I started my business five years ago. The business that I have right now was not my first endeavor. I tried all the things. I tried having an online boutique. I started blogging way back in 2007-2009. I started blogging online. I started my YouTube channel kind of around 2012 and then I deleted everything and I restarted in 2015,  and then I restarted between 2018 to 2019. It’s been a journey. However, I want to share a few things because I’ve learned so much along the way so you can start your online business this year. 

Leave perfection behind, and just start your online business now. 

If you’re starting a business, one thing that I want you to keep in mind that you got to start dirty. You have to start dirty. You have to test, you have to try. And when I say start dirty, a lot of times we get caught up in perfection and I don’t want you to get caught up in that. So definitely if you’re thinking about doing it, just start. If it’s something you’re passionate about and you want to do it.

As creative people like me, we get so caught up in doing so many things at once. We start doing something, but then we think that it’s not working. So, we change everything and start doing something else, and we just follow that cycle. So, you want to just stick to that thing and do it right? Start dirty, test, and try that idea 

You don’t need a perfect website !! 

I wish I knew this when I first started. You need an online home that you can host your content on. You can have your services, your packages, and all of that stuff on, but it does not have to be perfect. The last thing you want to do is invest thousands of dollars into a new website to change it up as you develop, and you get more comfortable with it. So, you’re just starting off, you do not need a thousand-dollar website. That’s not one of the best investments that you could make for your business. 

Know your audience and who you’re serving when starting an online business.

The next thing is that you need to know who you are serving, and what you’re helping them to accomplish. What is the problem that you’re solving? When you really figure out these two things that are going to help you a lot. 

One mistake that I see people making all the time is thinking about fancy ways to say their names or thinking about. For example, instead of saying that you’re a website designer, you’re saying that you’re an online home curator. Nobody will be looking for an online home curator. People are looking for a website designer. So that’s something that you really need to think about when it comes to your online business. Don’t try to get too fancy with your name and stay in alignment with who you’re talking to and the problem that you’re solving for them.

Think like Your Client 

One thing I want to remind you is to think like your client. Think like the person that you are looking to serve. A lot of times we want to give people what we think they need rather than really putting ourselves in our client’s shoes. 

I love to understand my customer journey. Where are they starting and where can I take them? 

Connect with them, ask them, and really understand what they’re struggling with. Talk to them because they might be in different phases. 

The more people you can connect and communicate with about this specific thing, the more information you’re able to gather, and the better you’re able to position yourself to help even more people like that.

Start an Email List 

Even if you’re just starting your business, you want to have a good way to get people’s email addresses. You want to have a freebie, an incentive, or something that they can pay you with their email address for. Because you have already established the struggles that your audience is having, it’ll be easier to create something that you know is foundational to the journey in exchange for their email addresses. I use Convertkit for my email list and I absolutely love it. 

Have a Way to Get Paid When You’re Starting your Online Business

Whether you have a system that people can actually pay you through like Stripe, PayPal, or the one of your choice, have a way to get paid. If people can’t pay you, then it’s not a business. So you want to get that setup.

A lot of times we never share our business out in the open because we’re scared that it will fail. However, the more that you share your business, the more opportunities you have to make money. So, don’t hide, don’t be nervous, shy, or afraid. 

So, I want you to, when you have decided you’re going to start this thing, start sharing it, start screaming from the mountain tops. You honestly don’t know who you’re going to inspire and who you’re going to attract. So, share it in the right places, because you’ve become obsessed with your person. You know where they’re hanging out. You know what social media platforms they frequent. You know what they’re searching for.

Know your Keywords, Understand Marketing and Have a Plan 

One thing I do want to mention is that I’m really passionate about knowing the keywords that are connected to my business, especially when it comes to marketing. I think that understanding the keywords for your business is so huge because you will be able to position yourself as a solution for the people who are looking for things pertaining to your specific industry or what you do specifically. Know your keywords and know what your person is looking up. Know what they’re searching for on the internet. 

So, you want to make sure that you do have a marketing plan in place so that you can attract the right people who are having the problem that you are able to solve. Also, you’ll want to know how you’re going to market, and network with people that are not directed to your industry or business, but cross-connected. 

So I hope this was helpful for you. There are some things in here that I was probably oblivious about or was too scared to do. And I want to encourage you to go through this list and think about things that you’re able to do if you’re just starting off. if you follow, these things, you will have a good grounding to get started on.

xo,

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