Each client receives a unique package of services tailored to the needs of their business, and may choose to add or subtract services as the needs of their business change over time. This page should be seen as giving examples of services available so that you can begin to think about what might be helpful to you, rather than the only services offered or things which you must want to work with me.
Business Research
- Market and industry research
- Competitive analysis (including identifying direct local competition and their business strategies)
- Customer and target demographic research
- Business analysis tools such as SWOT, PESTLE, Five Forces, etc.
- Supplier or big-ticket purchase options and comparison/pros and cons
- Any other research you need!
Business Strategy
- Establish a consistent business identity with you and put together a style guide for you and your employees to reference
- Identify your long-term goals for your business and create a plan with short-term goals and steps to take so that the long-term goals become more achievable, including dates and “deadlines” if you want
- Meet with you on a regular basis (annually, quarterly, etc.) to evaluate how your business is doing and where you want to go next
- Look at potential areas for expansion or additional income streams that might work for your business, and research implementation if you’re interested
General Financial Suggestions
NOTE: This does NOT mean investment advice or legal advice, and does NOT mean I can be your accountant. I can help you think about what type of business structure would be best for you and walk you through the paperwork. I can send you yearly reminders when it’s time to renew it along with info about any new legislation or compliance needs such as the Treasury’s BOI. I can’t file it for you, and I also can’t create your legal contracts or do your taxes (and you don’t want me to!).
- Tell you about the different options for business structures (like sole proprietorships and LLCs) and their pros and cons
- Help walk you through the process of establishing your business legally, such as registering your business, applying for tax IDs, and getting any licenses or permits you need
- Identify common client billing and banking solutions for your type of business, as well as telling you why you should ALWAYS keep your business and personal funds separate
- Give you ideas on ways to keep financial records depending on your business and organizing preferences
- Help you gather information and prepare when it’s time to get your taxes done (I can’t do them for you, though!)
- Send you reminders when it’s time to renew your licenses or registration as well as file your taxes
Webmaster Services
- Website hosting (through Bluehost), including hosting transfer
- Website hosting is the infrastructure (software and hardware) needed to have a website. If a website is like a house, web hosting is like the land that the house is built on. It isn’t the same as the house itself, but you can’t have a house without it.
- Domain name registration and privacy management
- The domain name is what someone would type in to get to your website, like 2718consulting.com. Sometimes people call it a URL. It’s like the address of a house.
- Website creation and management (through WordPress), including import/export of an existing website
- Identifying necessary components such as specific pages, widgets/apps, forms, blog posts, etc.
- Creating and populating pages and writing copy as needed, performing SEO
- Establishing any desired cross-functionality or integration with other tools
- Handle software updates and respond to technical problems
- Use website analytics tools to track and analyze traffic patterns to better inform business strategy
- Establishment and maintenance of email addresses using your domain name
Database Management
- Identify data that would be useful to collect across different aspects of your business — rather than collecting data just so you can say you collect it
- Find ways to collect that data that respect user privacy and comply with relevant laws
- Build a database that’s documented and organized, so it’s easy to use and understand
- Add your existing data into your new database (no matter how disorganized or inconsistent it might be!)
- Integrate and create reports with analytics software like Tableau and PowerBI so that you can make data-driven decisions
Tech Advice
- Identify business tasks that could be augmented or automated using software (such as generating customer communications or sales reports)
- Evaluate and summarize existing software (and hardware) options and make recommendations based on the needs of your individual business
- Help you implement and integrate new software and facilitate transfer from what you were previously using
- Teach you how to use your new software if you need guidance
- Act as the administrator for your Google Workplace software subscription
- Troubleshoot business tech issues with you and help you learn strategies for troubleshooting
Other Duties as Assigned
Do you need something that doesn’t quite fall into one of these six categories? Want to talk logistics about whether a particular service might work for your business? Contact me here and let’s discuss how I can help.