BYOB has an Entirely NEW Meaning.
Something I’ve noticed more recently is that people see the influencer saturated industry of self-employed entrepreneurs and think, “ I can do that! I mean… really? It’s sooo easy.” On the outside looking in, I can see how you’d believe that it’s simple as 1 2 3 to know what it takes to start a business. It’s easy to say the right words and feel confident about what you want to do, but you need to know how to do it. The reality is, you can’t possibly know how to do something you’ve never done until you learn.
When I worked in retail, I remember watching my Store Manager and thinking…. “I could do her job. I’m basically doing it already.” Well, that was my thought until I was promoted to store manager and realized that there was a ton that I didn’t know. Meanwhile, I thought I knew it all.
So this week I want to talk to you about what you need to do before you decide to become an entrepreneur. Just in case you’ve been drinking the influencer Kool-Aid and think it’s all about selfies, lipsyncing to the top trending audio on IG Reels and creating entertaining TikToKs, and living your best life for the world to see. Oh, and maybe even sell some stuff online. It is so not that. So grab your drink because BYOB has an entirely NEW meaning. You may need a beverage or two to master how to Be Your Own Brand. Just breathe, and let’s walk through the 4 things to do now to get your idea out of your head and prepare to live the Entrepreneur Lifestyle.
Brand Image and messaging. Well If you think this is the first place to start when developing your business, I hate to inform you it’s not. So hold that thought as this is more like #3 on this list. There are several things that you need to do before talking to a designer or even spending time trying to develop your logo. Here’s what you need to do first.
Outline your business and create the blueprint. This step allows you to build out the framework that will eventually be used as your guide for content creation and promotion. A business blueprint outlines your mission, vision, and values. It allows you to tell your story about why you started your business and who you started your business for. It’s the perfect way for you to write clear descriptions for your services and brand messaging. And work through how they relate to the problems you solve for your ideal client. Your business blueprint also allows you to showcase your work, products, services, and offers. It also gives you a perspective of areas in your business idea that you may need to develop further.
Understand your complete service idea. Having processes in place for handling your business will be a game-changer. The sooner you do this the easier it will be for you to start serving your customers or clients. And by processes I mean start to finish. How do you get your clients? What happens when you get the sale? And how do you retain that client? Processes help everyone. And it allows you as the CEO to hire help and train them on your business operations.
Brand Imaging and digital Messaging. Yep, now it is time to start working on designing a logo for your brand. Your logo is a huge piece of your business. Do your research and have a design idea in mind. Or get creative and sketch out something yourself. You can even create a Pinterest board to save your ideas for easy sharing. Or create a vision board of your own. Be sure to think about your color story options and icon ideas. Then be prepared to communicate this vision for your brand to your designer along with your business blueprint. Trust me. A part of running your business is knowing what you want. This will save you so much time, money, and stress.
Understanding social media and how to make it work for your business will be very crucial in the beginning stages. The truth is it can be intimidating when all you see are people who are already successfully using their platforms to sell and grow their business. They tend to make everything look super easy. But in reality, growing your social media following and understanding how all of the algorithms work takes time. Having a specific message and knowing how to connect with your ideal client will take patience, consistency, and dedication. Having a plan to follow as you learn how to write captions and create engaging marketing promotions is crucial. Check out this Strategic Social Media Planning Tool from Cre8tive Vibes.
The pivot will be crucial in obtaining this new work-life balance. Knowing how to pivot from old mindsets and switching up bad habits will make your life uncomfortable, however, change is required to see a new outcome. Setting goals and creating better habits that allow you to think differently and give the room required to grow your mindset and your business. Now get out there and GO BE GREAT!
Today’s episode is dedicated to being prepared to confidently launch your business.
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Entrepreneurship is more than a journey, it’s a lifestyle. It’s time to stop making excuses and BE THE CEO of YOUR LIFE!
