The 30-day launch checklist for a service business

How to use this checklist

Thirty days is enough to launch a service business properly if you keep the scope small: one clear offer, a simple website, complete profiles and a focused first-customer plan. Some items depend on others (outside your control), so start them early. Registration and licensing rules vary by state and industry; check what applies to you.

If you'd rather not run it alone, Business Launch Authority's Business Launch System covers the offer, website, Google profile, an announcement published on news sites and a first-customer plan, planned as one launch.

Week 1: offer, price and setup

• Write who you serve, the problem you solve and the result, in one or two sentences.
• Define one to three packages with a scope and a price (or a “from” price).
• List three to five competitors and what they charge.
• Register the business name and structure, and check the licences and permits you need. The SBA notes that requirements depend on your activities and location.
• Open a business bank account and arrange the insurance your trade expects.
• Create your Google Business Profile now if you're eligible, because verification can take time (a postcard usually arrives within 14 days).

Week 2: brand basics and website

• Name, a simple logo, two colours and one font. Keep it consistent rather than elaborate.
• A domain name and a business email address.
• Write the website words before the design: the offer, prices or price guide, how it works, about you, proof and contact.
• Build a small site: home, services and prices, about, contact. Add a privacy policy if you collect personal information.
• Check it on your phone: fast, readable, tappable phone number, short contact form.
• Set up Google Search Console and analytics, and mark form submissions and bookings as key events.

Week 3: Google profile and listings

• Finish verifying your Google Business Profile. Don't change the name, address or category while it's pending.
• Set it up correctly: storefront, or service-area with your home address hidden.
• Add your primary category, services, hours, website link and real photos.
• Claim other listings that matter in your field (Apple Business, Bing Places, Yelp, industry directories).
• Use exactly the same business name, phone and website everywhere.
• Prepare your review link to send to your first customers.

Week 4: announcement and first customers

• Write a short launch story with a real angle: why you started, who it's for, what's different.
• Publish your announcement: a press release if it suits you, a LinkedIn post, a Google profile update and an email.
• Send personal messages to your first 50–100 contacts: past colleagues, clients, friends and local partners. Follow US email rules (CAN-SPAM) for any bulk email.
• Contact three to five referral partners who serve the same customers.
• Ask every first customer for an honest review, with nothing offered in return.

Measure from day one

You don't need a dashboard. A simple spreadsheet is enough: each enquiry, the date, where it came from, whether you quoted, and whether you won. After 30 days, look at which sources brought enquiries and which brought customers.

Google Search Console shows how often your site appears in search and how often people click. Your analytics key events show how many visitors contacted you. Expect search to take time for a new site; early customers usually come from people you contact directly.

Questions

Sources

• U.S. Small Business Administration: Register your business
• U.S. Small Business Administration: Apply for licenses and permits
• Google Business Profile Help: Verify your business on Google
• Google Business Profile Help: Guidelines for representing your business on Google
• Google Search Console Help: Performance report (Search results)
• Google Analytics Help: Create or modify key events
• Federal Trade Commission: CAN-SPAM Act, A Compliance Guide for Business

General information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules differ by location; check with your own adviser.