What you need to know when starting your business

The more I talk to others about my journey into starting my business, I'm reflecting on things that I wish I had known just to make the entire process a bit easier. Which I'm sure as many of you can relate to, sometimes getting started is quite literally the HARDEST part. Which is why I want to share with you what I know now:

Know your "why"

Something I start all my clients out with while working together is them filling out a Brand Questionnaire, which is really just a fancy way of me finding out why the heck they started their business. (Or are going to.)

Of course we can say something like, it's my DREEEAAMMM, but really I want to dive into that lovely soul of yours and find out why you felt inspired, passionate and motivated to do this in the first place!

When you know your why, the process will become more enjoyable and your supports will be inspired by your "why" because your business is serving a purpose.

So what is your why? (Pause and write it down! There is no wrong answer here.)

Research, research and do some more research

Alright, so you should have your why. (If not, you BETTER pause now and write it down.)

Starting a business has a lot of factors that you need to consider. so do your RESEARCH! You want to make sure you are over prepared once you start announcing that you just started your business, other wise you'll start to get lost in the obis of,

"So I'm doing this thing and it's coming out on xzy" And then... Crickets...

Dedicate yourself to finding out what you need in order to be successful. How have others done it, what do you like about your competitors, what don't you like? Take a few courses, jump down the YouTube rabbit hole, anything you can do to educate yourself on what comes next after announcing that you have a business.

Set up your process BEFORE you open up for business

Hands down, my biggest mistake when starting my business was not having a process. I kinda just went with the flow of things, which is not how business works. While I can tell you a ton of stories about why this step is important let me just throw a quick fact on how having a process DRAMATICALLY changed my business:

No process - In 2019 I made approximately $4,000 for the entire year with the clients I had and this doesn't include my expenses so I would probably say it was closer to $1,000.

With a process - My process was solidified in May of 2020. (YES it took me 4 years and investing in a 6 week course from www.one6creative.com to finally nail down a process) In the last two months I have made $4,500 in two months. CA-CHING. That's more than what I made in the entire YEAR of 2019.

Having an amazing process will increase your professionalism, customer satisfaction and take out the stress of how to run your business. Now, do yourself a favor and learn how to create one.

Know your financial goals

Money is so important to think about when starting your business. No matter where you are in the process, you'll need to know what income you need in order to succeed! (However that may look for you.)

Running a business will include new investments, expenses and you want to make sure you're getting paid!

If you want to learn more about how to price your services or how to budget so worrying about your money can be a thing of the past, check out my blog:

MONEY TIPS FOR NEW ENTREPRENEURS

https://www.eclecticdesigns.co/post/money-tips-for-new-entrepreneurs

Solidify your branding

You didn't think I was going to skip this were you?!

Branding is essential because it's how people come to visually, emotionally and personally connect with your business! If you're not ready to hire someone to do your branding, first I want to ask you WHY. But more importantly I want to tell you what you really need when you launch.

• Social media accounts (these are completely free, so utilize them!)

• Clean, sharp and appropriate photos. (It's 2020, there is no excuse for poor quality images anymore.)

• Your "why" should be in your descriptions when you share your business. (See I told you this is important!)

Why is 'logo' not included in this? WELL, I 100% suggest hiring an expert to handle the key visuals because your business doesn't deserve some mashed together clip art renderings, thrown together photoshoped images and dare I say it... MICROSOFT WORD FONTS.

However if you ARE ready, fill out my client application and let's chat!

https://hello.dubsado.com/public/form/view/5ed80280f5a4d214f34910b0

Ask for help in sharing your business

I'm not sure what it is about this step... But everyone gets so shy when it comes to asking people for help. LETS CHANGE THAT. I'm sure you (including me) have a large handful of friends and family that would be more than willing to help you out just by simply sharing that you started your own business.

It's super cool, okay?! So ask those around you to join in on your excitement! Word of mouth is one of the biggest contributors to gaining potential clients and buyers.

Be kind to yourself

THIS...IS...EVERYTHING

Starting your own business to say the least is scary! The nerves, tears, hard work, constant questioning is all a part of the process. It's not always going to be easy and some things you try during the process simply just won't work. But that's, OKAY.

You are amazing, what you're doing takes courage and you too deserve some self recognition. Remember to take breaks, treat yourself kindly and most importantly be YOU.

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