Guide · setting up a small business
Small business setup: getting online, explained.
A plain guide to what every new business needs to start trading: the website, the email, the phone, the internet and the invoicing. Why bundling them beats stitching five tools together.
Last updated 20 June 2026 · by Alien IT Solutions
What a small business needs to start
To start trading you need a website, professional email on your own domain, a phone number, an internet connection, and a way to invoice and get paid. Set up as one system, they just work. Set up as five separate accounts, the joins are where the headaches live.
The essentials, in one box
The five things, set up together rather than stitched together.
A website
A clean, fast site so customers can find you and see what you do, ready to grow as you do.
Email on your domain
Professional email at your own domain, not a free address, set up and secured.
Phone and internet
A business phone number and a connection, sorted together so they actually work.
Invoicing
A simple way to send invoices and get paid, wired in from the start.
Bundle vs stitch-it-yourself
Same five things, very different fortnight.
Who sets it up
Biz in a Box is the done-for-you setup service of Alien IT Solutions, an Australian IT, networks and connectivity company with more than 18 years of experience. Because it is built by an IT company, it is built to grow: the same team can add managed IT, better phones with Telco Help on the bills, and emergency cover from Same Day IT as you scale.
Where this comes from
The primary sources behind the above, so you can check any of it yourself rather than take our word for it:
- business.gov.au, the government service covering registering a business name, an ABN and the basics of starting out.
- ABN Lookup, the Australian Business Register, for checking an ABN.
- ASIC, the regulator behind business name and company registration.
- Australian Taxation Office, on GST, tax invoices and what has to be on them.
- auDA, the administrator of the .au domain space and the eligibility rules for a .com.au.
Questions people ask
What does a small business need to start trading?
At a minimum: a website so customers can find you, a professional email on your own domain, a phone number, an internet connection, and a way to invoice and get paid. The trick is having them set up to work together from day one, rather than five separate tools you have to wire up yourself.
Why bundle it instead of doing it myself?
Because stitching a website, email, phone, internet and invoicing together from different providers eats days you do not have, and the joins are where things break. A done-for-you bundle is set up as one working system, with one team and one bill, so you start trading instead of troubleshooting.
How fast can I be up and running?
Much faster than going piece by piece, because it is set up as one job rather than chasing five providers. We get the essentials live first so you can trade, then refine from there.
Can it grow with the business?
Yes. Because it is built by an IT company, it is set up to scale. As you grow, the same team behind Alien IT Solutions can add managed IT, better phones, security and more, without you starting again.
Who sets it up?
Biz in a Box is the done-for-you setup service of Alien IT Solutions, an Australian IT, networks and connectivity company with more than 18 years of experience. One team builds the lot and supports it.
Open the box. Start trading.
Tell us what the business does. Alien IT will get the website, email, phone, internet and invoicing live as one.
Talk to us