"What would you do if you were starting over today from scratch?"
This is one of the most common questions I get from new soloprenuers and freelancers and it’s a good one.
People want to know what I’d do if I was starting over in business and had:
- A full-time day job with minimal spare time
- Little-to-no startup money to invest
- No email list
-
No business contacts or "name" to lean on
I’ve thought long and hard about this question – and I’ve personally started over from near-zero several times (including my very first business ventures after college in 2008).
So all this week I’d like to share my advice on starting over from zero in business.
I’ve turned what I’d personally do into a simple 4-step plan that you might be able to use yourself.
Now, this plan is my plan (quite obviously) and takes into consideration all of my wants/desires when it comes to running an online business, including: desired income, risk tolerance, preferred time commitment, known time-frames, etc.
I’m going to guess your ultimate wants are fairly similar to mine:
Ultimately (not overnight but within a reasonably short amount of time) you’d like to run an online business with…
- Low-stress
- Minimal time commitment once it’s up and running
- A one man or girl team (with a virtual assistant & a couple of trusted contractors you hire from time-to-time)
-
Earning a healthy 6 figures with 7 figures in reach.
That’s the dream for most of the people reading this email.
And the 4-step plan I’ll outline should help you get clear on exactly how you might achieve your own vision starting from the very beginning.
This plan will be based on what I know now (in 2024) and what I know is possible (which can take decades to uncover for yourself)… but this plan will assume that I’ve just lost everything and I only have a few hours each day to commit to a new business venture.
I’ve built this plan with an info product (course creation) business in mind because it’s my preferred model (and the quickest and easiest path for most who read my emails) but it could just as easily be used for anyone providing services (marketing/copywriting/design/coding), coaching or consulting. The same general 4-steps will apply to almost any online business you can dream up (even a startup e-commerce brand).
If you’re just getting started in business my hope is that this week gives you a clear and definitive starting point and path forward to launching your first "real" online business.
And even if you’ve already launched your business, but things haven’t been clicking or you’re struggling to break through to the next level, this plan should be just as enlightening and more immediately profitable for you. You might recognize a few key mistakes or holes in your current plan.
Tomorrow we’ll dive into the first and most critical part of my 4-step plan for what I’d do if I had to start a business from absolute zero.
This will be a lot of fun and I’ll talk to you tomorrow!
— Derek
P.S. There will be nothing for sale in this "starting from zero" series – however next week, beginning on September 9th, CopyHour will re-open for the final time in 2024. If you’ve been looking for a way to quickly level-up your copywriting skills then you won’t want to miss the final launch of the year.