LegalZoom.com Update
It’s official! According to LegalZoom.com my company, Develop My Life LLC, has been approved by the Virginia Secretary of State. Apparently, all the official paperwork will be sent to me shortly.
I do not have everything in hand quite yet, but I will stand by my earlier recommendation. LegalZoom really has made this process about as simple as it can be. I created the order on December 12 and received a preliminary check status the next day. I was given a thirty five business day time line. They have, at this point, exceeded all expectations.
Once I have the paper work in hand, I’ll post about the next steps, which will include getting a proper business license from the small town in which I live. I could have already paid for this license, but because they renew yearly, it was advised I wait until January so I would not be charged twice for essentially the same license.
Not My First Business
To be perfectly honest, Develop My Life LLC is not my first business endeavor. I created a sole proprietorship in my mid-twenties working as contractor for an educational/entertainment company. Later in life, I became a co-owner of a restaurant. Each of these endeavors where successful in their own way. In fact, the restaurant in particular is thriving quite well to this day. I guess I have always been happy to try new things.
Each business I have been a part of has taught me much. I’m sure I’ll go into more as the blog rolls on, but on today’s post I’ll be clear about one particular detail.
My first business taught me to pay attention to all the intricacies concerning taxes. I always worked things on the up an up mind you, but I didn’t prepare or save enough money to meet my income tax responsibilities in the end. Paying that off was a tough lesson, but one that has stuck with me.
Fortunately, with Develop My Life LLC, I have already spoke with professionals about how to properly deal with accounting issues. It seems strange to do this for a company that hasn’t made a single dime yet, but I want to make sure I’m prepared. Maybe that’s what this post is trying get across. It’s important to be prepared.
Well duh, right? You can learn this kind of stuff from Boy Scouts. I bring it up here though because I have met plenty people working extremely hard at their given product or service, but completely forgetting about taxes and accounting. I’m trying to make sure this does not happen to me. I want to focus on my product. But I must remember to keep my eyes on the whole process.
Overwhelmed- Straight ahead!
I am becoming more active with blogs like Pat Flynn’s, www.SmartPassiveIncome.com and I’m reading through the Timothy Ferriss book, “The Four Hour Work Week.” In reading through the massive amount of material, just from these two guys, I feel so behind. It almost seems like the guides are there to overwhelm. Both blogs from these two are constantly updated, have massive appeal, are impressive on so many details. … Continue Reading
Personal Website
Long before starting to develop the ideas for Develop My Life, I created a personal web page to help in finding freelance writing work. Now, with this blog and the iPhone app making continued progress, I guess I’ll have to update it soon.
If you are so inclined, check out my site: www.MikeHowdyshell.com. You’ll find the typical resume and writing samples. This site was the first I built from the ground up. While I used a free design, I was surprised at how much my old HTML training came into play. I’ll be sure to post about it here when I update.
New to Blogging
After a couple days of rest and relaxation with family and friends I decided it was time to make another post.
I am new to blogging. There. Said it. Got it out of the way. As if you couldn’t tell, I am trekking into a lot of personally uncharted waters lately. While I’m new to the content creation end, I have been reading blogs for years. I love the personality that blogging allows people to bring to their writing. I also enjoy the collaborative nature in the well constructed blogs.
Which brings me to this post. I hope that my blog can be helpful to those with an entrepreneurial spirit. I hope I can bring some real stories and numbers to this particular group. I look to find those who enjoy following where the creation process leads. But I can’t do it alone. … Continue Reading
Confidence Booster
I spent a couple hours yesterday looking through the App Store. I looked for apps that were in the same genre and had the same tone as our in-development app: Movie My Life. I made note of the available company websites and decided to visit each. What I found was a bit surprising.
I thought I would find websites from companies that had a prominent web presence. I was wrong. While certainly there were companies who had obviously taken the time to look professional, I was oddly delighted to find an amateur flavor to most of the sites. Many were obvious WordPress clones. (Just like here.) Some had only one page for contact info. I even found one that was so poorly done, I wasn’t quite sure why they would have spent money on registering a domain. Maybe it was a work in progress…
Here’s the point though. After looking at what other developers are doing, I don’t feel as daunted making my own leap into this endeavor. It’s odd how fear can both motivate and hinder at the same time. I am still nervous about turning this company and its projects into a success; don’t get me wrong. I am, however, a bit more confident after seeing what others like me are trying to do.
Keeping Momentum
How do you take an idea and turn it into a tangible reality? I guess that’s the constant question on my mind. For me, ideas are the easy part. I love to dream large and think of the big picture. It’s the details of solidifying an idea that can really slow me down. I’m not sure I have any great answers, but when I’m inpatient or bogged down in details, here is what helps me: … Continue Reading
My First Recommendation
I love being the kind of person who can accomplish things on my own. If you want to start a business, however, you will be required to find others you can trust for help. Having friends with the software and web development skills you need is one thing, but when you require services of a legal nature, it’s best to get out there and do some research.
Before starting the LLC, I read a lot about what the whole process means and how best to push through it. I won’t go into the specifics of why I chose an LLC instead of starting a sole proprietorship here, trust me, there’s plenty of information out there on that topic. I spent plenty of time- probably too much- working out the benefits and costs. After careful consideration, I choose to create an LLC and to do so through LegalZoom.com. … Continue Reading
On your mark, get set… Wait.
I realize that every new endeavor requires patience. The “Movie My Life” app is no exception. Being this is our first app off the ground, every hurdle is a unique challenge. The website for the app is not ready yet, but I will post its grand opening when the time arrives. As soon as we get the app published I will give out all the details of what the app does, who its for and, of course, why you should buy it…
At this point we are still, “in development.” I have been working with some great people that have full faith in the idea for the app and it’s great to have that kind of reassurance. I look forward to the day when I can actually say, “Yeah, it’s available at the app store.”
While the app is being finished up I still have plenty to do. I am currently working through the process of finalizing the LLC so that Apple will allow me to sign up as a developer. I am hoping that by the time the app is available, the LLC will be ready for the true marketing to begin.
Image credit: Eternal Clock 2009 by Robert van der Steeg via cc Flickr
The Personal and Business Goals
Reading through the background material I realized the last paragraph really sums up what I want for this type of venture. I decided to place it here as a post as well:
“Put all this together and you get this: Develop My Life LLC. The hope is that I can turn some spare time into something that provides a little extra income while giving me an opportunity to create something new. My greatest hope is that by going through this process, I will be able to take what I learn and help others follow their own creative dreams. I realize that the app market, both in creation and development, is fiercely competitive. Because of this, not in spite of this, I am looking forward to seeing where the ideas lead. I like a good plan but I also love not knowing what lies just around the corner. Here’s to the adventure that is creating something new!”
Get The App Your Life Deserves!
