1. Choose Your Business Structure The first step in starting your business is to establish a business structure. This will affect what licenses you'll need and the makeup of the business itself. The four most common types are:
- Sole Proprietorship - If you're the sole owner if your business and do not wish to incorporate, look into becoming a sole proprietorship.
- Partnership -- Like a sole proprietorship, but with more than one person. Each partner contributes time, labor, money, and resources to the business as outlined in their partnership agreement. Partners are not employees, so profits and losses pass through to the partners.
- Corporation -- A corporation passes its profits to its shareholders. If you'd like to incorporate and sell stock in your company, look into forming a corporation. Also consider becoming a B Corporation, which holds organizations to higher social and environmental standards.
- Limited Liability Company (LLC) --An LLC gives you extra protection (limited liability) in business. It will be treated as a partnership, corporation, or as part of the owner's tax return depending on how it is organized. Members of an LLC can be individuals, corporations, or other LLCs.
Sole proprietorship and general partnerships do not require legal entry formalities other than compliance with state and local licensing requirements. Corporations and LLC's articles of incorporation requirements are located here.
The State of Maryland has made it easy to Plan, Start, Manage & Grow your business with the creation of the Maryland Business Express website. Find all of the information relative to starting your business on one site!
2. Become a Legal Entity in Maryland. Now that you've registered on the federal level, register your business and establish the legal entity with the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation.
3. Obtain a Federal Tax ID Number (EIN). You can get this for free from the IRS and it's necessary before you can register your business in Maryland. It's used for tax purposes, so keep it handy. You can get on through the IRS website (beware of spam sites charging for EIN numbers!) and it will generate a number for you immediately after completing the questionnaire. The IRS also provides more in-depth info about how to apply.
4. Register Your Business Name. You'll want to register your fictitious or business name with the State of Maryland. You may also register a "trade name," which isn't the same as your business's legal name. A trade name or "doing business as" registration is recommended for sole proprietorship or partnerships who are operating under a name other than that of the owner(s). Also, a Corporation, Limited Partnership, or Limited Liability Company operating under a name other than the name registered with the State of Maryland would need to register a trade name. Visit Maryland's registration portal for more info.
5. Register for State and Local Taxes. You can do this easily through the Maryland Comptroller's office. Note that you'll need to print and submit a paper copy if you're registering an alcohol tax license, tobacco tax license, or motor fuel tax account.
6. Optional: Register as a certified MBE or DBE. An MBE is a Minority Business Enterprise and a DBE is a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise. These programs were created to ensure that small, minority- and women- owned businesses have the opportunity to participate fully and fairly in both state and U.S. DOT federally funded projects.Visit Maryland.gov to learn more about obtaining Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) certification.
7. Obtain a Maryland Business License. You can find these through the Clerk of the Circuit Court in Prince George's County. Any business that sells a product or service needs a business license. Essentially, any business that sells a product or service needs some kind of business license. The Maryland Business Express offers a detailed step by step plan for starting your business. For more information, visit Maryland Business Licenses Online.
For more information and resources from the State of Maryland, review the Maryland Checklist for New Businesses.
1. Find a Property
Unless you do your work digitally, you'll likely need a place to do business. These resources can help you find a place:
- Hyattsville CDC commissioned the Route One Communities Retail Market Study with many community partners and sponsors, this information is valuable to better understand the area marketplace.
- Hyattsville CDC maintains a vacant commercial property database
- Showcase.com hosts commercial real estate listings
- Loopnet.com also lists commercial properties
- The Restaurant Broker is a great resource if you're looking to open or buy a restaurant, though it primarily deals in D.C. property.
2. Learn its Zoning
Once you've found your dream property, make sure your business fits the zoning regulations. Zoning regulations determine how the property can and can't be used, like residential or commercial use. Other zones include industrial, recreational and agricultural uses.
Zones are outlined in area plans and are sometimes subject to change. In the Hyattsville region, there are overlay zones that are applied "over" existing classifications that modify what is allowed within their regions. Generally, these kinds of overlays are used to make zoning less restrictive to encourage development. When you're in an overlay zone, you follow that rather than the traditional zoning. Property in the Hyattsville region may fall under one of three overlay zone plans:
- The Gateway Arts District Approved Sector Plan and Sectional Map Amendment;
- The Prince George’s Plaza Transit District Development Plan (currently being updated); and
- The West Hyattsville Approved Transit District Development Plan for the Transit District Overlay Zone.
Any property not located within these overlay zones is under regular zoning, which can be determined using PGAtlas.
3. Check these Resources
The following resources provide further information on zoning, zoning categories and where to find use tables:
- Prince George’s County Planning Department Guide to Zoning Categories
- Instructions on accessing Zoning Ordinance and Use Tables
If your business is within the Chesapeake Bay critical area, a historic site, or is otherwise deemed inappropriate for a walk-through, you will need to go through the regular application process.
