Today it’s easier than ever before to start a small Business, some can be done alongside your current occupation. All you need is an idea and a tonne of passion and commitment. Although its easier to get started, there is still a lot of hard work ahead.
The world of Business today has evolved an incredible amount and is more cost effective than before. The coaching business I started in 2008, was exciting and challenging. My new launch of Coach Craig Moore in 2017 is probably more exciting because I have more vision on where I’m heading, plus there are some incredible tools such as Social Media. But some questions have remained the same; How to get to my target audience, How much to spend on marketing, What is the best way to deliver coaching?
Over the last 9 years I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but don’t be fooled, mistakes are a vital part of business, this is how you grow and learn. I’ve spent a lot of money (a necessary evil at times), and I’ve invested a lot of time. Time is the key factor, much like training for a triathlon, what you put in is what you get out! No time, no business.
Below I’ve listed some key areas that have really helped me to grow as a person and as an Entrepreneur!
Read Personal Development Books – this is so important. When you’re at rock bottom and the words “I QUIT” start to form, learning how to improve your mindset, control your fears and believe in yourself is the thing that can keep you going. Your mind is so powerful it can bring you the things you most desire, the only way to fail is to quit!
Social Media – I joined Facebook in 2007 to keep in touch with friends, it was less complicated back then. Now its an online platform of opinions, information, videos, training etc. Social Media has developed at an alarming rate and must be included in any business if you want to be successful. It requires a lot of time, but be careful, it’s easy to get lost in the maze, stay focused on what you’re doing and don’t get side tracked.
Get a Website – you’ll need a domain name and a company to host it. This is inexpensive and there are a lot of free websites available and websites with minimal yearly costs, that have an awesome array of templates and are easy to use (e.g. WordPress). You don’t need to spend big money on websites today.
Link together - Set up your social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat etc. You can link to these platforms from most websites and automatically post your blogs to them. You can also use Hootsuite to link updates across social media platforms.
Blogs - Develop helpful content and ensure you deliver on a regular basis. If you are not sure what to write about then keep track of the questions that your customers ask and answer them in a blog. Or use google search to see what questions people are searching. I aim to keep my blogs around 600 – 700 words.
Build Relationships – obviously you need to build rapport with your customers, but I’ve found it a real asset to build relationships with others in my industry or those that compliment my business. For example, as a Triathlon Coach I learn a lot from my Sports Therapist, and he learns how best to torture me, but we also send referrals to each other.
Step outside your comfort zone – There are people with great ideas but they sit on the fence and wait for something to come to them. I’ve never been fishing and had a fish jump out of the water into my lap! You must step outside your comfort zone, go out and promote your business either face to face or online.
If you would like to start a business and are passionate about health and wellness, then I’d love to talk to you. I’m currently helping people build a business in this area and would love to share this with you. Contact me on coach@coachcraigmoore.com