If I could start over and start my business today, reading and learning, weekly planning, content batching, an operations system, and real-time from day one and not after burning out and figuring it out the hard way. Those five things would be the firm foundation I built everything on. 

Starting a business is not for the faint of heart, and there’s much more that is required of you than you might realize when you start. We are living in a culture and online space that is removing the conversation of discipline and toughness that comes with a business of any size and capacity, and while it doesn’t have to be hard and can very much turn into a blessing, the idea that ANYONE can start a business is misleading and pretty far from true. Especially when you don’t have the right tools and aren’t being told the right things. 

Everyone wants to be your best friend and miss you with the hard conversions when really the hard conversations are the most beneficial. So, with that being said, here is a list of things that you should implement in your business before you start it and then continue to do throughout having one, especially to build a firm foundation. 

Reading & Learning

Before getting ahead of myself, I want to first say to do as much reading and learning for FREE as much as possible. Mentorships, coaching programs, and guides can all be amazing, but there are a lot of reps and reading you can do for free as well! I will link some books and resources below. 

Learning is essential in anything, but doing ample reading and learning before starting a business is a very important step. You need to understand very crucial things like LLCs (and if you even need one), taxes, contacts, CRMs, etc. The legal stuff, the financial stuff, and the systems that run the business. If you’re a creative or pink-collar person saying “EW!” right now, I get it! This is certainly not the fun stuff, but it very much is the thing that will make or break you when it’s time to scale. If you take the time to do all of these things in the beginning, you won’t have so much to worry about later when you actually have clients and work to do. 

While I’ve mentioned them together because they go hand in hand, reading and learning are not always one in the same. Sometimes learning looks like trying something new and failing, posting a bunch of videos and not carrying what your neighbor Sally or friend Jessica thinks, or trying to apply the things you’ve read and hone those skills through reps. Reps are especially important with things like presenting, speaking, selling, and systems/processes. 

This already probably sounds like a lot of work, which is why planning is essential and a skill that will help you make sure you have the ample time to read and get reps in, making you a better business owner!

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Weekly Planning

I’ll make it simple. Plan… to plan. 

Set aside time every week to plan your week: what will you read, what will you do, and what will you post? If you start implementing this in everyday life before the client’s role in.

Be specific in your planning. This is something that has helped me a ton; being specific about how exactly I will spend my time helps me be much more productive and organized with my time. Having a plan ahead of time reduces the friction of deciding what to do in the moment (key idea!). Such a good note for ANY habit (thank you, atomic habits).

Above all else, it helps me to not feel as overwhelmed. I know what I’m doing and what I need to do, and I have a system that significantly increases the likelihood of completing those tasks. Once you have this system in place, you can apply it to your life, your business, and, furthermore, your content. 

Content Batching + Organic Content

Content batching is the idea that you accumulate content (over time) to set yourself up to be able to post as much as it seems to be required in business, especially in the online space. With that being said, make sure you actually give time for the content to accumulate instead of pressuring yourself to get it all done quickly. Spend a couple of weeks accumulating content, then start posting it.

Keep in mind how much time you spend filming and editing content; spending way too much time on this will hold you back! More realistic and personable content will always perform better if you don’t already have a following. I made this mistake! I was spending way too much time editing and not enough time posting!

Remind yourself it just is not that serious. The more content you post, the better you can determine what works for you and what performs well! Not to mention, these are those learning reps we talked about in the Reading and Learning section. The more reps you get in posting content, the faster and better you will get. Everything takes time, people. Slow Down!!!

And most importantly, BE YOURSELF. It is so much easier to create and batch content when you’re being genuine. You don’t have to try to be something you’re not, and you don’t have to spend as much time editing things out. 

Operation Systems 

An operating system is simply the process that creates your client’s experience. This is typically achieved through a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system like Dubsado or Honeybook but can also be done through other faucets.

Get a plan working for an operations system. Like YESTERDAY. Take my word for it! 

DO NOT WAIT! 

I waited so long to put a CRM system in place due to me not having the brainpower to do so, and let me tell you, it is not worth the anxiety to not have a system or the anxiety of trying to do something you’re not an expert in. Save the money and pay someone to do your systems.

Set aside time and money for things like LLC, taxes, processing fees, etc. All the costs you don’t think about. Saving before launch or saving during the start and then paying after is probably something that can be based on the type of business and type of person, but for me personally, if I could go back in time, I would dedicate ample money and about 1-2 months to this process. 

REST

You know what this is, and you need to actually do it. The lack of rest and rise of stress within your life will be your ultimate downfall. 

Resting is non-negotiable, and while you build a business, you will quickly see how you will have to adjust where and when you spend your time so that you can rest and ultimately be able to show up and show up BETTER all the time!

Starting a business and having the discipline to keep going ends up looking like saying NO to desirable things and doing so a lot more often than you would like to. It looks like doing the not-so-sexy things like reading, learning, and planning so that rest seems more affordable.

In closing, ultimately, there is a time for everything. There is a space and time when the motivation is just telling you to start, to jump in and put the pedal to the metal. Thwart conversation is important and useful, but when it is removed from the hard conversations and discipline that have been listed, it sets you up for disaster and misunderstanding. 

To close, YOU WILL thank yourself later for taking the extra time to build a strong foundation, because that foundation is what will give you the push to keep going on the hard days. That foundation is what will set you apart and allow you the freedom and leisure you are searching for. Buildings without string foundations are easily crumbled. 

It is up to you to decide how you will build your foundation. 

With Love, Shelbi