Where should I start? Branding, blog, mailing list?

I hear variations of this question so often, I figured it’s time to put it into a blog post!

” I feel overwhelmed, where should I start? Branding, blog, mailing list?
Every time i start with something it gets complicated!!”

And sadly enough, this question often comes from people after they’ve signed up for a ton of online courses, masterminds and sometimes even 1:1 coaches!  I just hate it when that happens!!

Why – because I prefer the simplest, easiest route to getting things done! And I’m tired of the plethora of crappy, conflicting advise out there!

I don’t know what stage your business is at right now, so I’m going to assume you’re starting from scratch; or you’re still in the very early stages.

Wait.. they’re all just Marketing Tools

First thing to note is that ALL the things you’re talking about are TOOLS. Marketing Tools. Blogs, podcasts, Instagram, email list, “freebie”, Facebook page, FB group, webinars, 5-day challenges, eBooks etc are ALL JUST MARKETING TOOLS.

It’s easy to get caught up in them – but don’t loose of the real focus of WHY you wanted to start your business

1. Making awesome money
2. Doing work you love
3. While helping other people and changing the world

BUT BEFORE you can market something you need to be clear about

1. WHAT you’re marketing
2. WHO you’re marketing it to
3. (and only after that comes the) HOW will you market it to them!

So don’t put the cart before the horse!

Make sure you’re super clear about #1 and #2 BEFORE you start creating websites, blogs, courses, podcasts or whatever the hell else some guru told you to!

Test Drive Your Business

The best way to make sure you’ve got #1 and #2 right is to test drive your business.

How? By signing up 3 PAYING CLIENTS. Not one, not two, but THREE.

Why three? Because one or two could be a fluke but if you land at least 3 paying clients then your business idea probably has a chance!

When you’re starting up your first course of action should be to get 3 paying clients and test drive your business!!

Here’s a free guide to help you with getting your first 3 paying clients in a way that doesn’t require any fancy tools or tech or sleazy sales. It’ll help you get clear on the foundations of your business aka

• Your USP / Genius
• Who would best value your Genius and happily pay for it
• How to package your expertize to make an offer they can’t refuse

Create Basic Business Collateral

Once you have 3 paying clients  and have proven your business, the next stage is setting things up for GROWTH. You have to start growing your network. Ask for referrals. Let people know. How?

• In person events and marketing
• Online marketing.

All the things mentioned above ( aka blogging, webinar, podcast, social media etc) come under Online Marketing.

Again, assuming you’re just getting started, you’ll need a base for your online marketing aka your blog, a landing page, your freebie etc.

BUT unless you’re bank accounts are overflowing with $$$  I wouldn’t recommend going all out and spending $3k on your branding and $10K on your website! I prefer building businesses that are PROFITABLE from the beginning, by keeping initial investments low – spending judiciously on what’s required, keeping things simple and ignoring the fancy bells and whistles.

At the end of this post, I share a few of my favorite resources to help you with your website, with your tech, without breaking the bank!

4. Outsource! Alternatively, if you want, you can outsource all the tech setup including your website, lead magnet etc we can help with that! Click here to check out our packages and offers.

Phew! Long post, but hopefully, you should now have a clear path for the next 4-6 weeks – ie
1. Get first 3 paying clients (to test drive your biz idea!)
2. Get the tech in place – basic website, freebie, booking systems
3. Grow your connection with your target market both online and offline

Beyond that, the marketing plan would depend on the specifics of your business and it just so happens to be one of the things clients love me for! If you’d like to explore how I can you grow your business (and simplify your marketing!) let’s talk!

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Resources

If you’re just getting started with your business, then rather than outsource it all, I’d recommend you DIY. WHY? Well, here’s a full post on why you should make your very first website – but basically if you’re running an online business, you should have a fair idea of all the backend bits and bobs required to make it run!

Here are my favorite resources that make setting up your website and all the other tech behind your business as easy as color-by-number! 

1. $97 Website In A Box ( WordPress + Divi )  You get a gorgeous WordPress+Divi Website where all you have to do is plugin your copy, your photos etc and you’re ready to go.  It has placeholders for your blog, for your landing pages etc – everything you need!! So that you don’t have to waste any time studying WordPress installs or messing around with blog design!

2. Free 5-day Website Planning Party : IF you’d like help planning your website copy + content, here’s a free 5-day crash-course Website Planning Party that’ll help you learn about how to write copy and structure your pages to maximize connections, conversations and conversions!

3.Website Bootcamp:  IF you’d like simple, step-by-step video lessons to help create your brand, your logo, write your copy etc check out the Website Bootcamp.  It also includes simple video lessons on how to get the right photos for your branding, how to create your logo, how to use Canva to create graphics; how to set up an online booking system etc etc; how to drive traffic to your website – basically everything you need! I basically walk you through how to create it all in 2-4 weeks!

ps: along with your website you will need other tech tools (some of which you may not even know you need!). Here’s a full list of all the tech tools for easy reference!