Welcome to How to Start a Business - my limited edition podcast series. I know you're really excited to get your business idea out to the world, but before you start there are a few things you need to get in place to set yourself for success. ⁣That's why in the first episode of the series, I'm covering how to...Lay Your Rock Solid Business FoundationCreate Your Strategy To Stand Out In Your MarketGrow Your Sales and Your ProfitsDesign a Website and Brand Your Customers LoveBuild A Market...

We all make mistakes in business, but some are more common than others.So let's talk about what to focus on in your first year of business (and what to ignore). I'll walk you through how to avoid common mistake that many early entrepreneurs make. so you can be successful from the start. You'll learn...Exactly where to put your efforts and what to forget about in year one of your business The steps to take to stop struggling for sales and customers so you can gain traction imme...

Let's set you up for success from the start.How you set up your business structure and name your business needs to be the right fit for you. But how to know what the right strategy is for you?In this episode you'll learn...The three different business ownership models that you can use to build your business and how they differHow to decide the best strategy for naming your business, including the benefits and risks to eachThe five key factors to consider when naming your business so you stand...

You might already have some ideas of the services or product you are going be offering, but you need to make sure they align with the problems your customers are facing, or there will be no motivation to buy from you.In this episode you'll learn...3 of the main motivators for why people purchase a product or serviceHow to identify a solution that your customer needsAnd 5 business ideas you can use to deliver your solution to the market and 2 to avoidLet’s get going.***************************...

The most common mistake entrepreneurs make is creating a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. All successful businesses are built by defining the problem, then becoming the solution to it.Not the other way around.In this episode you'll learn...The biggest mistake entrepreneurs make within their business planningHow to define your unique passions and skills, which could help solve a problem for someone How to construct a problem statement that is relatable and effectiveLet's do ...

I'm going to talk about one of the most important parts of business building...and that's how to create your value proposition. It can be argued that it is the single most important part of your business planning after defining the problem you and solving and who your ideal customer is. In this episode you'll learn...What a value proposition is and why it is so important to your business planningThe three parts to a crafting your value proposition and how to put them togetherWhat to...

Both your value proposition and positioning statement are key factors in your marketing strategy for your business, however there are differences between the two.Your positioning statement is how you want your brand to be seen in the market compared to how people see your competitors. It's how you want your potential customers to think of you...and you alone.In this episode you'll learn...What a positioning statement is and how it differs from your value propositionThe four components to incl...

Knowing who your ideal customer is will guide everything in your business planning - your service offers, marketing strategy, value proposition, pricing, tone of voice and more.Narrowing your focus down to a very specific target customer can feel like you're leaving out potential clients. It's actually the complete opposite. By focusing on the right people it adds clarity to your business strategy which ultimately leads to a more money for you. In this episode you'll learn...Why pinpoint...

Let's get comfortable being uncomfortable because we're going to talk about defining your unfair advantage and what makes you uniquely you...and why you need to tell people about it.Before you move forward in this episode, you need to put aside any beliefs that might pop into your head that are saying, “there’s nothing unique about me.” Everyone has something that makes them unique and everyone has something that they excel at. The key is in defining it. You'll learn...What an unfai...

Let's talk about your competition! In a nice way of course. Analyzing your competition is where you identify major direct competitors and research their products, sales, and marketing strategies. When you do this, you're able to create solid business strategies that improve upon what your competition is doing.In this episode you'll learn...Why competition analysis is important and how it helps strengthen your business planningHow to find competitors in your market spaceThe questions...

On of the biggest mistakes I see most entrepreneurs make is not validating their offer before they start trying to sell it to a cold audience.As you move forward with beginning to create a sales plan for your business, the first place you need to begin is by validating your offer. Whether it's a product, service, course or membership, you need to know if what you are selling is going to be well received by your target market.In this episode you'll learn...Why validating your offer is nec...

There’s more to pricing than picking a number out of thin air. Yes, what your colleagues and competitors are doing matters, but what matters more is that your prices are sustainable for your business. Too low and you’ll find yourself in a cash flow crunch—even if you have a waitlist. Too high and you'll price yourself out of your market.In this episode you'll learn...How to avoided common pricing mistakes that new entrepreneurs makeThe top five pricing strategies you can consider for yo...

When business owners focus on creating loyal fans and not just customers, you're setting yourself up for financial success. Building a relationship with customers cultivates fandom. While simply selling products to your customers means it is easier for somebody to instantly move on to another brand that's cheaper or more convenient.In this episode you'll learn...What fandom is and how it can create loyal customersHow using a charitable pipeline model in your for-profit business can incre...

The most misunderstood part of sales is what a funnel is and how is works...AND how to set one up that's not salesy feeling. A sales funnel is the journey that you help your potential customers go through when they're making the decision to buy from you or not. If you want to scale your business, you must have at least one funnel in place. In this episode, I’ll walk you through each stage of a sales funnel and how to optimize your opportunities to keep people moving down your...

A brand is more than just your logo. It is the sum total of what you do, how you do it and why you do it. Before you even start with thinking about colours, fonts or logos you first have to start by defining some criteria that will lead you in creating a brand your future customers feel drawn toward. In this episode you’ll learn... How to establish your foundation in order to build a memorable brandThe basic principles behind colour, font and logo designThe best way to create a...

Your website is going to be the most essential part of your business when it comes to marketing and capturing leads. But, it's also one thing that many people put off doing or don’t invest in learning how to layout a website that turns visitors into customers.In this episode, I’m going to walk you through how to design a website that works.You'll learn...The difference between content that goes above or below the fold (and what that means)The top 12 things that every home page should hav...

Many first-time entrepreneurs feel overwhelmed when it comes time to think about how they will market their business on social media because they don’t know what to say or how to use the correct platform. By focusing on establishing a strategy that can be used for your social media, you’ll take the pressure off of yourself to always have to come up with something to post on the spot. In this episode, you’ll learn... How to choose and use your social media platforms effectivelyW...

Your email list means more when it comes to driving sales for your business than your social media ever will. It’s a very risky idea to only rely on social media to develop leads for your business and something that too many small business owners do. By putting your focus on creating an email list, you’re setting yourself up for long-term success by owning a list of leads who are waiting to buy from you. In this episode you’ll learn...What a lead magnet is and why you must have one ...

Congratulations! You’ve made it to the end of your planning and now you’re ready to take your business to market. Way too many people will go to market without a plan and then find themselves struggling to find customers, and I don't want that to be your story.In this episode, you’ll learn how to set up a launch strategy that will help you to access customers and sales immediately. I’ll walk you through a six-week launch strategy to ensure you are maximizing your reach and profits. It ca...

Going Live on Instagram and Facebook is an incredibly intimidating thing to do the first few times you do it. But, if you develop a strategy and use that before you hit the Live button it gets a lot easier.So let’s get strategic from the start...Before you start with video, you need to understand it. Each type of video content has a different purpose and a different goal. Learn that and you'll learn how to sell on video.In this episode you’ll learn...The strategies behind the different video ...