How To Start An Online Business

Whether you have some extra time on your hands, or you’ve reached the final straw in your 9-5, you are now starting to look into starting your own online business. Congrats! That means you want to inspire and help others and you are ready to start living life on your own terms. Whatever your reason, it’s now time for you to learn exactly how to start an online business. 

I won’t lie, there are a few steps that need to be taken to start an online business, especially if you are starting a business from scratch. And with all the information out there about building a business, maybe you are feeling confused or overwhelmed by it all. 

That’s 100% okay to feel this way! 

You won’t find many successful business owners that knew exactly what they were doing right from the get-go. That’s why I am sharing my top 4 tips for starting your online business.

1. Do Your Homework

Research, research, research. 

Before starting your business you should:

• Know how to set up your business (your business structure, company name, where people can find you, communication channels, etc)

• Determine your niche or market. You can’t sell a product that nobody wants. So make sure your services or products are in demand by conducting thorough market research. 

• Choose an online business model that works for you. Do you want to sell your own product, provide services for other businesses, or earn money through affiliate marketing?

2. Make A Business Plan

Before you start your business you want to create a solid business plan based on what you want to do, what you are good at, and what you want to avoid doing within your business. 

This means that you shouldn’t make an entire business model offering graphic design if you don’t want to spend hours producing creative projects for clients that include design, art, and graphics. That’s not a sustainable business for you.

So how do you make a solid business plan?

3. Determine Your Why

Get a solid plan and a clear focus on your online business. 

To do this, you need to answer the big WHY question. WHY are you starting your online business? What is your goal? 

• Are you starting your business as a side hustle to earn a little extra income?

• Are you looking to replace your 9-5 income and support your family? 

• Are you looking to change lives and make a little money while doing it?

Really dig deep and answer this WHY. Brainstorm it out in a notebook and don’t stop writing until you are mentally exhausted. Get all your thoughts out there.

Once you determine your WHY, you need to set a goal. 

• What goal is your online business trying to achieve? 

• Are you wanting to help other business women succeed or find their voices? 

• Do you want to help promote healthy living by providing services to food bloggers, wellness coaches, fitness instructors, etc?

• Do you have a product that can change people’s lives for the better?

4. Set Goals

When you’ve determined your overall business goal, you can set realistic targets to meet that will help you reach that goal. This might mean breaking up your goals into manageable tasks so that you can accomplish small steps every day. 

Determining and keeping your WHY in mind will help you stay motivated through those hard, dark days of business ownership. That predetermined WHY will provide you with that shining light as a reminder of WHY you are doing what you are doing. This can be a motivational game changer.

Which leads me to my next point…

5. Get the right mindset

You need to have a positive mindset, especially as a beginner in the online business world. You will come across setbacks, failures, or face problems that you didn’t expect. We ALL have been there and experienced this in various ways. The most important thing to do when this happens is to not give up and keep on chugging along.

Please, stay positive and don’t get discouraged. You will fail, but you only have to pick yourself up again to be one step closer to success.

6. Be Brave Enough To Start

Don’t get so overwhelmed by all the information out there that you don’t even get around to starting your business. Just go for it. You can read all the guides on “how to start a business” or “what tools you need to have a successful business” or any of the other topics you think you need to know and master before starting your business. 

What you truly need to start a business is confidence and tenacity. Everyone can learn a skill – including you! Having a brave mindset and being confident that you can provide value is essential in succeeding with your online business. Everything else is a bonus. 

7. Network and get those testimonials!

If you are starting from scratch, chances are your first project won’t be paid. You might be providing a service or sending out a few products for free in exchange for a testimonial or review.

While I don’t recommend doing free work too often, it definitely can be a helpful way to start your business and get the wheels turning. You get hands-on experience, a testimonial, and potentially a future client – or at the very least, a fellow virtual business connection.

I also highly recommend joining Facebook groups and networking (do this in your local community, too). Read through posts and see if you can provide insight or value on any discussions. People will remember you and this is a fantastic way to connect with other online business owners out there. 

There is a learning curve that comes with starting your own online business. It takes patience, hard work, and maybe even a few tears. But it can be done – and has been! You only need to implement these steps, maintain your integrity, and, ultimately, take the initiative in order to start,  establish, and run a truly successful online business.