As promised, I am giving you my 8 ways to funding, developing, marketing & operating your new business without going to the bank, contacting investors, or using your credit cards. There is a BIG misconception that in order to start a successful business, you need a large influx of cash. People, please drop this mythological idea from your heads. If you’ve been following this blog, you should understand by now that is a myth. And I am here to put that myth the rest, and to help you gain the confidence, understanding and resources to get up and running and make your passion a success in business.
1. Developing an idea?
Utilize collaborative sites to organize ideas and cautiously bounce ideas off others. Here are some sites to consider: www.twiddla.com
www.huddle.net
www.dabbleboard.com
www.centraldesktop.com
www.gotomypc.com
www.meetup.com
www.partnerup.com
2. Need to incorporate?
Don’t get caught up by sites such as www.legalzoom.com and others that are basically offering convenience. They will have you believing that you need them and can’t do it on your own. Some things can be more complicated, but for a simple incorporation of your company, all you need to do is to contact your state’s secretary of state and fill out the incorporation form, pay a fee of $125 or $250 and you are on your way. Most states have these forms online to print off and send in. So do yourself and do a quick Google search. Its as simple as that.
3. Ready to develop your website? Need a programmer?
Most of us entrepreneurs have great internet company ideas, but are not formally trained in web development. No need to worry, there is still hope for you yet. Many may suggest that you find some high powered genius developer in silicon valley. Scratch that idea. Do it like the big boys, outsource overseas and save thousands. India is your best bet. Checkout UPWORK. Here you can post your web development job and have programmers bid for your business from all over the world. And its free. Be sure to check programmer’s credentials, examples of work and references. Be picky and get exactly what you want. I saved $50,000 on my development by using this site.
4. Is it time for marketing?
No high dollar Sunday newspaper or Super Bowl ads here. Have you seen the economy lately? There’s no room for over spending and flashy commercials. We need to get down to the nitty gritty here. Inexpensive, tried and true guerrilla marketing efforts that produce results. Get the most bang for your buck with online marketing and social networking.
After all, you are a up and coming web mogul right? Social networking is the biggest thing in all of the internet right now. And blogging is hugh. That’s why you are reading right now. Now why not harness all that FREE online power to reach out to your target audience? They are there for the taking and produce great viral marketing and exponential growth.
A. Build a www.twitter.com page for your business, along with a facebook group page.
B. Build a www.facebook.com page for your business and yourself.
C. Build your personal profile on www.linkedin.com
D. Build a www.youtube.com channel for your business
E. Utilize other sites such as www.globalgrind.com, www.digg.com, and other blogs to speak about your business and create buzz. Use these social networking sites to continuously talk about what you are doing, you companies features, progress, and why you are the best at what you do. Invite all your friends to visit and contribute commentary and testimonials about your company to generate credibility and authenticity.
F. Some great sites to checkout for the sake of getting a write up of your site done and released on a greater scale by reputable business bloggers. Also checkout www.greatstartups.com, www.socialtalkr.com, www.killerstartups.com, and www.crunchbase.com.
G. Don’t forget Google Adwords, Yahoo ads and email marketing. There’s so much more. I will discuss other options in further detail in a later post.
5. Ops costs?
KEEP IT IN HOUSE. You are not a brick and mortar store operation, therefore you don’t need employees, a secretary or any other unnecessary expenses. The key here is to do-it-yourself and reap all the reward.
Don’t throw away valuable revenue by spending it on paying some lousy person whom is unworthy of all the hard work you have put into building your company, to do some thoughtless and unskillful job that you can do with your eyes closed and your hands tied behind your back. This is your company. You thought it up, designed it, developed it, and you can run it. Give yourself more credit. No one knows your business better than you.
Additional tip:
You don’t need a flashy 1800 number. Use email and text to handle customer service. Just me prompt. This is why the smartphone comes in handy. This is your new personal assistant. Get all your instant messaging, text, emails, etc, no matter where you are.
6. Need support?
Call on who you know. Many people whom want to become entrepreneurs and have a great idea, never become what they really want to become simply because they are afraid the take that step. That are afraid to contact people, ask questions and put themselves out there because they may fail. To all those people out there with this mind set.
Remember, I told you to keep your day job while building your business, and we are creating your startup as inexpensive as possible. So, if you fail, what have you actually lost? You still have your job, and are in no danger of not paying your bills. Your expenses are low, so you can uphold the company for quite a while. So what’s your problem? In the same sense, don’t be afraid to ask for support. It doesn’t even have to be someone that you know on a first name basis.
If someone is out there that can help you, whether they are rich, poor, famous or a nobody. What’s the worst they can say? NO? We live for NOs in business. They tell us that the next YES is right around the corner.
7. Want to learn more?
Do all the research that you can. Read, make calls, email, friend request, poke, ping, whatever you have to do. Information is extremely valuable. Learn “how-to” and gather reliable resources that you can count on. These resources will help you now, and will be there for you to call on in the future. Build your business IQ. Inc. and Fast Company magazines are my personal favorites.
8. Time to maintain?
Put your business on auto pilot. Never under estimate the power of the smartphone. I never leave home without it. Matter of fact, I am writing this blog from it right now. Develop a great site, set your online ads, and keep up with your customer service, emails, etc via your trusty smartphone. Stay innovative, upgrade your site when needed, and ALWAYS BE LEARNING. Be the best, and beat the best. Reap the reward and run your successful company from anywhere in the world.
