How to Start a Business When You Don’t Know Where to Start

One of the most frequently asked questions I receive about my business is, “how did you start it?” Starting a new business can feel daunting, intimidating, and at times, impossible. The fear of the unknown is real. The fear of failure is real. But the truth is, if you never go after what you want, you’ve already lost. Success won’t come unless you at least try! Before I go any further, let me just say this. One of the most important things you can do while owning a business or a side hustle is this: celebrate the small wins. Your progress as a business owner will never be linear. It’ll have ups and downs, twists and turns. Sometimes you won’t know which way is up, but you just have to keep going. I’ve had a wild ride throughout my short few years in business so far, but I’ve learned a lot. My business started out in a college dorm room. For a year, I didn’t see much growth. I had a couple hundred followers. Then I got serious. Then I reached 10K followers in a matter of months. Now a year later I’m at 75K, which is something I never thought would even be possible. My point here is that you never know what can be possible for you, but you certainly will never know if you don’t at least TRY. Have I convinced you to chase your dreams yet? If not, let me share some of my best tips.

You just have to START.

Have you had something on your mind recently? Have you been thinking a lot about how to monetize your passions and hobbies? Have you been inspired to start your own side hustle? What are you waiting for?! The worst thing you can do is continue to wait when there’s no reason to delay your dreams. NOW is the time to start the side hustle. There’s a number of “what if” questions that could easily deter you from starting, but while you’re waiting to start your side hustle, your future competition might already be out there doing the dang thing, collecting loyal customers that could be yours too, and taking advantage of opportunities that maybe you could have had too if you would have just decided to go for it already. You might not have success right off the bat. It might be really hard. But the things that are truly worth doing are hardly ever easy. If it was easy, everybody would be doing it!! Don’t waste time, what step can you take today to get one step closer to being open for business?

Create a spreadsheet.

It’s hard to predict what sales will be like within your first few months of business, but even if you’re just making pennies, track EVERYTHING. Keep it organized. Track what you’re spending on your business, track every single expense, including things like office furniture! Got a new desk chair from Wayfair? Expense that chair boo. You’ll thank yourself later when tax season rolls around. Keep your receipts and invoices! Track all your sales! The more you can get ahead on this now, the less overwhelmed you will be when it’s time to do your taxes. If you start a business, you MUST pay taxes. It’s daunting, but it can be less overwhelming if you’re proactive about organization.

Get on Instagram.

If you are here, reading this post, it is likely because you found me on Instagram. 90% of the people that find me, find me on Instagram and Instagram alone. Instagram is my marketplace! You can use it to build a community and if you use it wisely, you can use it to attract shoppers, customers, dream clients, and loyal followers. But remember, the followers are not just numbers! Take time to build relationships with people that reach out to you or engage with your content. They don’t have to follow you. Make them glad they did! Use Instagram to show off your talents, showcase BTS moments of your business, have deep talks with your people. Be real, be authentic, show everyone what a day in your life looks like! People want to connect with other people. If you can get people to want to support YOU, you can get people to support your business.

Network, Network, Network!

And I cannot emphasize this enough. It is crucial that you network with other like-minded people within your industry. Building relationships with others in your industry helps to build a support system around you. I can’t tell you how many times I have had conversations with other artists where we helped each other because we were experiencing the same problem. There is something about being friends with other business owners in your industry. The camaraderie is something really special. Growing your network can also grow you as a professional. You can learn things from your competition in a way that doesn’t steal ideas from them. Your “competition” also doesn’t have to BE your competition. Instagram can be so personal, so it can be unhealthy to follow your competition if you are constantly going to be focusing on competing against them. That can land you in a comparison trap real quick. Remember that there is room for everyone at the table, including you! You might share some of the same customers, but you can also share ideas, thoughts, struggles, ah-ha moments, and more. It’s worth it! If you invest in these relationships, your biggest competitors might just become your biggest supporters. This is something unique that you won’t often see in the corporate world.

Invest money to make money.

Be prepared for start up costs! It’s pretty difficult to start a business without having to cough up some cash. But, sometimes spending money in a smart and strategic way can become a game changer for your business. When I graduated from college, I used a large sum of my graduation money to finally buy an iPad and apple pencil. I can tell you with 100% certainty that my business would not be where it is today if I had not made that investment in my business. It instantly changed how I did everything. I earned back the money I spent on the iPad within a month and my sales sky rocketed. I had some months where I was earning close to the same income within a 30-day period that I was making at my full time job. A worthy investment? I’d say so!

Have a purpose.

Make sure you have a purpose behind what you’re doing! Having a side hustle or going full-time with your own business venture is not easy. It takes a lot of time and hard work. You’ll have no shortage of late nights and working overtime. I can’t tell you how many times I have lost sleep staying up until the wee hours of the morning trying to create art for my page or finishing things up for a client before the deadline. If you have a side hustle along with a full-time job, you will likely experience that same thing. When I am off the clock for my full time job, I am immediately on the clock for my art biz. Sound exhausting? It is. But is it worth it? Yes, always. This business has afforded me a lot of cool opportunities and it has been SO MUCH FUN. The thing that makes it worth it to work overtime and stay up late to get work done? It’s the simple fact that I love what I do. This business exists to bring joy and encouragement to me and the others that get to see my work. Because I love to draw, staying up to create content for my IG page that I won’t get paid for is so worth it. Also, part of the purpose in my business is simply that I have financial goals, and having this business can help me achieve them. When you experience burnout, there has to be a greater purpose behind what you’re doing that will eventually motivate you to get back on the grind.

And that’s all for now, folks! These are just a few of the valuable lessons I have learned about starting a business that I thought I would share with you. If you’re still not sure where to start, research, research, research! There’s a lot of great information for aspiring business owners on google and youtube. Also, sometimes you won’t know everything before you begin, so just know that some of your learning will happen simply by doing, and that’s okay! I wish you the best of luck in all your future endeavors. You can do this! If you have any questions or thoughts, leave me a note in the comments!