How I'd Build my Business from Scratch
I've had a recurring fantasy for most of my life.
Wanna know what it is?
See, here's the thing. I'm having a moment of BLESSINGS in my business. I'm just finishing up some of my biggest website design projects to date - which will close out the best 4 months I've ever had in business.
EVERY DAY, I find myself reflecting on what mixture of hard work, privilege and luck has led me to this point. After years and years of laser-sharp focus on growing my design business, it feels like things are finally clicking into place. I'm feeling so supported in, and supportive to, my community. I mean wow. The reciprocal energy is tangible and the gratitude is palpable.
But it hasn't always been this way.
My business hasn't always been ‘successful'. And like so many of us, I've struggled with feeling confident in myself since I was a child. Sometimes a lack of confidence can come from heavy things, and other times - it can be because of stupid little memories that just get lodged in the subconscious.
Let's RE-WIND to early in 5th grade. I remember it like it was yesterday.
Our classroom was preparing for an overnight field trip on a boat, to learn how pilgrims in the ‘old days’ lived. I was assigned to work in the galley: the kitchen of the ship. And my team was cutting food to refrigerate and eat the next day.
Walking across the classroom to store my freshly cut cheese, one of the boys shouted from across the room “Hey Nenah, who cut the cheese?”
Innocently having no idea what this meant, I said, “We all did!”.
The entire classroom instantly burst out into laughter (because apparently everybody in the whole world knew that this was a fart reference except for me). (omfg) Suffice it to say, I was totally mortified. And trust me, the boys never let me forget I said that for the whole rest of the year.
Consider my confidence shook.
(Photo of me on the galley crew in 5th grade [left]. I'm holding a potato that has carrots as eyes hehe)
Ever since that day in elementary school, I always kept having a recurring fantasy.
I imagined that in the near future, time machines would be invented, and a future version of myself would walk through a PORTAL into my 5th grade classroom. And she would be HOT. And she would be SMART. And she would be SELF MADE. And she would be doing good things in the world, and would be helping people GENEROUSLY.
And she would walk right up to the crying, embarrassed version of her younger self, and would give her the biggest hug in the whole wide world - and she would tell her how amazing she is. That her future is as bright as they come.
Older, hotter, wiser, wealthier Nenah would tell her younger self to give 0% of her energy to boys who act like children (especially if they literally are children lol). She would teach her younger self about compassion and money management and business strategy and health and confidence.
And the fantasy ended with me taking little me's hand and walking right out of that classroom and into the sunset.
Well, it's 2023 now and time machines still haven't been invented, so I can't live out this fantasy for real yet. But I am HERE NOW, and feel happy to report that I'm successfully running my business amongst the noise, and I'm so proud of myself for how far I've come in life, in work, and in all ways. And there's many days out of the week now that I feel like ‘that’ girl, who has overcome so many mental and emotional and physical blocks to get to where I am.
And one of the biggest parts of growth always comes down to community - the reciprocal nature of supporting people we love and being supported by people we love. I'm so grateful to be growing this lil' online space now, so that I can share some things I've learned along the way with you (instead of younger me).
I haven't always known how to run a business. I don't think I had an actual contract until years in. I definitely didn't have a client management portal or a project management software or an accounting tracker or a taxes calculator. I thought big investments were scary (they still are sometimes!). Oh, and my boundaries were… eeeekkkk. So if you're in that boat right now - let's keep sailing forward together.
How I'd Build my Business from Scratch
if I had to do it all over again
( 01 )Become Balanced
—
There's really only 4 elements to think about when it comes to creating the foundation of a business, and these elements are going to form in unique ways for each business owner. The more clear you can become around each of these elements and how they weave together in harmony, the more your business will organically and naturally develop. You can create a business with these elements out of balance, but when you bring them into balance, you'll see growth unimaginable.
FIRE is your WHY: It's the reason you do what you do
WATER is your WHO: It's your people and your connection to them
EARTH is your WHAT: It's your products, services and systems
AIR is your HOW: It's your communication and your personality
When I started out, I spent A LOT of energy on creating an audience (water). My social media following was totally engaged and I felt like I cultivated a true little community. So rad, right? But I literally didn't sell anything for years. It wasn't clear to me that I needed to develop my products, services and systems (earth) in a more valuable way to serve that audience.
Guess what happened when I created my first service menu?
I bloomed.
( 02 )
Use Tools and Systems
—
I'm a systems girlie now. For real.
I have no idea how I ran my business before I put tools and systems in place that made it easier for me. There aren't too many tools I'd consider a ‘need’ in your first few months of business (or even in your first year). But I'm going to share a few of my favorites. Some people call this a ‘Tech Stack’ (The collection of technologies that help you run your business). I have more tools to share with you in the future - but let's be honest, this post already reads like a novel - so for now I just picked out my top 5.
Protonmail - Email Hosting
Bonsai - Client Management
Squarespace - Website Building
Flodesk - Email Marketing
Loom - Screen Recording
( 03 )Invest into Myself
—
It takes money to make money, right?
In my experience, this actually rings true. About three years ago, I moved to a super remote location - and I had to figure out what to do for work quickly. I never imagined myself pursuing the ‘digital nomad’ path, but alas - money was running out and I quickly had to make some moves!
I thought about what skill I might be able to develop that was high-value, and decided to specialize in designing websites. (I mean, I always loved designing MySpace pages when I was younger right? Surely, this had to work!)
I stumbled upon an online course called Standout Squarespace, and was shocked at the price tag. $2.5k?! I was already low enough on funds. I kindly asked for a sliding scale discount, which was respectfully denied. That's when I held my breath and took the leap. Purchasing this course was the first big investment I made into myself (after college), and it was scary.
And you know what? It's one one the best things I've ever done for myself. Custom coding websites opened a lot of doors for me. & While not every investment is going to be a good one - if something resonates with you deep down to your core, you may just wanna take the leap. Here’s the biggest investments I’ve made in the past couple years:
Standout Squarespace - Learning to Code
Between the Lines - Learning Copywriting
Launch your Own Way - Learning Marketing
So — becoming balanced, using tools and systems, and investing into yourself…
That’s plenty to get your business off the ground.
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