from the ground up since I know nothing about computers/programming. Is it worth the effort? Or should I just pay someone to go ahead and make website so I can just get started with my business idea(s)?
I was thinking about going with one of those easy made websites but I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a successful (online) business that has their company website made like that…
I’m really looking for some insight though honestly. It boils down to this. Do I take time the time to learn programming to save money from paying someone else to do it OR do I pay someone else to create it and whenever I want to make changes to it, I have to continue paying them every time I want to change something…?
Thanks in advance!
You should definitely pay a web designer to do it for you,A business is not a blog,Perception is very important!
It has to look professional,Otherwise people will have doubts and you won’t get much transactions,They’d start thinking,Maybe it’s a scam? Maybe these guys are amateurs and are not good at what they do? You don’t wanna leave such a negative first impression,So it’d
be at your best interest to pay the piper. As for paying the designer for changes,No need to,You’ll likely have a special control
panel that will allow you to easily make such changes (in fact you should insist on this feature,Things like editing the menu titles,Posts,Adding new posts,Change fonts & Background colors,Upload/remove pics)
Edit: I’m not entirely sure I understood you correctly about paying the designer for changes,So just to clarify,Clearly if at some point you’d want
an entirely new,different design you’ll have to pay him more money,But for general changes that’s not needed,And IMO if you have
a solid,functional design,Just stick with it,A lot of well known sites change it every year,This is fruitless,As the old saying goes,If it ain’t broken,Don’t fix it.
Thank you for the great response, Roberto!~ I am compiling a list of requirements or what not for the business that’s going to build the site for me.
You briefly mentioned some things that I should insist on having it set to where I can make changes to the entire site extremely easily. Is there a set list of things that I should take with me to the designer to make sure he is doing everything correctly?
Also, what are the costs that I am looking at spending on this part of my business? (I don’t know anything about running a business so I’m doing a bit of research now about this whole process.) Is me wanting to build my own website to save me money the same thing as an artist wanting to learn how to make his own painting supplies? (a waste of time…?)
loows7 replied: Also, what are the costs that I am looking at spending on this part of my business? (I don't know anything about running a business so I'm doing a bit of research now about this whole process.) Is me wanting to build my own website to save me money the same thing as an artist wanting to learn how to make his own painting supplies? (a waste of time...?)
If you don’t already know how to make websites, get someone else to make your website. Focus on your business.
Depending on what you want to get out of your website, it can be cheap or expensive.
loows7 replied: Is there a set list of things that I should take with me to the designer to make sure he is doing everything correctly?
Before even contacting one,You gotta have some idea of what you want your site to look like and contain,Think long and hard about this.
Things like background/text colors,Menu layouts,Buttons,Text/Images it’d include,Page titles,Also,If you’d like a special logo
or background image,You may have to pay a graphic designer in addition (unless the web one has that under control too)
It doesn’t have to be exact science,But you can’t just tell a web designer “I want a design for my new business site and my business is about xyz”,You gotta give him something he can work with,Then if you don’t like the result,You tell him what modification to make.
And again,Do insist on a special control panel for easy management^
loows7 replied:
Also, what are the costs that I am looking at spending on this part of my business? (I don't know anything about running a business so I'm doing a bit of research now about this whole process.) Is me wanting to build my own website to save me money the same thing as an artist wanting to learn how to make his own painting supplies? (a waste of time...?)
Prices vary greatly depending on the designer and the complexity of the design,I’d say a few grand at least.
As said before,If you wanna leave a good first impression,Paying for it would be best,But it all depends on
the greens really (if you catch my drift). Set all of that aside,You need to actually have a business license and this
will likely cost you some money as well,Plus,You’ll need to open a business bank account and possibly a credit card too.
Before I go any further, if you don’t mind me asking, do any of you personally own your own business? I ask that because I would like to go deeper into this but I want to make sure I’m speaking with someone who has already gone through what I am about to undergo.
With that said, I have begun writing out my in-depth business plan about my potential idea(s). I plan to see the local SCORE office in my area to discuss my ideas but my burning question(s) is what can/can’t I share with others (online, with SCORE personnel, etc.) about my ideas? I really would like feedback on my ideas but I’m not sure if that is wise since someone could steal my idea(s). In fact, I’d like to post them here or via PM but I have the same concerns as I mentioned above.
Regarding the other items, my business will be a services business (i think) therefore for here in Hawai’i, I only need a General excise tax license which I can get online. I am looking into the business bank account and business credit card though. I estimate my start-up costs to be around $5000. (most of it will be setting up the website)
Happy I stumbled into this thoughtful conversation. Some great info here and lots to address as a noob to the exchange.
So you know a little about my perspective (re: your last post), I own my own business that helps companies and business people people navigate the digital space. In most cases this means digital marketing and web strategy, but sometimes I build websites as well.
Forming Your Business – I’m not sure about Hawaii laws, but it sounds like you have things figured out. I currently operate as a sole proprietor in NYC and operate under “Doing business as…” This was simple to attain and helps a ton with taxes, filing business expenses, etc. Depending on the size and scope of your business you may be able to do something similar. That said, there are a lot of sites out there that guide and automate the process of getting an LLC or whatever fits for your business.
