Start a Business Selling a Product
When you are looking to start a product-selling business, the first thing you need to find is the product. Once you have found your product, it is time to get to work establishing the very basics of what you will need to start your sales organization. There are a few things you will need to do when you start a sales organization based on a product. Be ready to invest start-up capital into the business just to get it off the ground.
Instructions
1. Establish your company as a legitimate business entity by getting a "doing business as" or DBA certificate from your local government business office. Once you have received the DBA, speak to an attorney about incorporating your business to protect you from personal loss should your new product cause any lawsuits.
2. Create a business plan that includes an estimate as to how much start-up funding you will need.
3. Secure your start-up funding. Some ways to secure start-up funding are loans from financial institutions, personal funds, including savings, a second mortgage on your home or a loan from a family member or friend.
4. Find a suitable location in which you would be able to manufacture, package, sell and ship your product. If you are having the manufacturing done elsewhere, then you can save money on a location cost by selecting a smaller location.
5. Work with your attorneys to develop product-use disclaimers that would protect you from people misusing the product and hurting themselves.
6. Develop a complete set of documents that should include a user's manual, warranty information, returns information and any legal disclaimers regarding the use of the product.
7. Submit your product for any necessary certifications, such as Underwriters Laboratories, for safety of the product or, in the case of food and drug products, the Food and Drug Administration.
8. Work on packaging with a marketing firm. Your packaging should be able to securely protect your product during shipping, but it should also be attractive enough to get people's attention as the product sits on a store shelf. Use the resources below to find the contact information for the Federal Trade Commission to see if your product may require any special packaging due to hazardous material or other special considerations.
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