They say it's a part of the American Dream; owning your own business, being your own boss, setting your own hours, and so forth. For many, owning a business doesn't necessarily represent wealth so much as freedom, the ideal of not having to work for anyone other than yourself.

But many people mistakenly convince themselves that it would be impossible for them to start their own business because they lack either the skills or the financial ability. This is partly because all we hear about in media are the Supermoguls; the business success stories that seem to happen overnight, when in reality, almost no small business see a profit within the first year. Those who are successful at it understand the commitment is a long haul, and that long term dedication is far more important than finances or opportunity (but those are important too).

So let us talk first about how to start a business in Arizona and the various kinds of businesses and whether or not you might have the wherewithal to own one. Let's break down different types of businesses so that you might see something that works for you:

Starting a Service Based Business

Got a skill? You can turn it into a business. Everything from cooking to being able to make small repairs around the home can be utilized to earn you your own income. Most people think those who can cook go into the restaurant business, and the intimidating factors that go into such an enterprise; like location, building costs, decor, staff...it's no wonder Gordon Ramsey is so cranky all the time. But someone with decent cooking skills can operate a catering business out of their own home, or invest in a food truck, which are very popular right now, and do not have the kind of large overhead a restaurant does. Have a talent for fixing things? Many people think that limits them to a 'handyman' type business. But a person with maintenance skills and abilities would do well owning an apartment complex, especially something like one of those smaller 4-unit places where the maintenance work would not pile up and overwhelm. In fast, we know of a person who had a 4-unit complex who took care of his own maintenance needs. Because of this, two of his rental units paid for the mortgage and expenses on the building, and the other two were pure profit. At $,1200 per unit, he cleared just under $30,000 a year on top of his regular job. He's since bought two more similar complexes which means - assuming the rental prices are still the same - he's making almost $100,000 a year being his own boss.

Starting a Manufacturing Based Business

If you can make something - anything - you can sell it. You don't have to invest in a factor to start a business if you have an idea for a product or can make a product for a competitive price. Check out websites like E-bay, Etsy, or Amazon Marketplace and find out what it takes to sell your creations online. This can be done with very little startup costs, and you never know; you may just have that product that everyone seems to need.

So, you live in Arizona and want to start your own business. After deciding what you want your business to be, you need to create what they call an entity and you need to decide what that will entail. Most small businesses declare themselves as a Limited Liability Company (LLC). In part, this means all company assets will belong to the company and not any single individual, in addition to the fact that no individual assumes complete liability should something go wrong. To create an LLC, you need articles of incorporation. Don't worry, that's a lot less complicated than it might sound. You can find the Arizona small business forms at the following link:

http://www.azcc.gov/Divisions/Corporations/forms/formsindex.asp

Make sure you read up on what each of the terms mean and what responsibilities you are assuming when starting your business.

And, of course, you might want to come up with a 'trade name' or a company name such as CASH 1 (that one's already taken, just FYI), or 'Marie's Housecleaning Service' or perhaps 'Joe's Taco Emporium'. If naming a business isn't your strong suit, just choose the name of a pet you once had and the type of business ('Fido's Car Wash' not only sounds catchy, but you can design a logo of a dog washing a car to go with it...that's just an example).

Interestingly enough, this is not a requirement in Arizona as it is in other states. Your business doesn't have to have a name if you don't want it to. Make sure you understand all the reasons having a trade name might be important (and they're too long to list here, but the most important aspect is liability; shielding yourself from having personal income or assets seized in case of litigation or other issues).

Of course, this is just a small dose of the information necessary to learn how to start a business in Arizona. For everything you need to know, here's the contact information:

Arizona Secretary of State
Mailing Address: 1700 W. Washington Street, 7th Floor, Phoenix, AZ 85007
Customer Service Centers:
1700 W. Washington Street, #103, Phoenix, AZ, 85007
400 W. Congress, North Building, Room 252, Tucson, AZ, 85701
Phoenix or Tucson or Arizona toll free
Web site: https://azsos.gov/business

Now for the best part: you don't need to be wealthy to start a business in Arizona. Even if you don't have any savings, and may not qualify for a bank business loan, loans in Phoenix from CASH 1 might provide you enough to get your business off the ground. Come see us at our various locations in the Phoenix area or go CASH 1 Loans online and we can help you look into title loans or registration loans in Phoenix for the purposes of starting your own business and perhaps get you on the path to financial freedom.