Offline Questins

Hey all

This forum has some awesome information! I just landed my first offline SEO client and I have a couple questions.

I'm well trained in SEO and I have a couple affiliate websites that I have ranked and making money so providing clients a valuable service isn't a concern.

What I'm concerned and inexperienced with is actually running a business.

QUESTIONS:

1. How should I handle making invoices? I'll probably move to a service like freshbooks when my budget allows it, but as of now I'm somewhat confused as to whats common practice.

2. Should I create a separate bank account for money coming in and out of the business?

3. I'll also be offering website design, for clients without a website, do you recommend setting up a hosting resellers account? Do you just add that into the package you offer?

Any other tips and best practices on the financial end of staring up an offline business would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

-AvD

For handling invoices I say checkout: bambooinvoice . It's what I use for my firm as well.

I say when you get big enough, then open a bank account, legalize --> LLC. etc.

Congrats on your first offline SEO client . First one is always the hardest, but most of all ... congratulations on actually taking action!

CatInTheWall said:

Hey all
QUESTIONS:

1. How should I handle making invoices? I'll probably move to a service like freshbooks when my budget allows it, but as of now I'm somewhat confused as to whats common practice.

2. Should I create a separate bank account for money coming in and out of the business?

3. I'll also be offering website design, for clients without a website, do you recommend setting up a hosting resellers account? Do you just add that into the package you offer?

Any other tips and best practices on the financial end of staring up an offline business would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

-AvD

Click to expand...

1. For starting up you can use any number of free invoice serivices/templates. Hell you can even just use word templates.

Once money permits I'd go for something like freshbooks or an all in one system like WHMCS.

2. For now it doesn't matter too much. Once you've got some cash to play with register an LCC and get a bank account under that name. When the money starts flowing it's good to distinguish what's yours to spend on you and what's yours to invest in the business.

3. Depending how far down the rabbit hole of hosting you want to go. The stress free way is to just go as a reseller for a big hosting company that will do everything for you. If you plan to take on alot more customers it might be better to get a VPS with cpanel and then you can provision your own packages for customers. But a VPS does require more technical knowledge and some management.

Hope this helps

That just what I needed to know, thanks guys!

It's funny too because I really do think it's all about confidence and how you present yourself. I actually pitched this client 6 months ago when I barely knew anything about SEO and online marketing and I wasn't even trying to start an offline business. I just made it seem like I could solve all her problems. (now I can) but what happend is she emailed me a couple weeks ago with the subject line "SEO You Spoke Of" called her up and closed the deal.

I wasn't even planning on starting an offline business, but i guess it's go big or go home because im over 100k in student loans and i'll be graduating college in a week.

I'll be pitching a sheet metal manufacturer next week. I know the owner but I'm still pretty nervous, If I get the account I wont have to get a "real job". I'll be charging big money for this job (2000 a month) and they desperately need what I can do for them.

On a side note, I've been studying the book Pitch Anything by Oren Klaff, I highly recommend it.