Where To Start - Starting An Online Business

You want to start something but you just don't know where to start. This is the most common problem that most people first run into and unfortunately it's also the last problem that most people ever run into.

Most people have a business idea and for whatever reason they decide not to pursue it. This is the best and worst problem, it's fantastic for other businesses as there is less competition so they can remain more profitable and continue to service their market share but when it comes to you, this is the worst less than ideal place to find yourself.

Now I really want to make clear that there's nothing wrong in chasing your dreams and things not working out, or changing your mind on what you're passionate about. And I would even go as far as saying that this is a good thing, it shows you've thought deeply and done enough market research to decide it wasn't right to pursue. But in saying that we really have to work out if you're making up excuses or if you're actually on the right track.

Getting out of your head:

I found that the best way to see if you're telling yourself a lie, validating your own reasoning or just trying to feel comfortable in an unfamiliar and new situation is to get out of your head.

The best way I find to do this is to talk to people, Chat GPT is a great resource for this.

Simply copy the prompt below, customise it to your idea and keep an open mind for the feedback you're about to hear.

• Is my idea viable?

• What am I not seeing?

• What would a real customer think?

• Is there a market for this?

• What steps should I take first?

These are questions most people never ask anyone, so they never get answers strong enough to push them forward.

Below is the exact prompt I recommend using. Copy it, customise it with your idea, and keep an open mind to the feedback you’re about to read.

The Self-Honesty Prompt

“I have a business idea and I want you to analyse it honestly. Here is my idea: [insert idea]. I want you to: Tell me the realistic strengths and weaknesses. Tell me what I may be overlooking. Identify any major red flags. Tell me whether the idea is worth pursuing and why. If it is worth pursuing, outline the first 5 steps I should take. Be direct and practical. Don’t sugarcoat anything. I want clarity, not kindness.”

Use this as many times as you need.

The goal isn’t to get the answer you want, it’s to get the clarity you need.

The Truth Most People Don’t Want to Hear

Starting a business isn’t about being the smartest person in the room or having the most original idea. It’s about taking the idea you already have and testing it out in the real world. The hard part is starting but the hardest part is giving it the time it needs to grow.

That’s it.

Not perfecting it. Not endlessly researching. Not designing a logo for three weeks before you even talk to a customer.

Action creates clarity. Clarity creates momentum and momentum is where real success begins.

If you take nothing else from this article, take this ''The only wrong move is doing nothing.''

You have an idea, now what?

For some, creating is easy and the idea is the hard part. But with AI, the internet and so many resources available to do product, brand and customer research, this has quickly become the easy part. The hard part is launching and the hardest part is sticking to it long enough for it to actually work.

Over the last 10 years I've seen so many business's pop up and disappear just as quickly, don't get me wrong it's super hard to actually do this let alone persist for it to reap the benefits.

Research time

What already exists? What's out there already? Who are you going to be competing with and how will you compete with them?

Researching new business can be fun, disheartening and often you can feel like a bit of a spy looking into google analytics. From my experience the research phase should be closely tied into the development phase. There's no point researching coffee roasters if you are wanting to start a lolly shop.

Who, What, Where, When, How & Why?

After forming a rough business idea it's important that you break this down to answer the Who (who will you be servicing and who is your target audience, Who is going to fulfil your products / services?), What (What are you selling, What are you hoping to achieve with this venture, What do you need to do to get this off the ground, What message are you hoping to convey to your customers?), Where (where will you be doing this, Where are you going to store products, Where are you going to be marketing to?), When (Create a timeline from start to finish), How (How will you source products, How will you market your business / services / products, How will you deliver and fulfil your products / services?) and the most important in my opinion ... Why (Why are you doing this, Why would a customer choose you from the existing competition?). When answering these questions you

After doing this exercise you should feel that you have a deeper understanding in what you're planning on doing and why you're doing it. This will also help you to build your brands mission statement later on and to help determin your brands voice, brand colours, what style your logo should be and even the smallest details that funnel down from who you are and what you're trying to achieve, particularly when building a strong brand.

Look at literally any well known brand and you'll start to see how their identity is solidified and is continuous throughout all aspects of their business.

The Harsh Reality Of Starting A New Business

The harsh reality of starting a new business, don't be surprised if you don't pay yourself for the first year, make sure you're crazy enough to keep being consistent when things don't work until they start to work.