When we started our business, we had a definite lack of focus.  As I’ve mentioned in another post, we weren’t quite sure what business we were going to be in as we kept adding to it.  So, when it came time to form our LLC (Limited Liabilility Company) we chose a fairly generic business name, T.R. Hicks Enterprises, LLC. 

Of course, creating a generic name did create some issues when we finally narrowed down our business to publishing.  I really wanted to have a more descriptive name and had considered changing our LLC’s name to TRH Publishing LLC, but there was a major problem and that was cost.  You see, it is not cheap to change the name of an LLC (or corporation).  In Arizona, I would have had to file an amendment to our articles of organization with the Arizona Corporation Commission (along with the required fee), then I would have to publish the amendment in the paper (also with a fee), then I would have to change the name on my EIN (employer ID number) with the IRS.  If that wasn’t bad enough, I would have to change the name with the bank and order new checks.  Believe me, business checks, ordered from a bank, are not inexpensive, but we’ll cover this in a later post.

Rather than go through all of that headache, I oped to simply register a “dba” (”doing business as” – a ficticious trade name) with the Secretary of State’s office.  That only cost me $10 here in Arizona.  That was a much better deal.

Believe me on this.  I am speaking from first-hand experience.  I’ve been in various home-based businesses since I was sixteen years old (actually before that) but all of those experiences didn’t keep me out of this energy-draining trap.  Nope, I fell into it with a resounding thud.

When Cindy and I formed our LLC last year, we thought we had it all figured out.  We were going to build some affiliate marketing websites and do a little publishing on the side.  Before long, we had incorporated web design, PC repair and network marketing into the mix.  It started to really become a mess.  Soon, we found that we had several trade names and multiple websites.  If you would have looked at all of our websites, you would have sworn that we were operating a multi-billion dollar corporation with many different divisions, each with their own URL, domain name, website and flashy logo.  The truth was that we weren’t making a dime.  How could we?  We were splitting our time between so many different businesses that none of them were getting the attention that they needed to grow.  All that was happening was that  I was getting over-worked and frustrated.  I won’t even go into all of the money that we put out.  You see, when you run multiple businesses, they require multiple overhead costs.  That adds up in a hurry.

Even worse, was the physical and mental clutter that resulted.  We could never get business cards printed because there was no way to combine all of our different activities on to one card and who wants to carry fifteen different business cards?  It was so bad that I dreaded hearing someone say, “Hey, Tim.  What business are you in?”   The fact is, I wasn’t quite sure myself.

Earlier this year, Cindy and I sat down and talked about it.  We had to narrow our focus and operate ONE business.  Once it was successful, we could consider starting another.  For now, we had to concentrate on one.  With that in mind, we stopped doing PC support, web design and network marketing.  Instead, we opted to focus on on publishing traditional and electronic publications that are faith-based and/or family-friendly. 

Once we had our focus  narrowed down, we started clearing out the mental and electronic clutter.  We got rid of trade names, websites and URLs that we no longer needed.  The trade name we kept, we registered with the Arizona Secretary of State’s office.

Now, we can see our business rolling in a positive direction thanks to some focused energy and direction.  Our costs are down and our productivity is way up.  Now, I don’t cringe when people ask what business we’re in.  I simply reply that “we are publishers of family-friendly books and periodicals.”  That’s a much better feeling.