Starting your business from square one?

I feel you; starting from nothing can be one of the most intimidating positions to be in…

OR it can be one of the most EXCITING positions to be in!

You have an entire world in front of you and your business, and all that’s left to do is take action. Do the dang thing.

The only problem? No one knows you exist.

I’ve recently been thinking back on how I started (literally with no one except one gal who put faith in me to design a logo for $80) and what I would do now if I started COMPLETELY from scratch again.

Here are the three things — plus a bonus tip! — I would do if I was starting a business completely from scratch.

No followers. No clients. No customers.

Let’s go.

01. Set up a SIMPLE website / portfolio / social media page of some kind.

Listen, your website is your virtual storefront. But that doesn’t mean it has to be complicated.

In fact, simpler is BETTER in the beginning, as you’re still in the process of working out your ideal style, preferred clientele, product finessing, etc.

This isn’t about perfection; it’s about making your idea or business easily accessible in a professional manner to those interested. It gives your people a way to get more information or get in touch with you.

(I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had to hunt down basic information and contact info about a company because it wasn’t present on their website.)

Don’t get me wrong — don’t let this be a “project” that holds you back from talking about your business. TALK about it to friends and family. Share about it on social media. Start getting the word out, getting feedback, etc…. but then have a home base where you can send those who are most interested.

Use this space to show off your work and let visitors know what you can do.

(No work to show off? Create some. Take on a limited number of free or low-priced projects, or literally just create some work solely for your portfolio. I did just that in my early days and used it to pitch to potential clients for brand design. And hey, it worked!)

Truthfully, you could even just set up an Instagram account or Facebook page to host your information and content at first.

No matter where you choose to set up your virtual storefront, having an online home for your business or idea is a great place to start.

Psst: Decided to build out a simple website? Spend an extra hour or two (or honestly, even less) setting up an email list so you can start capturing email addresses and building your list. This list will be your superpower as you continue to grow and one of your best selling tools long-term.

02. Start the conversation.

You’re the newbie in the space. Little to no people know you exist. These early days are the perfect season to invest time into building relationships.

Reach out to any relevant contacts to let them know what you’re up to. (Keep it positive, to the point, and valuable — please do not come out of the woodworks with a cutesy sales pitch to everyone on your friend list! Ick.)

Share about your new venture on social media to start familiarizing your people.

One easy, non-intrusive way to do this is to ask for thoughts or feedback. In person or online, survey your friends and family (the simpler, the better — 1-3 questions is perfect).

I can’t say this enough: don’t be that person who is constantly hitting up old contacts to pitch your offering. YES, there is value in asking for the sale (more on that below). YES, there is a right way to do it. DMing someone you haven’t talked to in over ten years with a sales pitch is not the right way to do it.

If you start a social media account for your business, don’t just make it all about you and your business; ask questions. Engage. Create valuable content that enriches the lives of your audience in some way. Make it shareable.

The number one rule to keep in mind about social media is that it’s SOCIAL. Have conversations and engage with your people to start building authentic relationships. This is SO MUCH easier to do when you have 50 followers than when you have 15,000 followers.

And on the topic of social media…

03. Show up consistently.

It can be super hard to build an audience on social media these days. The ever-evolving algorithm and billions of users make it hard to break through and be seen.

Don’t let that discourage you.

Showing up consistently is the number one thing I’d do on social media if I were to start completely over.

Only have 10 followers? Perfect.

Show up for those 10.

Create valuable content just for them.

Act like you have 10,000.

Stories are an especially easy and valuable way to show up on the daily.

They’re informal, come packed with tons of built-in features you can easily use to boost engagement and interest, and super easy to do quickly and on the go. (Three rules I follow for stories — don’t overthink it too much, show your face when you can, and keep your “talking” stories real, but to the point. Lots of pauses and breaks in talking makes it easy for viewers to lose interest and move on!)

Plus, your stories are more likely to be seen than your posts these days; posting is great, but stories are such a huge opportunity for visibility.

(And also reels — but they do tend to take a lot more time and energy than stories, so showing up on stories every day is a great low-energy way to start building that online presence!)

What do you talk about?

That’s a whole other post in itself, but doing a nice mix of stories related to your business along with a smattering of personal life is a great way to keep it relevant and relatable at the same time!

Psst: don’t forget to ask for the sale.

When starting these conversations and building a presence online for your business, don’t forget — you’re a BUSINESS. Which means you sell something. And the truth is, even though your new offering is probably all you think about these days, noooo one else knows it even exists.

Don’t be afraid to put it out there with clarity and confidence.

Lots of relevant, honest value alongside making your offer known and seen is a great combination to keep in mind when it comes to social media.

Bonus tip: always be super responsive!

Being responsive to messages and emails and inquiries is another way to stand out and make a great first impression. (Yes, really.)

I’ve had countless instances of reaching out to businesses (new and established) and then never hearing back; simply making sure you’re prioritizing conversations for potential new customers, clients, and partners is crucial in any business, but especially in those early days.

Treat them like the VIPs they are, and they may just be the word of mouth source you dream of for future clients and customers!

Three action steps (plus a bonus!) that you could honestly start in a weekend: set up a virtual storefront, start the conversation both online and offline, start showing up consistently on social media, and be responsive to your people. These go-to steps can apply to almost any new business and only take a little time and effort on your part to get started.

Psst: Starting a business doesn’t have to be a huge investment. Curious to know what some of my favorite free tools are when just starting out?

Check out this post next: 5 Favorite FREE Online Resources for Starting a Business.

With love + inspiration from our home to yours,
Jenna