Where do I start?

[Elijah]

Hey guys, I want to start my business but I have no idea where to start. I have no idea just yet but I want to use my time to 1) get an idea or 2) if not, to work on myself already.
So I don't know if I should read books: Should I start reading an introduction about real estate although I don't even know if I would like to start a business there (I don't even know if I need to have some money for this) or should I read about marketing because I am most likely going to need information about that anyways? Or maybe I should go out, visit shops and think "what could be improved in those products?".

I really want to do something, I want to start but there are so many ways to do so. What was your first step?

 

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[Ceewo]

Start here
IMPORTANT! - Getting the MOST out of Fastlane (Required Read)

and here

GOLD - Absolute Beginners Guide to TMF & TFLF
.

 

[Gigi Rodgers]

Hey guys, I want to start my business but I have no idea where to start. I have no idea just yet but I want to use my time to 1) get an idea or 2) if not, to work on myself already.
So I don't know if I should read books: Should I start reading an introduction about real estate although I don't even know if I would like to start a business there (I don't even know if I need to have some money for this) or should I read about marketing because I am most likely going to need information about that anyways? Or maybe I should go out, visit shops and think "what could be improved in those products?".

I really want to do something, I want to start but there are so many ways to do so. What was your first step?

Well hey there Elijah. Let's spitball here shall we:

1. You could flip items on EBay. Go to garage sales, church bazaars, Marshalls, etc. Buy items for $1 and sell them for $10. See the link for the strategy. It's SUPER SIMPLE to start with little to no money to start. And you'll learn about negotiating, copywriting, sales, and customer service.
   
   
2. You could sell pre-made salads and fruit salads outside of an industrial area where you have construction workers, shipyard workers, etc.
   Or you sell it outside of a corporate building. Go in, talk to the receptionist and give her a flyer menu on what you have to offer the staff. Ask her for an email shout out to everyone in the company. Hell, if you live nearby - offer a delivery service of their salads and fruit bowls. That's just convenient for them! It's healthy AND they'll have it in <15 minutes? Okay!
   There's a place here in Shanghai where EVERY DAY I buy a to-go box of cut up watermelon for breakfast. It's delicious, it's on my way to work, and it's healthy. Win, win, win!
   But, it doesn't have to be healthy - you could also make the best homemade meals that is a combination of fall off the bone bbq rib, mac-n-cheese, sweet potatoes, and a roll. Sweet raspberry, blueberry, or mango tea for an additional charge.
   Finger licking' good, delivered to your door in <15 minutes? You'd be the talk of that business complex.
   Also, check out this video with Jon Taffer & Gary V.
   Jon has a BRILLIANT strategy for keeping people coming back again, and again, for your services - having to do with a "red napkin" and $5 off. This is for if you have a brick and mortar location, but think about how you could do the same when it's primarily a delivery service.
   
   You'll learn, customer service, sales, pricing, different types of marketing (e.g., can you get their email address so you can run a content marketing plan), copywriting, social media strategy (e.g., on Facebook and/or Instagram), LTV, and the art of networking.
   
   
3. You could provide a service to a small niche of people. This woman showed people how to build a website using Strikingly. She made $1K in a week.
   You could show people how to use Google Spreadsheets to organize their business financials.
   You could provide a video production and editing service for realtors.
   You could provide social media service (e.g., Facebook Ads retargeting and/or Instagram building) to your local pizza shop.
   You could be a dog walker or dog babysitter making 6-figures in a year like the dog walker.
   You could be a copywriter - rewriting shit copy that is EVERYWHERE - especially in local business'. See THIS example and THIS example.
   
   To advertise for any of this - just remember when you're writing your copy for your flyers you're going to pass out and hang up everywhere:
   - It's all about the customer (their problems, their ambitions, etc.)
   - If you can make it about financial gain or time saved - mention it and highlight it.
   
