Paul Lewis likes The Rolling Stones. A lot.
“I”™m a huge fan,” he says and laughs. “I”™ve seen them many, many times.”
So when it came time to name his new venture ”“ which offers startup support to other new businesses ”“ he named it Start Me Up, after a 1981 Stones hit that contains its own bit of business luck: Microsoft paid the Stones $10 million to use the song in a campaign advertising Windows”™95.
Start Me Up ”“ the company, not the song ”“ does everything from finding a home for your new business to securing insurance, from setting up bank accounts to buying office furniture. Think of Lewis, an Irvington resident, as a general contractor for businesses. He does: “I use subcontractors when needed.”
But first he provides you with a free consultation “to find out what your vision is.”
Lewis has a checklist of services he offers, and the overall cost to a company depends on the services selected. But businesses can always opt for the Primer Program. For $995, Lewis says, “you get a full day of me.”
Start Me Up is itself a startup: Lewis is actively seeking clients. But that doesn”™t mean he lacks experience. He has a bachelor of science degree in operations research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an MBA in operations management from Wharton. Lewis also spent more than 25 years managing the operations of companies great and small, including Chase and Prodigy, an erstwhile online services business that was a bellwether of the digital age.
Referring to Prodigy, he says, “Sometimes the thing that”™s there first is not there last.”
There would seem to be a good deal of need for Lewis”™ expertise. The Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity finds that the number of new businesses created during the recession (2007-”™09) increased each year by about 4 percent.
Though it sounds counterintuitive, Lewis says this is a “terrific climate for new business.”
“With the economic downturn and the shakeout in the marketplace, there”™s a demand that isn”™t being met and a ready supply of talent in the unemployed. ”¦ Another thing that”™s important is the Internet. If you have a small business, you can make it work in the online marketplace.”
Lewis thinks that more people will be taking this kind of entrepreneurial plunge: In Westchester County, 84 percent of the businesses have fewer than 10 employees.
“I think that people can no longer depend on large corporations to provide them with employment throughout their careers.”
As for Lewis himself, who has a nice sense of humor, he hopes his own new enterprise won”™t go the way of his actual favorite Rolling Stones”™ song ”“ “Gimme Shelter”.
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For additional information or a one hour complimentary consultation, contact Paul Lewis at 914-674-6129 or paul@startmeup-ny.com.
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Tips from the Top
Paul Lewis”™ five tips for starting a business
1, Plan, plan, plan. “Invariably I find people starting a business haven”™t done a complete one.”
2. Bottom-line it. “Have a good idea before you spend a cent, how much cash you”™ll need and how much things cost.”
3. Do the research. “Talk to people about their experience in the industry.”
4. Go digital. “You”™ll need a Web site.” Lewis created his own using GoDaddy.com
5. Have the courage of your convictions. “Once you”™ve decided your business is a ”˜Go,”™ commit yourself to it 100 percent ”“ and persevere.”
