This week we’re going over my 4-step plan for what I’d do if I had to start completely over from scratch in business.
I’m pretending that I have a full-time job with only 1-2 hours to work on business each day and that I have little-to-no startup money to invest. My business contacts have disappeared and I have no email list to speak of.
I hope this will help those just beginning in their entrepreneurial journey get clear on the first steps in an online business. If you’ve already started a business you might find some holes in your existing way of thinking or find inspiration for where you might take things.
So far we’ve covered…
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Step 0: Start with the end in mind (Timeline: Do this NOW)
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Step 1: Learn how to write copy (Timeline: Keep your job & dedicate 3 to 6 months, 1-2 hours per day, to learning)
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Step 2: Build an email list (Timeline: Start 5 or 6 weeks after you begin learning copywriting)
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Step 2a: Start becoming a valuable contributor on free social media platforms and in forums (Timeline: Start this NOW)
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Step 2b: Setup a landing page (Timeline: Start 5 or 6 weeks after you begin learning copywriting)
Today we’ll talk about what I’d post in communities and what I’d send to the email list I’d begin building.
Step 3: Deliver Massive Value & Sell Nothing For 3-6 Months
Yesterday I talked about how if I was starting over from scratch I would immediately:
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Join some private and preferably paid forums in my chosen niche market
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And/or get setup on social media platforms like X and LinkedIn
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If I had a little bit of money and some experience in copywriting, I’d start learning how to advertise on Facebook, X or LinkedIn (I’ll deep dive this next week).
Then, 5 to 6 weeks later (after I was beginning to learn copywriting) I would setup a landing page and start building a list.
Now the question of course becomes: “What do I post on social media and in forums? What do you send to that list?”
How to deliver value to a community:
I recommend you don’t sell anything AT ALL, and simply try to deliver as much value as possible.
What does “value” mean in the real world?
- “Providing value” simply means you’re a normal person involved in normal discussions. You’re not necessarily answering questions and being an “expert”. In my case, before I started CopyHour 12 years ago, I mostly asked questions in a forum called The Dynamite Circle. I started discussions that other experts could jump into. People could recognize my name, but I wasn’t pretending to be some expert I wasn’t.
- On that point, I really have to emphasize: don’t role play as an expert if you’re not. Seriously, if you’re not already an expert in anything, just focus on asking questions and being grateful for any wisdom that anyone shares with you. People will notice that and love you for a) asking great questions that spur great discussions, and b) just being a cool person who’s learning and grateful for the opportunity to do so.
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But if you ARE an expert, SHOW IT. Create detailed posts outlining your best methods for free, answer questions actively in the most detailed way possible… just hammer the community with overwhelming value, solving their problems, and demonstrating that you know what you’re doing.
Once you’ve established yourself (3+ months of being active this way in the community), only then would I recommend you even consider promoting something.
How to deliver value to a list:
Just like with a community, providing value to a list means you help solve problems, give as much “away” as you possibly can, and expect absolutely nothing in return.
If you’re an expert:
Solve people’s problems for free.
- Create detailed tutorials (just like what you’ve read all this week).
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Survey people or search forums and reddit for questions, and answer their questions directly, honestly and hold nothing back.
It can feel scary to give away all of your best advice for free – but I will tell you from experience that the ROI on giving away as much of your wisdom as possible is massive.
Since I started trying to “give away the farm” in my emails, my business has 4x’ed.
Remember what I said earlier in this tutorial about how I teach copywriting in a different way than most other gurus. My definition of “good copywriting” these days is, “writing in a way that makes people want to follow and buy from you”. I want my copy to be written across all mediums in a way that makes you say, “God I love this person and I want more from them”.
This is exactly what I teach in CopyHour.
If you’re NOT an expert:
If you’re not an expert that’s okay too. I didn’t start as an expert.
The mindset you need to adopt is one of an “expert curator”. You are going to solve people’s problem of finding the best information and resources to help solve the problems they have.
This is why I recommend that beginners, who are non-experts, start by writing a digest-style newsletter to their list.
You curate information, not create it. One piece of advice that I like from Gary Vaynerchuk is his mantra, “Document, don’t create”.
Now, yesterday I mentioned The Hustle newsletter (started and sold for $20mm+ by Sam Parr). That newsletter helps small business owners find the best tech and business news around the web.
It’s not a huge problem that’s being solved, but that newsletter does 1 thing very well:
They don’t just send any old news that anyone could scrape together with AI in 10 minutes. They send the BEST news links possible that they know will help their audience achieve their goals and solve their problems.
What I’m saying is, if you want to win, become the best damn curator around.
To quickly recap this lesson:
If you’re looking to start an online business as a solopreneur – go join some paid and free communities and start providing massive value without selling or expecting anything in return.
Do the same thing when you start to build an email list.
After 3-6 months you should be in a pretty good spot to start promoting and selling products. We’ll talk about that – exactly what I’d sell – and we’ll recap this entire week tomorrow.
Talk to you then!
— Derek
P.S. If you’ve been looking for a course to help you learn copywriting, and especially if you like my style of writing, then I highly recommend you join CopyHour when I open it up next Monday, September 9th.
CopyHour students have collectively generated $800mm+ with their copy. Some of my big name students include: Ian Stanley, Dan Ferrari, Sam Parr, Ning Li, Austin Lee, Chris Orzechowski, Sarah Mueller, Jon MacLennan and many, many more.
This will be the final time CopyHour is open for new registrations in 2024.