   These are the two things that any business owner or freelancer gives a damn about. So highlight it in your copy.
   You'll learn about copywriting, branding, networking, sales, pricing & upselling, customer service, and social media marketing.

And there you go.
Those are a lot of ideas I just dropped on you - that bbq lunch/dinner one just came to me.
Don't read anymore books. That's just 'busy work' distracting you from the actual hard and scary part: Doing.

So go pick one and go start something. ;c)
If you have any questions, we're always here to help.

 

[Elijah]

Well hey there Elijah. Let's spitball here shall we:

1. You could flip items on EBay. Go to garage sales, church bazaars, Marshalls, etc. Buy items for $1 and sell them for $10. See the link for the strategy. It's SUPER SIMPLE to start with little to no money to start. And you'll learn about negotiating, copywriting, sales, and customer service.
   
   
2. You could sell pre-made salads and fruit salads outside of an industrial area where you have construction workers, shipyard workers, etc.
   Or you sell it outside of a corporate building. Go in, talk to the receptionist and give her a flyer menu on what you have to offer the staff. Ask her for an email shout out to everyone in the company. Hell, if you live nearby - offer a delivery service of their salads and fruit bowls. That's just convenient for them! It's healthy AND they'll have it in <15 minutes? Okay!
   There's a place here in Shanghai where EVERY DAY I buy a to-go box of cut up watermelon for breakfast. It's delicious, it's on my way to work, and it's healthy. Win, win, win!
   But, it doesn't have to be healthy - you could also make the best homemade meals that is a combination of fall off the bone bbq rib, mac-n-cheese, sweet potatoes, and a roll. Sweet raspberry, blueberry, or mango tea for an additional charge.
   Finger licking' good, delivered to your door in <15 minutes? You'd be the talk of that business complex.
   Also, check out this video with Jon Taffer & Gary V.
   Jon has a BRILLIANT strategy for keeping people coming back again, and again, for your services - having to do with a "red napkin" and $5 off. This is for if you have a brick and mortar location, but think about how you could do the same when it's primarily a delivery service.
   
   You'll learn, customer service, sales, pricing, different types of marketing (e.g., can you get their email address so you can run a content marketing plan), copywriting, social media strategy (e.g., on Facebook and/or Instagram), LTV, and the art of networking.
   
   
3. You could provide a service to a small niche of people. This woman showed people how to build a website using Strikingly. She made $1K in a week.
   You could show people how to use Google Spreadsheets to organize their business financials.
   You could provide a video production and editing service for realtors.
   You could provide social media service (e.g., Facebook Ads retargeting and/or Instagram building) to your local pizza shop.
   You could be a dog walker or dog babysitter making 6-figures in a year like the dog walker.
   You could be a copywriter - rewriting shit copy that is EVERYWHERE - especially in local business'. See THIS example and THIS example.
   
   To advertise for any of this - just remember when you're writing your copy for your flyers you're going to pass out and hang up everywhere:
   - It's all about the customer (their problems, their ambitions, etc.)
   - If you can make it about financial gain or time saved - mention it and highlight it.
   
   These are the two things that any business owner or freelancer gives a damn about. So highlight it in your copy.
   You'll learn about copywriting, branding, networking, sales, pricing & upselling, customer service, and social media marketing.

And there you go.
Those are a lot of ideas I just dropped on you - that bbq lunch/dinner one just came to me.
Don't read anymore books. That's just 'busy work' distracting you from the actual hard and scary part: Doing.

So go pick one and go start something. ;c)
If you have any questions, we're always here to help.

Thank you very much. So I should just start ANYTHING and I will find my own path kinda?

 

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[Andy Black]

Maybe check out the first 4 bolded links in my signature?
@Ceewo already linked to one of them.

 

[Elijah]

Maybe check out the first 4 bolded links in my signature?
@Ceewo already linked to one of them.

Sorry for the question but how do I get there, I can't find them (I am new here).

