Establishing a Business and Testing




The Sports Medicine Broadcast show

Summary: <br> In AT Inventors part 2 Jay and Elysia discuss establishing a business and product testing.<br> <br> <br> <br> <a href="https://sportsmedicinebroadcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/AT-Inventors.png"></a><br> <br> <br> <br> Some of the topics we discussed include: <br> <br> <br> <br> * Establishing Business<br> <br> <br> <br> * Defining your core values before establishing a business<br> <br> <br> <br> If you define the core values and base all your decisions on that then decisions are a lot easier.<br> <br> <br> <br> It is easy to chase every shiny object but as a startup, you need to be focused on doing one thing well.<br> <br> <br> <br> * Articles of organization<br> <br> <br> <br> * Business insurance, product liability and other protections<br> <br> <br> <br> J: I do not have a reseller license, for now, I am a direct-seller only.<br> <br> <br> <br> E: Reseller certificate allows you to get items tax-free that you are going to use for your business.  You need this to sell it anywhere, like a trade show...this is so you can pay more taxes.<br> <br> <br> <br> Depending on structures you may set up monthly sales tax or quarterly.<br> <br> <br> <br> E: Product liability insurance - Mine is high since I am looped in there with skateboards where people break bones often.<br> <br> <br> <br> I have been able to break that into 4 payments so it is not a huge hit<br> <br> <br> <br> My patent fee structure is confusing and I break it up to level out the costs.<br> <br> <br> <br> Design and utility patents are different - again a couple of thousand dollars for the attorney fee.<br> <br> <br> <br> And nobody gets approved on the first round so be ready for that.  Lots of small adjustments.<br> <br> <br> <br> Consider if you really need a patent or can you focus on other aspects of the business?<br> <br> <br> <br> * Business structure types, LLC, sole or other corporations<br> <br> <br> <br> Toki Nakazawa - you can function as an S corp using Form 1120S even though you are an LLC<br> <br> <br> <br> * Funding vs bootstrapping your business financial needs<br> <br> <br> <br> * How do you manage a business partnership? Do you want a business partnership<br> <br> <br> <br> * Is Shark Tank or other investors an option<br> <br> <br> <br> J: the style of my product is already out there, i am just making it more specific for our situation.<br> <br> <br> <br> E: KNOW YOUR PRODUCT LINE<br> <br> <br> <br> J: Is it sustainable?<br> <br> <br> <br> * Method of selling product (direct, wholesale, etc)<br> <br> <br> <br> * Where is all the money going? Proper accounting and continual costs<br> <br> <br> <br> * When to consider employees, worker comp insurance, payroll and managing other people<br> <br> <br> <br> E: I answer all of my phone calls and emails.  Do you want to make money or provide something that enriches the lives of others?<br> <br> <br> <br> If money is your motivation then focus on that.<br> <br> <br> <br> If freedom of schedule is your goal, focus on that.<br> <br> <br> <br> J: My military price is important to me.  I want to support and help those that have protected us and given me so much.<br> <br> <br> <br> * Why people always ask about how much money you make, how many units you sell and if you are a million dollar company<br> <br> <br> <br> * The importance of good business mentors who understand your product line<br> <br> <br> <br> J: I am always cautious because it is a dog eat dog world<br> <br> <br> <br> E: One of my college professors keeps a log of all her incoming and outgoing calls<br> <br> <br> <br> Leave the end of the day with your desk clean<br> <br> <br> <br>