Top Ten Must Haves for a Start Up E-Business.

As a web developer, I talk to business people who are at different stages of developing their online business every day. The more they know about their industry and what they want their company to be, the more I can help them. The following list outlines what you should have before you start talking to web development companies about building your online business. Having these things will help you get more for your money.

Top ten things to have (or know) before you look for a web development company to build your business' site:

1 A business plan or executive summary

2 A brand identity

3 An goal/mission/vision for your website.

4 A basic flowchart or storyboard that describes how you what your site to work

5 A plan for how to fill your site with content

6 An opinion about which websites you like and which you don't like

7 A team that will be responsible for internal project management and approvals (even if its only you!)

8 A budget--even it is a wild guess at what it should cost

9 A list of elements that you would like to have in your website in order of priority

10 Referrals -- because like any business, a web development companies track record is a good indication of what your experience will be with them..

Wendy Nield is a co-founder and CEO of Adwire Inc., a web development company, located in Beverly Hills.