2. City of Hyattsville Business License
If your business is within city limits, you must have a Hyattsville Business License. To get this, you must have already have:
- U&O Permit (as stated above)
- State Trader's License Number
- MD Business Personal Property/ Department Tax ID Number (Your Federal EIN)
After submitting your application, the Department of Code Enforcement will schedule an initial inspection. If your business doesn't pass, the inspector will give you a violation notice listing the deficiencies, the necessary corrections and the date by which the corrections need to be made. This will be issued to the property owner, but business owners can request a copy at (301)985-5041.
Read about the city's requirements in their Commercial Code Compliance Brochure.
Your website and social media presence are both critical to building your small business. As you start to think about how to design your website, check out this informative article from Forbes on some easy first steps.
Designing a Website
Modern websites are bright, restrained, and streamlined. That means you'll want a white background, black text (which is easiest to read against white), and a simple layout. A simple menu bar and/or side bar will be the building blocks of your site, and your content should be pithy, yet thorough, with ample professional grade photos and other media.
- Mobile First -- If your website looks great on a desktop, but not a smartphone, you'll lose half your traffic. Approximately 57% of all online traffic in the U.S. is coming from smartphones and tablets. One in five Americans now use a smart phone as their primary means of online access at home. You should design your site with that in mind.
- Prioritize User Experience -- For some time, designers had adhered to the "Three Click" rule, which posits that all information on a website should be accessible in three clicks or two taps. While the data implies that this isn't the case, what IS important is that navigation feel natural. You need to make your site usable -- simplicity and consistency are key. Keep in mind the kinds of people who will be using your site, what they're likely looking for, and how to best present that content to them.
- Consistency -- When you see a popup ad, you know that the grey X on the top right will get rid of it. When you see blue text, you know it's a link to relevant information. These are patterns that make navigating online pleasant. You should set up your site likewise by relying on common UI (User Interaction) patterns, establishing new patterns on your website (like design hierarchy) to convey information, and remembering that every single item on your site is both an interaction and communication.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
- Use title tags. These are HTML elements that indicate to search engines what each page will be about. For instance, in WordPress or Squarespace, you can make the page title formatted as "Heading 1." Make sure you use one for each page.
- Use relevant keywords. Few people will be searching for your specific business name. A good keyword to use on your site is something that people are actually searching for (like "best restaurants in Hyattsville" would be a high volume search), is relevant to your business, and gives your business a competitive edge to rank above others.
- Rely on good data. You can use Google AdWords Keyword Planner and Google Trends to help you make good decisions. These will show you the popularity of terms and track usage, but remember not to spam popular tags and stay relevant.
Social Media Best Practices
- Impulse Buy factor. If you're a retailer, you'll want to encourage users to buy your product while the fancy still strikes them. That means integrating your social media, like Instagram and Shopify, to encourage shoppers to give in to their impulse. The longer it takes them to find it, the more time they'll have to rethink.
- Don't Focus on Vanity Stats. Having 200 likes on a photo on Instagram is great, but that doesn't mean those people actually care about your business. Bots are everywhere online, so while that kind of surface level engagement (likes, follows, spammy comments) DOES increase your visibility based on the algorithm, your focus should always be on creating a community of people who comment, interact, and actually SHOP in your business.
Online Branding
Everyone's brand will be different, so it's hard to say what each business or online retailer will need. If you'd like specific guidance for your business from us, fill our our assistance form. Otherwise, here are a few best practices:
- Audience First. Your business will not be able to compete with big stores like McDonalds or Wal-Mart in terms of breadth of audience. What you can do is make a niche for yourself. Be that based on geography, values, style, or content, you should make the case why a customer should choose you. For example, a clothing company specializing in accessibility or sustainable production will find a loyal customer base who shares those values.
- Give Your Business Personality. When posting and interacting with others as your business, it's helpful to think of your brand as a person. Your brand will speak in a certain way, have a unique style, and will have an affinity for certain things. Keep this in mind when deciding who to follow, what to share, how to respond to social media, and how to write copy for your website.
- Consistency > Trendy. If you're constantly changing your name, your logo, or your business's voice, customers won't be able to identify with you or find you for repeat business. Once you pick something
- Don't be Boring. That doesn't mean you should necessarily be edgy, unless that fits your business. Thanks to the internet, you have much more access to your audience, but so does every other business you compete with. You'll want to walk a line between following best practices and looking contemporary while not duplicating what your competitors do. Bring something new and authentic to the table, and don't be afraid to add some postmodern sensibilities or humor to your
- Create a community. That doesn't mean go out and start a new Facebook. People should be able to interact with you and each other in meaningful ways. Ideally, you'll want to encourage people to identify and engage with your brand to the point that it becomes a part of their life. Think about it this way, you'll want someone to make connections with others over your brand, thus strengthening their positive connotations of you.
- Test! If you're not sure if what you're doing is working, or not sure to adopt a new logo or name, do some research! Most businesses don't have the resources to pay focus groups and survey research firms (if you do, great!) but you can create simple A/B tests (comparisons) for digital ads, or see how your engagement changes based on small, incremental changes. Data is your friend, we promise.
Questions? Just ask! We offer technical assistance, free-of-charge.