I resisted. For the longest time. Working with people starting a business.

People in startup mode are overwhelmed and when my clients are overwhelmed, I get overwhelmed.

When you are starting, you need so much. All at once. I didn’t think I had the ability to be effective and really help.

Until

I realized that is the very problem.

When you are starting a business everyone tells you to figure it all out before you start. Write your plan! Research your market! Create an Avatar! Get everything in order!

The thinking is that figuring it all out before you start will minimize the risk.

But you can’t.

There are too many unknowns and too many assumptions you must make to write these plans. To the point where they are useless and a waste of your time.

First of all, you don’t need to know everything at once. There is a clear order.

Secondly, the only way to get the information you need is to begin. To create your business one step at a time, building on each step.

Everything here has come from the work I have done with the most successful small business owners. This isn’t something I made up, it’s something I uncovered.

The 6 Stages to Starting and Growing Your Business

The Owner’s Journey

Why are you doing this? What do you need from your business? What do you bring to this and what do you need to fill in?

You build your business for you – you craft your offer for your customers.

Don’t confuse those two. Your business must work to your strengths, must fulfill your needs and must just plain work for you.

The Discovery Dance

Start talking to your customers as soon as you know what is important for you. The first few people you talk to will not ‘get it’.  Keep talking to people until you figure out what to say to get their eyes to sparkle and for them to say yes.

This is how you learn what the problem is you are solving, what solution will work, how to deliver it, who you are serving and what is most important to them.

Start Your Business

Only after you have proven your concept should you formally register your business and begin to put administrative systems in place. Only as much as you need at this point, you will complete them later.

Customer’s Journey

Work with your first group of customers to find out what attracted them to you, the best ways to engage them and how you can serve and delight them. That is the customer’s journey and you will know it is working when you can repeat it and always get delighted customers

Team Journey

Scale comes once you have a repeatable system and scale comes from building out your team. What is important about the people you hire, how do you attract and retain the best? It is the same process as figuring out the customer’s journey

Essential 11 Algorithms

Make it easy. Make it automatic.

An algorithm is a set of instructions or processes that always gives a predictable result. There are 11 algorithms, that once in place, make your business effortless and profitable.

Do you want more? Do you want everything you need to be the best small business owner you can be and build the best business for you, your customers and your team?