I wish someone had told me this before I started my own business. So, I thought I'd write to share how you can save some money and a whole lot of time. I see these happening with some of my clients and fellow coaches so do check out the list below to be prepared before you commit to any of them while building your business.
In a nutshell, you do not want to rush to
Buy a website domain
Design a logo
Hire a VA (Virtual Assistant)
Spend money on social media ads
Create email funnels
Website domains
The idea of seeing your name or your business name surface online with search tools like Godaddy.com sends lots of excitement I get it. But please, please, please hold on. Before you purchase the domain -ask yourself if you're at least 80% sure of your domain name. Then wait for 3 weeks and check if you still want to proceed. Be prepared to top up at least 30% more on top of the listed price after all the admin and requisite services that complement your newly minted site :)
The beloved logo
I've never been big on logos but I do appreciate the need and the design elements within but I've also seen how logos can be designed for USD$5 and others who pay hundreds for it. My in between fix was designing one on Canva (the free version) and I changed it at least five times, so you get the idea
Do I need a VA? (Virtual Assistant)
Well it really depends, how much time do you want to devote to admin, finance, design, social media content publishing etc? Do you really need the added expense from the start?
My advice to is to get the first customer on board and then decided if you want to re-direct the funds to hiring the VA so your time can be freed to create higher value services
How should I buy ads on social media?
When you're just starting, please do your homework first before you commit to any money on any platform. Use your current social media accounts that suffice for a start. The algorithm and dashboard management itself can be a full-time commitment so time it well. Just because everyone is doing it does not mean you need to now
Funnel what?
It can be daunting trying to set up an entire marketing engine and as a consumer, I've noticed that I am starting to resent emails being sent and I get so distracted with receiving them that I tune out. That's not to say that I don't believe in their potential. I would just caution against spending too much time chasing to build this list as a start.
Instead of all the above, I would spend my time personalizing my business by getting closer to my clients, and conversing with them as much as possible before deciding on all the above.
Try it out your way and see what happens. Have fun!