{"id":3878,"date":"2017-04-13T14:30:06","date_gmt":"2017-04-13T18:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.insureyourcompany.com\/?p=3878"},"modified":"2017-04-13T14:30:06","modified_gmt":"2017-04-13T18:30:06","slug":"how-to-start-a-company-new-business-checklist-must-haves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insureyourcompany.com\/blog\/how-to-start-a-company-new-business-checklist-must-haves\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Start A Company: New Business Checklist Must-Haves"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are almost\u00a030 million small businesses<\/a>\u00a0in the United States\u2014businesses which employ more than half of all American workers and create the vast majority of new jobs. Every month, 543,000 new businesses are created. That\u2019s about 7 million every year!<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, according to\u00a0Bloomberg<\/a>, about 80% of new small businesses fail within the first 18 months.<\/p>\n

Some fail because they offer products or services consumers don\u2019t want, or because competitors offer superior products for less money. Others fail because they don\u2019t take the time to create a viable business plan, or because they don\u2019t secure the financing or insurance they need to be sustainable.<\/p>\n

How to Be One of the Winners<\/h2>\n

No single set of guidelines can ensure that a new business will succeed, but those that do succeed all have one thing in common: They take the time to create sound business plans<\/a> that point them in the right direction and anticipate any problems that might crop up.<\/p>\n

Here are\u00a05 tips\u00a0to maximize the chances that your small business will succeed over the long haul.<\/p>\n

1. Ask the Right Questions<\/h2>\n

Before taking your new business to market, you should be able to answer key questions\u2014the kinds of questions a bank might ask you if you attempted to obtain a small business loan or consumers might have when considering purchasing your products or services.<\/p>\n

For example:<\/p>\n