Behind the scenes I’ve been hard at work building out not just an additional revenue stream, but an entirely new business. As I’ve gone to work building this out, you’ll probably be surprised at what I HAVE done to start, versus what I haven’t done.
I’ll tell you right now, we have no website. We haven’t started social media to “build up fomo.”
That being said, we will have a pocket full of clients already working with us before we even launch, and I am sure you’re wondering how in the hell we pulled that off. I thought I’d share with you the BOOTSTRAPS way to build a business or a revenue stream QUICKLY, so that you can get into momentum faster.
- Everything lives or dies by understanding the target market, so we started with a deep dive session on our ideal client - what they’re struggling with, their current behaviors, what they WANT and how we can solve the problem.
- We created a (VERY LEAN) menu of options with starting price points to use in conversation with others to gut check on pricing and scope of work. (I am talking a canva document, babe. SUPER LEAN. You can make it look good without hiring a designer, building a website or spending a million hours on it.)
- We had conversations with a TON of prospective clients to confirm the work we did in our research, and to get their reaction on what we were proposing. At those conversations we were extremely transparent. We shared that we’re building something and we want their feedback because they’re the kind of person we’re building this for. 75% of our conversation was us asking them questions about their needs and experiences. We shared what we were doing with them and we asked them “What are we missing? What aren’t we considering? Is this compelling?” Don’t be afraid to look like a rookie. They will respect that you hold their opinion so high. Own the fact that you’re starting, and your desire to build something useful. That goes a long way.
Those conversations led to onboarding many of them as our pilot clients. All before we “launch” publicly. All before we create a website and a social media strategy.
Tactically we did these things:
–Set up a 1 hour photo shoot so we had good quality photos for our “menu”
-We already have a payment processing function built in my current business, but if we didn’t we’d be making an easy way for them to pay us.
-Designed a summary / menu to share with the people we met with about the work.
-Legal documentation and reserved web addresses and social media handles.
So my question to you is, are you over complicating launching your business? Because the key to getting it off the ground is being willing to have conversations with the person you want to serve. That’s it. That’s the only requirement.
Want help getting YOUR next revenue stream off the ground quickly? Schedule a time to chat with me about whether or not my 1:1 coaching is a fit to help you fly.