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This quick start guide is designed to get your service
up and operational in a very short period of time. In this brief report, we'll summarize several of the key steps in starting an advocacy service.
This report is not meant to take the place of sound business planning. Do not make
the mistake of ignoring preparatory steps that must be considered when starting a
business. You can learn more about the fundamentals of
starting a business by visiting the numerous free Government online business
start up sites listed below: These sites contain most of the basic
information you'll need without paying a fee or purchasing generic start-up
books..
Government business Start-up sits::
http://www.governmentalgrants.com/small_business_grants.htm
http://www.infoweb1.com/
http://www.homebiztools.com/
We have also suggested
several basic start-up text in the "Special Subjects" segment on your training.
Quick Start Here:
1)
Decide on a company name:
You may not use the Disability Associates name or logo. However, you may use
any variation of our name if you wish. You may want to use an identifying term in
your company name such as advocate, representative, consultant or specialist.
Examples of useful company name variations are:
Smith's Representational Services
Benefit Consulting Services
Franklin's Disability Advocacy Service
ABC & Associates
Benefit Management Company
Social Services Inc.
Do
not use the terms Social Security in your company name! It's against Social
Security regulations to use this title and it will confuse your potential clients.
2)
Register your business locally: In order to operate a service,
most states require that you purchase a business license. The cost of a business license
is nominal, usually under $100.00. To find out where you register, call your
local city county or state government office.
3)
Decide on a business structure: We recommend starting your
company as a sole-proprietorship because this is the least expensive and least complicated
business form. As a sole-proprietor, you're not required to make any special
declarations and you don't need to spend additional funds on an attorney to set
up your firm. Simply
declare yourself as a sole-proprietorship when you purchase your business license.
In most states you can register as a sole proprietorship by writing a single page letter
identifying the nature of your business and a declaration that you're the sole owner of the company.
When registering your new service locally, you'll be asked to describe the
primary function of your business. We suggest that you describe your
service in these simple terms:
| Your company: name:
Purpose: Your company:
name is a sole-proprietorship that specializes in non-attorney
representation for those applying for Social Security disability
benefits. Our service will represent Social Security
disability applicants on three adjudicative levels. Our
primary duties include the monitoring of communications between the
client and Social Security, assisting client's with forms and other
required documentation, acquisition and review of medical
evidence, creation of a summary case argument and the presentation of
argument (in writing or in-person) before the Social Security Administration.
You may add
anything else you like to the description of your service. |
4)
Set up your books: Bookkeeping is an extremely important
part of any business and can help guide your success. Take the time to
set up your books as part of your budget preparation process. Taking this action
will allow you to immediately begin tracking all expenses associated with start-up and
operations. It's also a good idea to consult an accountant right from
the start to make sure you're taking the appropriate actions given your personal financial status.
Be sure to purchase an accounting program that is compatible with your account's
system. This will allow you to easily exchange financial data with your accountant or
print information when needed. AppleTree and Quickbooks are two of the best
accounting programs on the market and are widely used by accountants.
5)
Create a logo. You'll need a logo for both your written materials and for
your website. If you are unable to produce your own logo, we offer an
inexpensive that can handle this for you. We also create custom headers
for website. If you use our logo creation service, you can choose either a
stagnant or animated logo or header.
6) Letterhead and business cards: This stuff is basic, but
oh so important. The first impression you make with a customer may determine if that
customer signs on for your service. So, take a little time to create a nice,
professional and consistent look for all materials sent to customers.
7) Open a
business checking and savings account: You must have a place to deposit
earnings from your service. To avoid problems with the IRS, use a business checking
account. Deposit earnings into the business checking account and pay business
expenses from this account. If you have extra funds in the business account,
transfer those funds to either your personal or business savings account. This will
allow you to earn a little interest on these extra funds.
8) Open an escrow savings
account. If you walk into a bank and ask them to
set-up an escrow account, the banker will begin to lick his
lips uncontrollably. Why, because you just walked into
a money pit that serves the banker and no one else. In
disability advocacy, an escrow account is used to deposit a
client's money in two circumstances. The first is when
you accept an advance fee and the other is when you charge a
development fee. As mentioned in your training, the
development fee is used to pay for medical records and other
items required in the representational process.
9) Create a Website. It is
no longer possible to expect business success without a
website. An advocate website can save you loads of
work and can help increase the number of clients who use
your service. Therefore, a website is required for
both marketing and operations. Disability Associates
provides everything you need to create a custom advocate
website. We can provide you with a custom URL (web
address), a hosting account, the place where your website
lives, appropriate content, website optimization,
analysis and more. If you have never built a website
or you have no technical skills, we can handle this entire
process for you for a nominal fee. For details, visit
our ISP by
clicking here.
Steps in website create:
a) Purchase a hosting account.
b) Purchase a URL
c) Create a logo
and header for your site.
d) Create site
content or use our suggestions.
e) If you'd
like to accept credit cards for services, purchase a
merchant account.
f) Set up a business e-mail
account. You can purchase an e-mail account directly from
us.
g) Optimize your website or hire us to do
it for you.
h) Determine your keywords or hire
us to do this for you.
I) Insert your meta-tags
or hire us to do this for you.
j) Place a link
on your site to our Advocate Income Network.
k)
Submit your site to the search engines or have us perform
this service for you.
l) Advertise your site.
m) Optional: Place an information
capture form on your site or hire us to do this for you.
10) Set up a dedicated phone for
your business.
12) Buy an answering machine or
use an after hours call in service.
13) Begin creating your contract.
See sample contract clauses in the Executive web under the
Protecting Fees button.
14) Create your Information and
Guidance packets. You can find information on these
packets by visiting the Student web, Business Guide, Lesson
3.
Organize
Yourself:
If you're practicing disability advocacy from your home, set
aside an area as your dedicated home office. Use it exclusive for business. Purchase a
file system that will allow you to securely store client paper files. If
you have a copy of our Office Suite, you can download
medical records into this program. However, it's a
good idea to keep a paper copy as backup inside of a locked
file. Social
Security regulation
states that all client information must be kept secure and confidential.
Keep the
kids out of your business area. Set up a separate phone line for business if you can
afford it. If you work during the day, use a simple answering system or
answering service to
capture contact information from potential clients. If you're using our Navigator
assessment program inside of the Office Suite, you can either call back each client or do the assessment at the time
the client calls you. Both approaches work just fine. Make sure you have a
word processing program on your computer to write case arguments and be sure to save each
argument in a folder under the client's name.
You can contact your mentor at anytime to
assist you with any of the above steps.
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