Starting a business in the Northern Rivers usually means wearing every hat at once. You’re sorting out an ABN, finding your first customers and working out your pricing, all while someone asks whether you’ve “done your website yet”.
The digital side can feel like a long list of jobs with no obvious order. This checklist puts them in a sensible sequence, so each step sets up the next one.
If you’d like it all on paper, grab our free Business Starter Checklist. It covers 23 steps from ABN to Google as a printable two-page PDF, and makes a handy companion to this article.
1. Get the official basics sorted first
Before anything digital, make sure the foundations are in place. Your business name and structure affect your domain, your email address, your Google listing and your logo, so it pays to settle them early.
- Apply for an ABN
- Register your business name if you’re trading under something other than your own name
- Check whether you need any licences or permits for your industry
The Australian Government’s business.gov.au website covers registrations, licences and the other early steps. It’s free and a good first stop.
Before you lock in a name, check that a matching domain is available and that nobody nearby is already trading under something similar. Changing your name after you’ve printed signage and set up accounts is a headache.
2. Secure your domain and business email
Once your name is settled, register your domain. For most local businesses, a .com.au is the natural choice. Register it in your business’s name, with a login you control.
Then set up a business email address on that domain, such as [email protected]. It looks more professional on quotes and invoices than a free address, and it stays with the business as it grows. If you’d like help, we can set up your domain, managed DNS and business email hosting together, so they’re all looked after in one place. We compare the options in Gmail versus business email.
3. Create a simple brand
You don’t need a thick brand manual on day one. You do need a logo that works small and large, a couple of colours and fonts, and some consistency in how you use them.
A clear brand makes everything that follows easier, from your website to your social media profile pictures. Our logo design starts from $395 + GST and includes an initial consultation, 2 to 3 custom concepts, two rounds of revisions and final files in PNG, JPEG, SVG and EPS. A full brand identity kit is $795 + GST.
4. Get found on Google
When you’re starting a business in the Northern Rivers, local customers will often check Google before they call. People in Lismore, Ballina or Byron Bay looking for a business like yours are frequently searching on their phones.
A Google Business Profile is free and helps you appear on Google Maps and in local results, with your hours, phone number and reviews. Set it up with the same business name, address and phone number you use everywhere else. Our guide to setting up your Google Business Profile covers the steps and the common mistakes.
Ask happy customers for a Google review from the start. A handful of genuine reviews helps a new business look established.
5. Build a website you own
Your website is the one place online that’s fully yours. Social media rules change and listings come and go, but your website stays under your control.
For a new business, it doesn’t need to be huge. A clear homepage, a page for each main service, an about page and an easy way to get in touch is a strong start. Make sure it works well on phones, loads quickly and includes the basics Google looks for.
If you’re on a tight budget and still testing an idea, a DIY builder can be a reasonable stopgap. Once the business is up and running and you want the site to bring in work, a professionally built site gives you the best start. Our custom WordPress websites start from $1,595 + GST, and every one is mobile-responsive, with on-page SEO foundations, security and an SSL certificate. You own the site, with no lock-in contracts.
6. Set up social media and connect everything
Pick one social platform you can keep up with, rather than opening accounts everywhere. Then make sure your website, Google Business Profile and social accounts all link to each other and use the same details.
Behind the scenes, tools like Google Analytics and Search Console show you how people find your site and which pages they visit. Our digital setup service connects your Google Business Profile, Analytics, Search Console, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn so they work together, quoted to suit what you need.
One local team for starting a business in the Northern Rivers
Many new owners end up with a domain from one company, email from another, a logo from an online marketplace and a website from someone else again. It works until something breaks and nobody knows who to call.
Inversit is a small team in Lismore that has worked with businesses across the Northern Rivers and Gold Coast since 2015. Carrie builds the websites, Bella handles photography and graphic design, and Luke looks after IT, hosting and email. One team, no offshore staff and no handballing.
Just starting out? Let’s talk
If you’re starting a business in the Northern Rivers or on the Gold Coast, book a free consultation and we’ll help you work out which steps to tackle first, with a clear written quote for anything you’d like us to handle. Download the free Business Starter Checklist, call us on 02 6610 9202 or send us a message.
