Be Your Own Boss: How to Start an Online Business From Scratch.

If I had a penny for every time someone’s asked me, “Amy, how do I start an online business?” — I’d have a pretty decent family vacation fund.  

It’s a question that’s been especially popular lately as we all navigate these uncertain times and search for solutions and silver linings.

And let me tell ya, the answer to this question has been on my heart!

 Because I could point you to dozens of different podcast episodes or offer a partial response over Instagram DM…

 But I know that you don’t just need 1 or a few pieces of the puzzle, you need the whole picture (and then you need it broken down step-by-step if you are anything like me).

 Which is why I wanted to lay down a step-by-step guide to starting an online business from scratch.

 In this article, I’ll give you a step-by-step approach to building your business and becoming an entrepreneur from the ground up. (And don’t worry, I’ll give you the resources to put everything into action. 

 From my experience, it takes 5 phases to start an online business from scratch to walk away with the makings of a very successful business.

 I’m going to share tidbits of the first four phases with you so you can get started building the business of your dreams. 

 Phase 1: Become A Mindset & Time Management Master

 In this phase, you must start with your business mindset. After all, clarity comes before action! Next, you want to identify your mentors. After that, it’s important to pinpoint the top ways in which you plan to continue learning and prioritize it in your schedule. 

Step 1: Business Mindset Work

Maybe you’re saying, “Amy, is this really necessary?” Let’s get to the real, tangible stuff!” Well, my friend, coming from someone who has been building a successful business for 11 years, mindset is what will get you through the tough times and help you stay focused in the good times.

Take my word -- setting up your mindset right from the get-go will help you as you build your business. 

Take a moment to identify your mindset. Do you believe in yourself? Or, are you telling yourself false beliefs about your ability to be an entrepreneur? 

Sitting down with a journal and getting clear on where you currently are and where you want to go is a vital part of becoming a successful entrepreneur. 

Step 2: Find A Mentor

One thing I have always found helpful (in every season of my business), is to have a mentor. Someone I can look to for inspiration. I love to study what they are doing and find ways to apply those actions in my business to help me grow. 

Take a moment to identify two to three mentors (no more!) who you admire and want to study as one business owner to another. Keep your eyes on them and on your business. 

When it comes to having mentors, it’s easy to get distracted, so aim to have tunnel vision and keep your focus -- one foot in front of the other.

Step 3: Keep Growing

Becoming the go-to expert in your industry means that you never stop learning and growing. After all, if you aren’t growing, you’re dying. (Harsh, but true.)

If you’re serious about becoming an entrepreneur, you must commit time to growing and learning. 

Make a list of things you’d like to learn about being an entrepreneur or your industry and slowing work through that list. 

Phase 2: Get To Know Your Business Inside & Out

Next, you want to identify your niche and who you’re serving -- your ideal customer avatar. 

Step 1: Select Your Niche

Selecting your niche is an essential part of building a successful business because if you’re talking to everyone, no one will hear you.

Make a list of what industry you want to serve. Can you get even more specific? 

For example, if you’re in the health industry, what sets you apart? Are you an expert juicer who uses minimal ingredients? Take a moment to get clear on what industry you’re in and think about what makes you a unique expert in that area. 

Step 2: Get Clear On Who You’re Serving

As an entrepreneur, you’ve got to know who you’re talking to, who you’re creating all this content for, and who you are selling to. You want to know this person inside and out: their wants, their needs, their challenges, their struggles, their loves, and their hates. This is your Ideal Customer Avatar.

To help you get an idea, ask yourself, “Have you gotten results for yourself?” Or perhaps a friend or family member? Spend some time writing out details about who you think you are serving (or who you want to serve) and make a list of everything about them -- from their gender to age to their pain points and desires. 

Phase 3: Content Creation

Content truly is king, which means it’s important to spend the time to create stellar content that resonates with your audience and attracts your ICA. 

You'll want to identify the platform your ICA loves most so you can cater to them on that platform, create an irresistible lead magnet, and craft your very first offer/package.

Step 1: Find Your Audience

Getting clear on your main platform for delivering content to your audience and engaging them to join your email list, will help you to be more focused, intentional, and less overwhelmed than trying to share on every single platform. When I say “content platform,” I’m referring to the place in which you will share your content consistently. 

Think about where your ICA hangs out and spend time sharing content there. Some options include Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and podcasts.

Step 2: Create A Lead Magnet

A lead magnet, sometimes referred to as a freebie, is free content that incentivizes your potential customers to sign up for your email list (giving you their email address in exchange for content that will offer them a solution).

What kind of questions do you get asked over and over again about your area of expertise? How could you take this knowledge and put it into something as simple as a PDF to support and serve your audience? 

Step 3: Create Consistent Content

Now that you’re clear on your lead magnet, let’s get you creating high value, irresistible content that you can use to grow your email list, position yourself as an expert, and build that “know, like, and trust” factor with your audience. 

Once you start showing up consistently, they will expect you to show up. Plus, it’s all part of the process for building a relationship with them and a vital part in growing your email list. 

Take a moment and decide what day and time each week you’re going to commit to sharing some content with your audience to serve them and keep nurturing that relationship. 

Phase 4: Become A Master Of Your Online Presence

 As you set up the foundations of your business, like your website and email platform, I want to encourage you to keep your momentum going. Entrepreneurs tend to get hung up on website creation and say they aren’t tech-savvy enough to set up their email platform.

Don’t let that be you! 

 It’s important to get a website up and running (even a simple one!) and set up your email service provider so you can grow your list! 

 Step 1: Set Up Your Website

Before you tense up thinking about creating a website, take a deep breath, and let’s talk about your options -- and don’t worry, I’ll make it easy to understand and digest. 

First things first, you have to decide what website platform you want to use. A website platform is essentially where your website lives and is the software that houses the webpages you want your audience to see. 

When it comes to selecting a platform, you can either create it yourself or use an all-in-one type platform.

If you have some experience coding and want to create one yourself, I recommend using Wordpress. However, if you want a done-for-you website that only requires you to set up the design with easy-to-follow features, then I suggest Kajabi. 

Decide what works best for you and your business and get to work. 

Step 2: Set Up Your Email Service Provider

If you’re wondering if you really need an email service provider, the answer is absolutely! An email service provider not only allows you to collect email addresses and connect with and nurture your customers and potential customers, but it also sets you up to be compliant with email marketing laws -- which is extremely important. 

While there are hundreds to choose from, I only suggest three that have worked best for my students. Those three are MailChimp, ConvertKit, and Kajabi.

Do a little research and decide which one works best for you as you’re getting your business up and running. 

Next Steps

So here’s the deal, my entrepreneurial friend, this article just scratched the surface of what I have to offer you when it comes to building an online business from scratch.

But don’t worry, you’re in luck!

I’ve put together a comprehensive step-by-step guide and workbook to build your dream business and become an entrepreneur from the ground up that goes so much further than this article with extra steps, prompts, and images to guide you. 

Whether you’ve been stuck on the sidelines waiting for the “right time” to create and launch your course or struggling to generate the life-changing results you’ve been hoping for … this can be the turning point you’ve been waiting for.

Full disclosure: this guide is 70 pages of fluff-free super actionable content. It covers the 5 phases of starting an online business from scratch and all the steps in between.

I promise if you follow the steps laid out inside, you will walk away with the makings of a very successful business.

Ready to be your own boss? Grab your guide in the comments.