People who want their parties or events to be as perfect as possible, hire professionals that will help them achieve the outcome that they want. Your job, as a future events planner, is to take on the stress and pressure and allow your clients to have the best time of their lives.   To help you get started, here’s a guide on how you can kick-start your new business:

Determine Your Area of Expertise

The world of events’ planning is a big one. These types of businesses are often referred to as one-stop shops because of the wide range of services that they offer. Though giving everything a potential client wants is extremely tempting, it is best for you to focus on one or two areas of expertise in the beginning.

Having a forte will help you build your name and brand. If you want to focus on weddings, your job is to find potential wedding places or venues and help the future bride and groom with everything they need for their big day. If you are more passionate about kids, then you can specialize in organizing children’s parties. If you are the type who loves to party, then you can focus on organizing large events that involve music.

Whichever way you choose, try to set your mind on a particular field and do your best on it. Build your brand and portfolio then just add more services as you work your way up.

Register Your Business Name

Once you have decided on a business name that reflects your type of service, the next thing that you need to do is to legally register your name. Two of the main reasons behind this include: one, you can check if others are already using your name, and second, prevent other businesses in the same industry to use your name. There are three main ways on how you can register and protect your business name:

• Entity Name – this one protects you at a state level. Your registered entity name is how your local state will identify you as a business.
• Trademark – trademarked names protect your services, goods, and products at a federal or national level. This prevents other types of services in the US under the same industry to use the same name that you have. To check if your chosen name is still available, you can check on the trademark database of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
• Doing Business As or DBA – DBA is also commonly referred to as an assumed name or fictitious name that you will use within the county, city, and state you’re in. Even if your type of business doesn’t require a DBA registration, you can still apply for this because you’ll need it when applying for a business bank account and Employer Identification Number (EIN).

Get a Business Permit

One of the most important documents that you should obtain is the business permit. This document proves that your operation is legal and you are following certain codes and protocols set by the government.

In general, the type of permit that you should apply for depends on your type of business location and industry. This means that you might need to have a second or separate license if you are planning to operate outside your primary location. For a list of requirements and guidelines, you can visit the website of the U.S. Small Businesses Administration.

The cost to apply for a business license varies depending on the type of license and your location. In general. The processing fee and the cost of the permit itself start between USD 50 and USD 100. For example, a business license in Alaska with a two-year validity will cost you USD 50. If you are gonna register in New Jersey, you’re looking at roughly USD 110 to USD 250 to get a license.

Take Care of Your Tax

All types of businesses are subject to tax and you should take care of this as early as possible. If you don’t you will face serious tax implications in the future. As a new business owner, you can begin by applying for the Employer Identification Number or EIN. EIN is free and can be obtained from the Internal Revenue Services (IRS) thru their website or by fax. Your EIN application should contain your name and your Tax Payer Identification Number, principal officer, and general partner if there is one.

Advertise Your Business

Now that all your legal paperwork is in order, the next thing for you to do is to market your services. Traditional media like posters and flyers are still effective but the fastest way for you to reach a magnitude of the audience is to utilize the internet.

People spend a significant amount of their time online and you can tap into that by posting on social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Set your posts to ‘public’ and ask the help of your family and friends to share your business page.

People love to celebrate important milestones in their lives. This tradition is one of the primary reasons why the event planning industry continues to be in demand. Be patient and continue marketing your brand. Sooner rather than later, people will find out about your events’ planning business.