I still remember those crack-of-dawn early mornings at my day job, with steaming coffee in hand at my computer, with one tab open on my work and the other tab open reading the blog of a designer I admired who was doing exactly what I wanted to do: branding and website design while working from home.

Yawning, I would think, “I can do this.” But how?

Turns out I could do it - and I did, but it took me years to figure it out - two years and 10 months to be exact. It wasn’t that I wasn’t dedicated, or enthusiastic, it was that there isn’t a clear roadmap that works for everyone when it comes to taking the leap and quitting your day job. 

On the mindset side of things there are some things you need to have when starting a new business or venture and that’s confidence in yourself, confidence that there are people searching for you, and confidence that you will be a success. This is where I struggled for most of my side-hustle days, fearing that I wasn’t good enough, comparing myself to other designers, and being afraid of pitching myself.

So before you even begin your venture, I encourage you to work on your mindset from day one. Tell yourself affirmations, read biographies of successful people who inspire you, meditate, write down your WHY, and be crystal clear with your goals and be focused so you can stay the course.

It wasn’t until years in that I began working on my mindset and let me tell you, it changed EVERYTHING!

But on the practical side, there are a lot of moving parts when it comes to getting your online business up and running, so here’s a little list that can get you started if you find yourself at your desk googling how to get started (like I did): 

1. Does your idea have potential?

Ask yourself these 3 questions: What problem am I solving? Who has this problem? Can this problem I’m solving become profitable?

Finding out the answer to these questions is key to getting started and coming up with a service that is in demand with a market that’s eager to work with you.

If you find that you’re not sure if the problem has interested people, the best thing you can do is market research. Ask people if this sounds like something they would be interested in. Cold call, ask people at your local Starbucks, or start conversations on Instagram. Everywhere you go there’s the potential that your audience is there and needs your solution. So don’t be shy, take a deep breath, and put yourself out there to see if your idea has potential.

2. Name your business

Once you have verified that your idea has growth potential it’s time to nail down some key items. Naming your business is a big step and one of the ones that can keep you stuck for a long time - cause you want it to be perfect, right? I TOTALLY understand that. But it’s important that you don’t waste too much time on this.

Write down a list of ideas, circle your top 3-5, then ask friends or family their opinions, but then in the end, choose the one you like best and move forward. The sooner you can choose, the sooner you can get your service out to people who need it. 

And if you want a more in-depth look into this, check out how to choose your business name.

3. Purchase a domain

In order to get your website started - or even BEFORE you think about getting it started - it’s important to purchase your domain and “save” it so when you’re ready to get started it’s there waiting and ready for you.

There are many places out there for where to purchase your domain including NameCheap, GoDaddy, Wordpress… the list goes on, but I highly recommend BlueHost.

BlueHost starts as little as $2.95 a month and you can purchase your domain as well as hosting. It’s secure, has great customer support, and is clean and easy to navigate. Once you have a domain you can host it through a web platform such as Wordpress, Squarespace, WIX, etc. I recommend purchasing your domain and hosting on two different platforms so you can have an added layer of security. For example, purchasing your domain from BlueHost, and then hosting your domain on Squarespace. 

4. Map out your marketing strategy

It’s not enough that you have business cards in your purse or a website sitting on the interwebs, you need a strategy for HOW you’re going to reach your customers. 

There are a myriad of marketing strategies out there so don’t get too overwhelmed with this. The first thing to consider is: How do I want to show up online? What do I prefer when it comes to showing up? Do I like writing? Being a guest on podcasts? Showing up Live on Facebook? Having my own YouTube channel? There are dozens of ways to get in front of your ideal audience. 

The important thing to think about is where is my audience hanging out? For me, I get ideal clients from Pinterest, so that means making sure I am focusing my energy on that platform, so blogging and creating content that I can pin on Pinterest is where I spend my marketing energy.

DO NOT get on all the social media channels at the start. I recommend focusing on 1-2 social channels to market on and adding more as you go along. 

Once you find a way you like to communicate and show up, it’s about doing that over and over again and building consistency and trust. 

Several marketing books that I recommend are Purple Cow by Seth Godin, Building a Storybrand by Donald Miller, and Marketing Made Simple by Donald Miller.

5. Do the work

Getting your online business started is the easy part and keeping it going and profitable is the hard part. So prepare to be in it for the long run.

Every business will have its ups and downs but it’s important that you remain positive and keep going with your marketing activities ESPECIALLY when you feel like you’re in a slump. 

In the second half of 2020, my business was slow-moving. I had multiple contracts fall through and not hitting my revenue goals month after month was so discouraging. But the important thing was I didn’t give up and I kept on. Early in 2021 I hit my first 10k month and have since continued on in the ebbs and flows that is business. What can keep you going during these hard times is your mindset. I mentioned this at the beginning but having a rock solid mindset, believing in yourself that you will be successful, and continuing with your marketing efforts, is key to emerging victorious.

I was on the sidelines for a long time before I actually jumped in and started my business, and I kinda wished I had started sooner. The sooner you can start, the sooner you can learn what works for you and how you can improve your business. It really IS one of those things where you can’t take a step before standing.

I hope these tips were helpful!

I would love to hear, where are you at in the process of getting your business started?