 

[Evon Fletcher]

Do you have a investor or do you have to money to invest? if so how much

 

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[Elijah]

Do you have a investor or do you have to money to invest? if so how much

I have an investor with a few thousands.

 

[Andy Black]

They should be here. If you're on your phone then maybe try portrait?

​

Here... I've copy/pasted them into this post:

New here? Read this to get started >> Absolute Beginners Guide to TMF and TFLF
See where most people go wrong >> Learnings From 700+ PMs With Fellow Forum Members
Rewire your brain >> Radio Interview | Radio Interview Part II | AndyTalks Progress Thread | Andy's Posts
Recorded calls >> AndyTalks with Forum Members (Master Thread)
AdWords stuff >> The AdWords Jumpstart Course | AdWords Posts | Insiders AdWords Thread
For B&M business owners and local marketers >> Local Lead Gen Thread
INSIDERS progress thread >> Monetising My AdWords Knowledge
​

 

[Gigi Rodgers]

Thank you very much. So I should just start ANYTHING and I will find my own path kinda?

Start something that you remotely like and gain new skills.
If you start a dog sitting service, but you hate animals, then you're going to be miserable. Ha! So avoid it.

But if you love having a bbq at your house, where you throw down on the grill, and your friends SPRINT to get first picks off the grill - then you may have something.
If your mom is always asking you how to do X on her iPhone, and you're regularly reading TechCrunch and know all the latest apps - you can teach a 5 person workshop, for people over 40, all the fun things they can do on their iPhone.

Get me?

So think about - "What are the things I like to do already"?
And go build a service around that.
And once you start implementing these ideas, you're going to find that you don't like doing certain things - which is GREAT!
That'll help you narrow down to what you love to do.

For example, I said I wanted to be in marketing. A BROAD subject.
I got a job doing Content Marketing and I hate many aspects of it.
I'm more of a video production/video editing person - so now I'm planning on making the shift.

I'd say - by the end of this week, pick one of the PLETHORA of ideas that I mentioned either here or above, make a plan of how it will work (which should take 2 hours, tops), - and just START.
There's a good chance you're going to suck at it in the beginning, or be real nervous. It's all a part of the process.

Wrap your head around - your mind can't see it's own advancement.
But give it the chance, and you will find out how great you can actually be.

 

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[Nily]

You already have the blueprints (Gold threads and 2 books) to cross the river to reach the goldmine. Now it's up to you find the tools and build the boat.

 

[Elijah]

Start something that you remotely like and gain new skills.
If you start a dog sitting service, but you hate animals, then you're going to be miserable. Ha! So avoid it.

But if you love having a bbq at your house, where you throw down on the grill, and your friends SPRINT to get first picks off the grill - then you may have something.
If your mom is always asking you how to do X on her iPhone, and you're regularly reading TechCrunch and know all the latest apps - you can teach a 5 person workshop, for people over 40, all the fun things they can do on their iPhone.

Get me?

So think about - "What are the things I like to do already"?
And go build a service around that.
And once you start implementing these ideas, you're going to find that you don't like doing certain things - which is GREAT!
That'll help you narrow down to what you love to do.

For example, I said I wanted to be in marketing. A BROAD subject.
I got a job doing Content Marketing and I hate many aspects of it.
I'm more of a video production/video editing person - so now I'm planning on making the shift.

I'd say - by the end of this week, pick one of the PLETHORA of ideas that I mentioned either here or above, make a plan of how it will work (which should take 2 hours, tops), - and just START.
There's a good chance you're going to suck at it in the beginning, or be real nervous. It's all a part of the process.

Wrap your head around - your mind can't see it's own advancement.
But give it the chance, and you will find out how great you can actually be.

Those are some really good advices, thank you for your time and help!

 

[Gigi Rodgers]

Those are some really good advices, thank you for your time and help!

My pleasure. If you have any questions, don't be hesitant to reach out to the forum.
We're here to get you along your way if you need us. ;c)

 

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