You have the perfect personality for starting a small business. You have a good to great credit score, six months expenses saved, a couple of lines of credit, and little to no outstanding consumer debt.

Here's a summary list of things you should consider purchasing or obtaining if you're starting a small business:

Get a"DBA" (doing business as) from your county clerks office, open a business bank account in the name of your business-the bank will ask for your DBA, purchase a small amount (200-500) of plain business cards and stationary-better yet, print your own, purchase a monthly calendar to schedule your appointment, and keep this with you 24/7.

A business bank account is important when starting a small business. Remember Uncle Sam? If he decided to audit your tutoring business, it really looks better if your business and personal assets are not comingled.

In the beginning, keep the tutoring business simple. Spend more money on tutoring materials or things that help you deliver a quality product, instead of the fancy cards, pens, and stationary.

Set up tutoring at your client's homes or at school or local libraries, so you don't have to pay rent or mortgage for a tutoring center. Starting a small business doesn't mean you have to buy or rent a building...yet. Be smart!

List a P.O. Box on your business cards and stationary, as well as a cell phone number instead of a home number for privacy purposes. Remember, the less money you spend on your overhead, the more money you get to keep.

Besides, most clients who aren't going to the major tutoring franchises are expecting you to be a small time operation anyway.

Remember that this is just a summary of things you should consider.

Just a little heads up here. When starting a small business, most people don't intend to keep the business small. There's one thing to be said about growth...it can happen fast, so have a plan, and be ready when it happens.

Now, as your small business grows, you need more space for tutoring, more tutors, more office help, more building maintenance...everything gets more expensive.

Unless your tutoring business is supporting itself, these additional expenses have to be paid from somewhere.

Are you ready to use your own savings to keep your tutoring service afloat? Are you willing to get a business loan or line of credit? Beg friends and family for money? Have a plan for when the unexpected occurs.

More sophisticated business cards and stationary and in larger numbers,accounting software such as Quickbooks or Peachtree, talk to a CPA about how to set up your books, and maybe even hire them, computers for students-or a laptop if you tutor in your client's homes, internet access for all computers, if you're not doing home tutoring, you need to sign a lease or buy a building, buy or lease appropriate furniture, talk to an attorney to draft your choice of business entity-LLC, corporation, partnership, etc., liability insurance for your premises as well as for the actions of your tutors, and hire a background service to run criminal background checks on your tutors.

Remember that this is just a summary of things you should consider when starting a small business.

Just a little heads up here. When starting a small business, most people don't intend to keep the business small. There's one thing to be said about growth...it can happen fast, so have a plan, and be ready when it happens.

Starting a small business is about numbers. The way to increase revenues is to take on more customers or clients, or to charge more for your services. So, always remember that numbers are important.

Now, as your small business grows, you need more space for tutoring, more tutors, more office help, more building maintenance...everything gets more expensive.

Unless your tutoring business is supporting itself, these additional expenses have to be paid from somewhere.

Are you ready to use your own savings to keep your tutoring service afloat? Are you willing to get a business loan or line of credit? Beg friends and family for money? Have a plan for when the unexpected occurs.