How To Start A Business Online

In this week’s blog, I am going to share my tips on how to start a business online.

When starting a new business, it is easy to get caught up in the shiny things.

On things that you like doing, rather than things that you need to be doing to make money.

To waste money on things that do not give you results.

Or spending time (which is limited) on things that will not grow your business

Starting your own business from scratch does not need to cost you a fortune.

Or take up every single waking moment of your time.

Below are the things that I would focus on if I was starting a business today.

 

Tips On How To Start A Business Online

 

1 – Spend your money wisely

When every dollar counts when you are starting out, it is wise to spend money where you are going to get the benefits.

And where it is going to help set you up for success.

I would invest in some core pieces of infrastructure to ensure that your business can grow as you do.

Firstly, your website – to be successful online, you need to have a presence.

A website will give you this.

Ensure that you invest in a good hosting service such as BlueHost or WP Engine.

The second thing is an email marketing platform.

To be able to communicate effectively with your customers, you need a great platform.

I use Active Campaign.

I love it as it allows you to set up sales automation funnels, and has great analytics.

Active Campaign also allows you to categorise and tag your contacts, and organise them into lists.

You will also need a marketing platform to create, market and sell your digital products from.

There are lots of different platforms out there, that are available.

However, Kajabi is an all in one business platform.

Kajabi allows you to house your digital products in one spot, as well as having sales tools such as landing pages, marketing tools and the ability to send emails.

While you may invest some money investing in tools, there are a number of tools that you can use, that are completely free.

Use a Project management tool such as Trello which is free, however you can pay for for upgrades.

Canva is my go-to for all things design. There are so many templates and design for the non-graphic designers out there – like me!

 

2 – Find a mentor

Find someone who can help guide you through starting, running and growing a business.

Someone who can challenge you, and help you think outside the box.

A mentor is someone who can do this.

A mentor tends to be older and more experienced than their mentee.

They act as a sounding board for the mentee to express their ideas and challenges.

And they respond with advice, based on their knowledge and experiences.

Although mentoring is focused on the development of the mentee, the experience benefits the mentor as well.

It builds leadership and communication skills for the mentor, as well as encouraging them to be reflective in order to give sound advice that will benefit the mentee.

On some occasions, mentoring can develop into lifelong friendships or professional collaboration.

 

3 – Find your voice

Whether you want to blog, do a podcast or post a video on YouTube.

Start doing it.

And do it consistently.

When you get your message out into the universe, and do it consistently, then your following will begin to grow.

Those potential customers that understand your message and connect with you, will wait to hear what you have to say next.

 

4 – Build your List

While having a presence on social media is important, you do not own the people that follow you.

Social media platforms own your followers.

And in a blink of an eye, a tweak of a algorithm or a change in strategy – your followers may no longer see you in their feeds.

Your email list is something that you own.

Exchanging information for an email address allows you to have control as to when and how you contact your subscribers.

 

5 – Work out how you are going to make money

You need to have a plan on how you are going to make money.

And you need to have multiple income streams so that you are not relying on one income stream alone.

Passive income streams are an effective way to help you scale your business.

Things to think about include:-

• Digital products
• Membership sites
• Affiliate income
• Collaborations

 

6 – Habits and Routines

Ensuring that you have an effective routine and habits in place to ensure that you are successful.

Running a business is about hard work but most importantly, consistency.

Keeping yourself healthy and ensuring that you can be the best version of you is also important.

The best way to do this is to establish some routines around how you work and look after yourself.

 

7 – KISS

The most important thing in starting and running a business is to follow one principle.

Keep.It.Simple.Stupid

Don’t try and over-complicate things.

Simplicity is key to starting a business from scratch.

 

These are my tips for how to start a business online.

Keep to the basics and watch it happen.

Have you checked out my course Business Basics?

It is a step-by-step program to starting your own online business.

Business Basics is all about setting the simple foundations for running a successful business.

Check it out now!