Small Business Forms and Documents
...tips for start-up businesses

If you are starting a small business, forms and documents should be included in your plans.

Remember to include expenses for document design and printing in your start-up costs.

In an ideal situation, all of your advertising, marketing, and business process documents should be ready before you open your doors.

To help you get started, I've compiled a list of some of the forms and documents you might need for your small business and a list of tools you need to make your own.

Examples of Business Forms and Documents

The following is a list of forms and documents you might need for your new business. Look it over to see which ones you may have forgotten in your planning:

business forms	letterhead	customer service letters
product information	business cards	complaint letters
employment applications	brochures	collections letters
employee manuals	flyers	sales letters
procedure manuals	web site content	follow-up letters
business plan	calendars	work agreements
IRS forms	sales presentations	business reports

You can create many of these forms yourself!

Small Business Forms you File

Check with your taxing authorities to find out exactly what small business forms you must file when starting your business, such as sales tax forms, property tax renditions, application for a business license, or an Assumed Name certificate.

If you don't know how to contact your local taxing authority, you can usually find the correct agency (in the U.S.) by searching under the following names:

• city clerk
• city hall
• county courthouse
• county tax assessor collector
• state comptroller

If you are in doubt about how to set-up your business, consult an attorney or CPA, or try LegalZoom. Setting up your business correctly at the very beginning can save you thousands of dollars in penalties and fines later.

Tools to Design your own Small Business Forms

You may already own the software you need to create your own documents, such as Microsoft Word or Microsoft Publisher. If you use QuickBooks Pro for your accounting, you can use it to create customized invoices and estimate forms.

You can save money by designing many of these documents yourself. All you need are a few tools to make the job easier:

• software (such as Word 2010)
• a good quality printer (laser or inkjet)
• an assortment of paper stock
• paper cutter and sharp scissors
• dictionary and thesaurus
• some desk space or a table for a work area
• patience and imagination

Many of these items can be purchased at local office supply stores such as OfficeMax, Staples, or wholesale clubs.

You will have to bring your own patience and imagination!

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