Hello fellow entrepreneurs and budding small business owners!
When starting a small business there are several small details and factors that should be carefully taken into account. My business has been in operation for about 1 year and I continue to make mistakes, learn, and grow throughout the process.
FTC Disclaimer: I may receive compensation via affiliate links in this post.
The number 1 resource I used to jumpstart my business was a great book that I found in my local bookstore. Business plan In A Day by Rhonda Abrams is a workbook that guides readers through practical steps to launch a business in as little as 24 hours! I recommend reading and completing all of the activities in chapter 1 and then skimming and selecting applicable activities throughout the book. Rhonda’s book will help you identify your business plan, marketing strategy, and industry to better understand your business.
After reading Rhonda’s book. I felt confident to take the necessary next steps in building my business. I launched my website, incorporated and registered Translatable LLC with the state. I invested about $700 into the start-up costs and fees to launch Translatable LLC. I paid approximately $300 to register my business in my home state and then paid about $400 on a website and other various operational related services. The costs one incurs will vary depending upon your state and whether you choose to incorporate or not. It is very possible to start a business for $0! Do not be discouraged.
Many sites like Squarespace and Shopify offer a 14 day trial period. Some webhosting sites are offering 90 day trial periods which gives you plenty of time to jumpstart an online business. Wix offers several incentives when you purchase a premium plan. At the time I started my business website I received an offer from Wix for a free 1-year premium plan. I used this promotion to launch my 2nd website, the My Soul Venture blog. Thus in essence I launched two businesses at once! I actually found owning and operating 2 distinct websites and business operations to be a big challenge. These challenges led me to dissolve the My Soul Venture Blog after 1 year and to reallocate my time and resources solely into my language consulting business.
I hope you found these details useful! I really wanted to share the inside scoop into what it takes to start a business. If you have a vision and a passion then I strongly encourage you to pursue those wholeheartedly. Every hour invested in my blog and my personal business has been both a joy and arduous work. I thoroughly enjoy the work that I do daily as a linguist and writing for my blog.
Some may say that “if you do what you love then you will never work a day in your life”. However, I like to believe that if you do what you love then the work you do will add meaning to your life. Life is short and as Covid has taught us it is also unpredictable. Take chances, live by faith, and follow your heart! I believe we all have a soul venture to follow in this life and I want to encourage you to follow yours.
Which resources listed above are you excited to use to jumpstart your business? Let me know in a comment below.
Wishing you all success in your entrepreneurial ventures!
Carla
