Make a Plan: Here’s a Guide to the Easiest, Quickest Business Plan Ever!
This will be the first in a 5 part series all about starting up a business or service when you’ve never done it before. And how to begin to get your name out there when you don’t have much money (if any) to invest in it!
Just Getting Started? Awesome!
So you’re a new business owner, right? You use that term loosely because you haven’t officially started the legal process of acquiring a LLC or INC. Maybe you’ve been overwhelmed at where to start to actually let the world know about your product or service. But one thing you do know: You’ve got a great idea or even a great product!
Marketing is a word that scares a lot of first-time business owners. Maybe you’ve done well in sales of the actual products you’ve had before, but trying to figure out how to market to the masses? Well, that’s intimidating to say the least! And marketing is incredibly expensive, isn’t it?
The truth is, when you have the idea for something big, this is the best time for you to strike. The idea is fresh, the product is fresh, and the passion you carry for this dream is the most you’ve felt in a long time. You have drive, passion, and romance about this project, and that is a feeling that will slowly begin to lose momentum as you get deeper and deeper into the project.
It’s true: once money starts coming into play and once you’re in the weeds of paperwork, planning, and dealing with people, that initial passion and dream you had to do something special starts to fade. That’s why you want to act right now on making something happen with your dream.
Maybe you don’t have any capital, or maybe it’s a dream you haven’t fully fleshed out yet.
Today, we’re going to talk about how to begin to let people know about it.
It’s probably no secret to you at this point in the world that social media is free, and it is one of the best ways to market and talk about your dreams, your passions, and network with others.
But where exactly do you start? Especially if you’ve mainly used sites like Facebook and Instagram to keep up with friends and family members? Maybe you’ve got a cousin or Facebook friend who is constantly schlepping their weight loss products or essential oils multilevel marketing business all day every day on your favorite social network, and they only reach out to you when they want you to join as a “coach” under them. You don’t want to be “that” person.
So what can you do?
Fortunately for you, we’re going to talk about networking and connection without anyone feel like you’re a snake oil salesman trying to tap into their wallet.
Let’s Get Started!
Step 1 for New Entrepreneurs with No Money: Put Your Plan on Paper or Type It Up
You will need to know exactly what you want to do with this business, and you need to know how you’re going to describe your goods and services. So make a business plan. This does not have to be complicated, you don’t need to get it notorized, you don’t need to make this your official legal document.
All we’re going to do is write out a few simple things that will help you to fully know how you want to move forward. This “unofficial” business plan may turn into that legal document later, but for now, just answer these questions:
- What is the name of my company or product?
- What is my vision for this business to become? (Write out a page or two about what this dream is and how it can make a difference to someone.)
- What is my mission? (What promises am I making about this good/service/company that I know I will deliver on?)
- Who will be the main person or group of people using this product/service? (be as specific as possible. If it’s someone exactly like you, write down details about yourself – what kind of books you read, movies you watch, TV shows you binge, food you eat, part of the country/world you live in, what your biggest loves are, what your biggest challenges are, etc.)
- How do I intend to sell this product or service to THAT person?
- Which social networks will work best for getting my message out? (You will need to research this one, as certain social networks are better for certain kinds of interests and services.)
- What benefits will my target customer receive from my product/service?
- How will I know if I’m reaching my goals?
Let’s break these last couple of questions down because they’re that important!
What Benefits will my target customer receive from my product/service?
This is the whole reason you’re starting this business or product in the first place, right? Yes, you want to earn money from it, but more than that, you want this service or product to do something for the people you’re going to be reaching. Success is all about giving the best benefits to customers, readers, viewers that we can with what we have. The more specific you can be on this, the better. Your job as a business owner is to bring in an income. But your job as a human being is to make humanity better.
How Will I Know If I Am Reaching My Goals?
This is another huge question. And so important. You need to know exactly what you want to receive in exchange for the goods and services you provide.
You need measurable goals here. Don’t set your goals so high they’re unreachable. Remember, the kind of marketing we’re talking about in this series can make money, but it is typically a slow burn. You need to be prepared for that. Some blog posts and YouTube videos go viral. But it usually happens after they’ve done the steps we’re going to be doing for a consistent amount of time. People making YouTube, Instagram, or blogs
(Note: We will talk more about creating an actual business plan in a later post. It IS important, but for now, we need some instant forward momentum, so this will serve as your guide to knowing your product or service and getting it to an audience who wants it.)
Once you have some kind of document on Google Drive or a notebook at your desk, you’re ready to move onto Step 2.
