If you are planning to go into business then you should know that there are a lot of Christian business services available. Going into business is a quite an undertaking and if you get extra help and advice from companies that have expertise, this will save you a lot of headaches down the road. Starting your own business is not difficult, but if you are trying to do it yourself it can become a little overwhelming.

The first thing that you should do is contact an attorney for legal guidance, and to help you set up your incorporation papers. Each state is different and has their own process, so having an attorney do it for you, not only saves you time, but you can make sure that five years down the road no problems arise from doing them yourself. When you visit the attorney make sure you take a list of the necessary information. You will need a list of all the officers, and their address. You will then need to tell them what percentage of the company each officer owns. They will then fill in all the necessary paper work.

The next thing to do is hire some type of accounting service. You can choose from a book keeper, or a CPA (Certified Public Accountant). They will be able to set up the rest of the paper work to keep you nice and legal. You will need to file the necessary sale tax information with your state. Then there is your FEIN (Federal Employer identification Number), which you will need before you can even open a bank account. They will also tell you your best classification for your business, they will tell you whether you are better off as an “S” Corp,  a corporation, or even an LLC. It really depends on which classification will actually give you the best tax benefits. If you can, hire a Christian accountant, they understand how you feel about income and finances, and they won’t think you’re crazy when you want to tithe the company’s income. They’ll just show you how to be able to do it legally.

Now that you are legal and ready to open your business you will need to do some advertising. One of the cheapest, most cost effective ways to advertise is through business cards. You can not only advertise your business, but you can also advertise your faith by adding an ichthys (fish symbol), or perhaps your favorite bible verse to your card. There are many Christian printing companies available for not only business cards, but perhaps you need some brochures printed or some professional flyers made.

When opening your Christian based business, try to use other Christian companies for the business services you need to help you get set up, do your advertising, and all around business support. This is a great way to strengthen the Christian community and word of mouth recommendations go a long way in a new business.