At the gym today I saw a flyer for a private chef/prepared foods service. The concept is that you will get prepared meals delivered to your home on your schedule. What caught my eye was that at the bottom of the flyer it said: "Website coming soon."

This got me thinking: Should you launch your business without having a website in place?  My gut tells me you should have your website up and running. However, nothing is so black and white, and probably, the answer depends on various factors, including:
<ul>
	<li>Type of business</li>
	<li>How you get business (referrals, word of mouth, advertising)</li>
	<li>Soft launch</li>
	<li>Size of business</li>
</ul>
Lastly, before launching, you need to understand how essential a website will be to your business. Will people need to consult your website to find out how to do business with you? In the case of the private chef,  a potential customer may want to check out types of food you offer, testimonials, pricing, timing.  Obviously, these questions can be answered by phone or in person too, but will you have time?

I think there is more to be gained by having your website up and running BEFORE you launch. Does this mean you can't launch a business without a website? No. But it could cause problems for you as you try to build up your customer base.

What do you think?