How do I start a real business doing what I do...

[Sohio]

My wife and I have learned several ways of making extra money for ourselves when things get tight and we have noticed that we could possibly do this full time and wanted to know the first steps in creating a real working business with a name and claiming taxes etc. would be.
The business is actually a conglomerate of several different services and sales. For example my wife is a seamstress and I have a greenhouse and those branch off into a few related and unrelated services and sales. We also want to do this from our 5 acre mini farm. The almost obvious thing to do would make 2 different businesses but i really dont want to do that?? Id rather market our venture under one name and have it function somehow as one business. Got any ideas on how to advertise and market a business with so many things to offer.

[scripti_ashley]

Is there a common link between the two. Eco friendly, organic?

[huggytree]

id pick 2 different business names and start 2 llc's

[Steve B]

I think it's important to focus - or, at least make it look to the outside world that you are focused. I agree with huggytree.

[Carsten]

If you can describe the benefit of your package of services to your customer in very few words I'd put in into one company. If there is no link between them I'd split it up.

[broudie]

Give it one name, and make it generic. Call it "Sohio Ventures" or "Sohio Holdings" or something.

[Sohio]

Thanks for the replies everyone. To give you a list of what we do might put this into better prespective. Our main business plan is for her to offer seamstress service, she taylors, hems, does custom dressmaking, general repairs, makes curtains, quilts etc. (she does this as a job for a drycleaners right now) But she also crafts and makes things out of free materials mostly what I bring from the woods...grapevines, bittersweet, pine wreaths, etc the list goes on we have a lot of stuff we make. We plan on marketing crafts along the side of the road, arts and crafts malls, flea markets, craigslist etc. I do a number of things myself...I scrap metal, I pick up cans on the side of the roads, I dig medicinal and edible plants and herbs and sell them according to season...exp. goldenseal, wild leeks, ginseng, goldenseal, blackberries, walnuts etc....I am ready to get on the other side of digging and buy and sell these items myself and not dig and sell them as much as I usually do. But I still plan on digging and collecting just not as often. I also have a greenhouse and woodworking shop in the works where i will be making items to sell and also offer the service of furniture repairs and refurbishing. My wife also does upholstry. The items from the shop and greenhouse we would also market through craigslist, free ads, flea markets and a storefront of sorts here at our home. I know it seems obvious to split the ventures into 2 but I would like to keep it as simple as possible too. I like the idea of calling it " " ventures etc. like broudie mentioned. What would be the very first thing we should do (other than creating a name) to make this happen? Thanks again.

[Wozcreative]

Most successful entrepreneur will tell you, you will need more focus to become successful. A great example of that is why apple was about to go bankrupt. You both need to find the key link between your strengths and build one solid business idea off that. Craft type artwork/products is great, but you will need to find a key identity for that.. wether you use the same materials, or design the same type of product, or cater to a specific niche etc. Don't start making baskets out of hemp and then go on creating mirror frames out of metal.. you want to think about/discover what your brand would be and what you're passionate about.

[D-Dave]

Unfortunately I think your best bet is to start two separate companies. It might be more work in the long run, but it will go a long way to making your ventures seem more legitimate.

[patrickprecisione]

The business plan kind of reminds me of a restaurant that attempts to sell every type of food- They've got pizza, hamburgers, chicken lo mein, burritos. The problem is the menu is all over the place and the kitchen isn't really an expert in any one type of food.

And I'm not implying that you and your wife aren't good at all of these things, but I would echo what Wozcreative said. Find a way to better focus your business plan, rather than having a hodgepodge of tangentially related services.

[broudie]

Most successful entrepreneur will tell you, you will need more focus to become successful. A great example of that is why apple was about to go bankrupt. You both need to find the key link between your strengths and build one solid business idea off that. Craft type artwork/products is great, but you will need to find a key identity for that.. wether you use the same materials, or design the same type of product, or cater to a specific niche etc. Don't start making baskets out of hemp and then go on creating mirror frames out of metal.. you want to think about/discover what your brand would be and what you're passionate about.

You're confusing business focus with business names. Apple actually did the opposite, changing "Apple Computer" to the more generic "Apple". Apple did simplify its business lines if that's what you meant.

[Wozcreative]

You're confusing business focus with business names. Apple actually did the opposite, changing "Apple Computer" to the more generic "Apple". Apple did simplify its business lines if that's what you meant.

Yes that's what I meant.. apple was focusing on too many things at once and they came in and focused the company.