Website – As far as the website goes, I think I agree with Roberto400 re: focusing on your business and letting someone else do the web work. If possible, I would either hire a reliable person that you know to build the site (so you always have access to them when you require site changes) or get a developer to build a site that you can tinker with yourself.
– If you have an advanced site that needs some editing, something like PageLime (limited front end editing on your site) will do wonders.
– If you can get away with it, have someone build you a site in WordPress and learn a little bit about the platform yourself so you can edit things and maintain consistent control as your site grows and evolves.
Roberto400 is right though, you really want to take time to figure out the aesthetics of your site before going to someone. This will help reduce the cost of your website and will guarantee you get a final product that more closely matches your expectations.
Discussing the Business – As for sharing your business idea, you could always make someone sign an NDA (though investors hardly ever will if you end up seeking seed money). Although you hear horror stories about idea stealing, under most circumstances people are honest and you have to worry most about potential imitators after your business has gone public. The best way to guard against stealing at all is to create a competitive advantage that is unique to you and your skill set.
Hope that helps and I look forward to hearing more. Please feel free to reach out if you have more questions.
Thank you, lp32!
I have finished writing my business plan finally. I also contacted the local SCORE office here. But you know, I am a bit reluctant about:
consulting with SCORE personnel vs consulting with an actual attorney
You get what you pay for and I browsed the success stories page of SCORE and it was only ten pages long. To have so many offices all over the country and only ten pages of success stories.
I am considering just contacting a business attorney in my area. I am just a bit worried about how much they will charge me. One attorney’s website stated his hourly fees are $300 an hour! I may be able to get all of my questions answered in the initial free consultation with the attorney. At least, I’m hoping so… Thoughts?
Congrats on completing your business plan. For some reason that always seems like one of the hardest steps. Law isn’t my expertise but I’ll take a stab at answering with a few thoughts.
1. It feels like the biggest determining factor of how seriously you should take the lawyer factor is the nature and intent of your business. Are you doing something that might get you sued or are we talking about something that probably won’t ever bring you to court? Also, are you looking to raise seed money or are you bootstrapping this thing? I’ve heard of people running businesses for years without technically going to a lawyer. I don’t recommend that necessarily, but you might be able to give it some thought while you’re getting your business going.
2. I’m not sure about the entrepreneurial environment in Hawaii, but in many cities there are startup lawyers that will take you on for cheap. Some even represent you in exchange for equity. This isn’t always the best idea, but it’s an option. Also, you may be able to look into the entrepreneurial resources at your nearest university. I’ve heard of professors and others reaching outside the student body to help people.
3. I don’t think very many people actually take advantage of SCORE (though they totally should). That might be part of the reason why their testimonial list is so short but I’m really not sure. I’ve only interacted with SCORE directly once and they were extremely buttoned up (in a good way).
4. You might be able to go to tech meet ups or startup meet ups in your community. Usually these people know the local resources best and they be able to point you in the direction of a good lawyer who is passionate about helping small businesses get started.
I know I didn’t completely answer your question but hopefully that helps a little. In the meantime good luck and definitely keep me updated if you want.
Not sure about tax laws in Hawaii, but here in the UK, you can claim a lot of expenses back against your business tax.
Pay for your website to be done professionally, it will most probably look better than if you do it yourself, and it will also give you the time to dedicate on setting up and promoting your business other ways.
Why do you lot always have to consult lawyers – it seems so bloody complicated as opposed to setting up a business in the UK.
the Meerkat replied: Why do you lot always have to consult lawyers - it seems so bloody complicated as opposed to setting up a business in the UK.
Well, it’s not obligatory but I just don’t want to make some kind of mistake that I’ll regret later. I may not even consult with one since their fees are so very high but I’m still trying to make up my mind about that.
For now, I have to focus on getting this website and my business cards made. Then I can focus on obtaining the content for my site.
@lp32 –
It’s going to be a review website similar to consumerreports.org but with a different focus. Ok, so there I made it public. I was thinking alot about my idea and I think that I can reveal that aspect of my idea. That isn’t giving away too much. I’m also going to be doing guide interpreting. So, two ideas at once to begin with, though this may change to only doing the review site first if the web developer for my site feels that is better.
So, neither of those are something I think could be sued over. Perhaps if I translated something incorrectly and it caused problems for my client(s) maybe…
I guess I could look at the universities here but I tried that when seeking out assistance for my language learning about two years ago. It is a trying process since the professors are either very busy or pretend to be very busy in order to avoid students like myself who seek them out. But I will try again just for the record.
About SCORE, like I said, I’m pretty hesitant about them but I guess I should give them a chance. Never hurts but I don’t think I’ll give them my real info when I’m registering with them though.
I’ll have to get back with you regarding the tech meet ups. I haven’t found a whole lot of info about it on Google but I have seen something related to it. I’ll look into and post what I find later. Thanks for the tip!
I’ll definitely keep this thread updated! Heck, after the website is done, I’ll post the link and you and whoever else is interested can tell me what you think!
You would be better off seeing an accountant – who can advise you of the best fiddles.