Thinking of starting an Online Business?! Congrats!
While it can seem daunting to start up one of your own, an Online Business can prove to be an amazing investment of time and money.
There are tons of reasons why you may be considering launching your own business.
Some people just want to escape the boring old 9 to 5 and have the flexibility to spend their time the way they want to. Or maybe you’re a new mom and want to stay at home with your little ones, while making an income from your living room. Maybe you even have a genius idea that you’ve been cooking up for years.
No matter your reasoning, an Online Business is an amazing way to be your own boss and make your own rules!
And, we’ve got 7 steps that will get you started on setting up your own Online Business.
#1 Legality - Protect Your Ass(ets)
Nothing puts an end to a new business faster than a legal issue. So do your due diligence and protect yourself!
Registering a business varies depending on your country and state so be very cautious and do proper research. Reach out to a legal team if you’re unsure – better to be safe than sorry!
Insurance isn’t necessary for all Online Businesses but can prove to be very beneficial for many. Contact a reputable insurance company to discuss your best options!
An accountant may also seem a bit overkill but owning and operating your business can get disorganized, especially if this is your first!
Take the time to talk to some professionals so you can work out if an accountant is a good addition to your business strategy.
When I started Lady Boss Studio inc., this was one of the first things I made sure to do. We cannot recommend The Contract Shop enough as a resource to get you started! So, be sure to check them out.
#2 The Business Plan - Breaking It Down
Business plans are very extensive but also very important, and ultimately the most important for creating a strong business foundation.
They address all aspects of your new business; from the building you are operating out of to the breakdown of your employee structure.
This type of plan can be really helpful in addressing and fixing weak points in your business.
This Business Plan will also make it easier to see where your opportunities are and how to effectively reach your goals!
#3 Business Branding - Stand Out!
Time to get creative!
Pick a name for your Biz and all the fun branding that goes with it!
This is the time to create your logos, color palette, and overall vibe of your business.
Remember how important it is to be visually appealing – you want to draw in your target niche!
Be sure to choose a name and color palette that you can keep up with! If you don’t plan this out, you’re in for a total rebrand later which can end up confusing and losing customers!
Here at Lady Boss Studio, we offer an incredible program called The Instant Brand Blueprint!
This program offers 60+ DFY (Done-For-You) branding templates! You can have your full brand figured out in no time.
This is also the time to start looking into stock photography for your website and Social Media Marketing. Again, think of your target market!
Pssst, within our Boss in Business Membership we ALSO have our Styled Stock Library with over 400+ photos included (and growing every month)!
#4 Social Media - Reach Your Niche!
Speaking of Social Media Marketing, it’s time to set up your accounts.
Try to do this early enough to snag your business name as the SM handle!
You will have determined your ideal Social Media channels in your Business Plan. Once you’ve found the channels your target niche uses, set up accounts there.
Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest are usually the most important and can offer the most reach to your (newly determined) target audience!
#5 Create Your Website - Make Money On Autopilot!
Your website is going to be the primary place where your potential clients find your Online Business!
It’s a great idea to sell your products through other eCommerce shops like Creative Market and Etsy, but your website should be treated like the heart of your business.
As with Social Media, try to secure your domain name early on!
It’s best to have a URL that is relevant to your business (obviously) and even better to have it as your actual business name.
I bought my domain through SiteGround and use their affordable web hosting services for my Online Business site.
At only 4 bucks a month, they’re hard to beat. (Bluehost is also another low-cost alternative)
I highly recommend that your website be as consistent and streamlined as possible. A.K.A., make sure it’s definitely branded for your business while also looking professional and easy to navigate.
This is going to be the place that’s WORKING for you, even when you’re not working! (Passive income baby, two of our favorite words).
Did we mention we have an entire 5-Day Website Academy Course that will help you create a conversion boosting website from start to finish!
We know, love and trust WordPress, so I made an entire course that walks you through how to create a beautiful WordPress Website!
#6 Email Marketing - Grow Your List!
Don’t be shy – show off your new Online Business to potential customers!
A great way to grow your audience is through email lists and freebies. (We sell Lead Magnet Templates so you can easily create your own!)
You’re going to need to find email marketing software to organize your email lists as well as schedule and send out your email blasts.
When I started Lady Boss Studio, I used Mailerlite because it was incredibly easy to use and was also free for the first 1000 subscribers. It’s who we still recommend to new business owner’s today!
But, since growing our list to over 25,000 subscribers we’ve moved over to Active Campaign and it does all of our automations and segmentations for us!
I should also tell you that we have a program called the Lead Magnet Blueprint that will help you get your Email list up and running with leads converting right away!
#7 Consider Blogging - Bring in Potential Customers with Tons of Value!
Blogging can do a lot more for your business than you might think.
Establish yourself as an expert in your niche by publishing professional blog posts that relate to your business. Well-researched blogs show authority and create brand trust – when readers in your niche keep seeing your posts popping up on their feeds.
Be sure to check out one of our previous post How to Write Your First Blog Post for an in-depth guide to blog writing.
Create a traffic funnel to your website by posting and linking all of your blog posts on Social Media!
It’s true that blog posts drive organic traffic to your website and those visitors are more likely to convert into sales or sign-ups!
I highly recommend finding a scheduling software to save you the headache of having to post multiple times a day, every day.
I schedule my blog posts as Pinterest Pins through Tailwind so that I can set a time interval for my posts to circulate through. Keeping your posts on a scheduled loop is an awesome way to keep your posts at the top of everyone’s feed!
I hope you found this list helpful!
These are just 7 steps to create your Online Business, but we have so much more we want to share with you!
This is the best time for me to let you in on a little secret (not a secret at all..), but our Boss in Business Membership takes you through our Simple Setup System™!
Here you will find our 7-step system that is designed specifically to take away all of the overwhelm that comes with starting an Online Business!
This is where I was 4 years ago when I started first Lady Boss Studio, and I am determined to make sure you don’t feel the same way!
Psst.. you also get access to ALL of our courses that were mentioned above as a Member, it’s the one stop shop for all things Lady Boss Studio!
There’s a seat for you at my table, ALWAYS!
Happy Online Business-ing!
Let us know below if you are feeling excited to get started!
