What technology does a small business here actually need on day one?
Less than most people expect, and the part that matters is boring. Getting the boring part right early saves a bad week later.
Sort out internet before you sign the lease
What is available at a given address varies by street here, not by town. Find out what service reaches the building and how long installation takes before you commit to the space. It is one of the few things that can hold up an opening and cannot be fixed quickly.
Get an email address at your own domain
A business email at your own name costs little and changes how you are read, and it means the address survives if you ever change providers. Buy the domain yourself and keep the login. It is yours, not your web person's.
Back up the thing you cannot rebuild
Usually the customer list, the books and the photos. Decide where a second copy lives and check once that you can actually get it back. A backup nobody has ever restored from is not a backup.
Decide how you take payment before you open
Card fees, deposit timing and what happens on a refund are worth understanding early, because changing later means telling customers. Ask what the money costs you and how long it takes to arrive.
What to have settled first.
- Internet availability confirmed at the address, before the lease
- A domain you own and control the login for
- One backup you have actually restored from
- Payment fees and deposit timing understood before opening
This spot could be your business.
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