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Startup Blog Series

1: A Journey of 1,000 Miles Starts with a Single Step

1/11/2021

6 Comments

 
Welcome to a new series on The Building Code Blog. After nearly 10 years in the fire protection engineering and code consulting world, I have decided to make the jump and start my own company! I've had countless conversations and internal monologues to get to this point, but actually putting it in writing here does feel good!

Starting a business is hard, or at least that is what I hear. According to the Small Business Administration, 20% of business started this year will fail within 12 months. 30% within 24 months and the numbers increase from there. While I can't predict the future, I certainly hope to not be in that camp 1, 2 or 10 years down the road. In recording my daily steps here on the blog, I'm hoping to (1) keep myself accountable to take action daily, even if something small and (2) provide a resource for future entrepreneurs, especially those in the engineering community.

Today, I took the first, and maybe biggest step - a business name. Introducing "Campbell Code Consulting LLC."

To register the LLC, I went through the surprisingly easy Maryland Business Express portal. About 2 minutes to create an account and another 5 to complete the registration.

Next, I purchased a domain name for a future website using Namecheap.com.

After these two steps, I made a list of future actions and tried to plot out the next few days. Here is a list of things I need to accomplish, ideally in the next week:
  • Apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) with the IRS.
  • Apply for a firm engineering license (Maryland and most states require licensure for a firm offering engineering services, along with the individual engineer performing the work. I'm already personally licensed, so just need to get the new business licensed).
  • After getting the EIN, open a business checking account.
  • Look into business liability insurance. My college buddy and fellow fire protection entrepreneur Dave mentioned an insurance broker he uses - need to get that contact info.

The LLC formation can take 7-10 business days, and I can't apply for the firm license until the business is formed. Hopefully Maryland approves the LLC in short order so I can get on with the other steps, but there are certainly some non-legal items on the list too:
  • Register the domain name with a website provider - will likely use Weebly (same provided I use for the blog).
  • Layout a simple, one-page website. Fancy websites are great, but at this point, I think most of my work will come in through direct client contact, not from people stumbling upon my website. Want to have a minimum functional site on Day 1, but can save more advanced website development for later.

That's it for today, looking forward to another day of progress tomorrow!

Resources Used Today:
  • Businessexpress.maryland.gov
  • Namecheap.com


6 Comments
fire engineering consultants link
8/31/2022 11:49:57 pm

Sotera’s service offering in performance based design is proudly backed by Dr Paul Clancy who was involved in the introduction of performance based fire engineering to Australia.

Reply
fire engineering brief link
12/4/2022 11:46:18 pm

Sotera’s service offering in performance based design is proudly backed by Dr Paul Clancy who was involved in the introduction of performance based fire engineering to Australia.

Reply
Anil link
2/25/2023 01:09:53 am

Nowadays, it is really difficult for us to discover an informative data.Thanks for sharing.

Reply
Mesquite commercial brick masonry link
2/3/2024 06:21:06 am

The blog series promises to offer insights and accountability for your daily actions, serving as a valuable resource for aspiring entrepreneurs in the engineering community.

Reply
bridgeport concrete contractors link
3/13/2024 04:42:19 am

It was wondering if I could use this write-up on my other website, I will link it back to your website though.Great Thanks.

Reply
Business Builder link
7/16/2024 03:12:25 am

good share

Reply



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The views, opinions, and information found on this site represent solely the author and do not represent the opinions of any other party, including the author's employer and the International Code Council, nor does the presented material assume responsibility for its use.  Local codes and amendments may vary from the code requirements described herein. Fire protection and life safety systems constitute a critical component of public health, safety and welfare and you should consult with a licensed professional for proper design and code compliance.
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • Tools
    • Allowable Height & Area Calculator - Non-Separated Mixed Occupancy
    • Allowable Height & Area Calculator - Separated Mixed Occupancy
    • Average Grade Plane Calculator
    • Calculated Fire Resistance for Wood Walls
    • Fire and Smoke Damper Tool
    • Fire Wall/Exterior Wall Intersection Tool
    • Frontage Calculator
    • IBC Occupant Load Calculator
    • Plumbing Fixture Calculator
    • Stair Pressurization Estimator