The Paris Olympics begin July 26, 2024, and athletes around the world will be competing in events like track and field, gymnastics, swimming, and more. While there are no Olympic Games for small business owners, running your own company can require just as much grit as winning a gold medal. If the Small Business Olympics ever come to fruition, we think the following three events should be included.
Name Your Business Dash
The first event on the Small Business Olympics schedule involves naming your company. To start, you need to make sure your preferred business name is available in your state or jurisdiction. To do this, run a business name search, usually through your Secretary of State’s official website.
If the name is available, you can go ahead and file your formation paperwork. But if you aren’t ready to do that, you have another option: reserving a business name. But don’t delay. If your business name is as good as you think it is, other people might want it as well. That’s why this event is a dash and not just a leisurely stroll.
Swim Through Spam Challenge
You’ve filed your formation paperwork and jumped into the pool with other business owners. But now you have to swim through a lot of junk mail to get to the other side. Why is this happening?
This could be happening because you decided to act as your own registered agent and list your home address on paperwork. If you make this decision, your address becomes part of the public record, which makes it easier for unscrupulous marketers to find you and bombard you with mail you don’t want.
For a smoother swim, use our registered agent service. When you have Northwest Registered Agent service, we allow you to list our business address on your formation paperwork at no additional cost. We receive, shred, and recycle loads of junk mail daily, so that our clients don’t get locked into an endurance contest with scammy marketers, who tend to have way more endurance than you’d expect.
Work-without-a-break Dance
Yes, it’s true: breakdancing will make its Olympic debut this year. Also known as “breaking,” it will become the first dance sport in the Olympics. As a business owner, you won’t have to do windmills or freezes, but like the dancers, you will need to be incredibly flexible.
Sometimes, that means working on a day you’d planned to have off because an emergency pops up. If you’re just starting your business, you might feel like you can’t take any days off initially. Try to avoid the impulse. If you truly can’t take a whole day off, consider a half-day.
Giving yourself a break is important. If you don’t learn to step back from the business once in a while, you’ll burn out. And if that happens, you’ll be breaking down, which is a much bleaker sport than breakdancing. In most cases, it doesn’t even include a DJ.
Creating a Winning Business Team
You can’t run a successful business without grit. Running a vegan bakery may not get you an interview with NBC Sports, but it can bring you great personal (and financial) fulfillment. And while athletes like Simone Biles are competing on their own, they still have loved ones cheering them on and supporting them. They might be on the podium by themselves, but no athlete truly stands alone.
No business owner should have to stand alone either – not even a sole proprietor. At Northwest we’re here to help. Athletes hire all sorts of trainers, coaches, and other support. Smart business owners utilize a network of supportive professional too, and often that starts by hiring an excellent registered agent. If you aren’t sure how to brand your business, we’ve got tips. If you don’t want to file your Beneficial Ownership Information Report, hire us to do it for you. We offer packages that include everything except the national anthem, and even then, we might sing it for you if you ask nicely.