The fading summer clings desperately to the days while fall forcefully drags the world around me into chilly nights and cozy early mornings. Outside at 5:30 am, I slip into my hot tub -enjoying the warmth of the water and the mug in my hand. The season is shifting, just as my life is. And right now, nothing makes that feel more real than having my business card displayed at my local gym.
My business card is a tiny, tangible reminder nestled in my gym bag. A stack of mid weight paper depicting my future - or at least the future I long for. That's a scary thing to present to the world. How something so simple could leave me feeling so vulnerable is outstanding, but I know what that feeling is. It's the feeling of a first step. Starting a business takes courage, even when starting your own business has been a dream of yours since your very first high school job.
I remember carrying around a clipboard, telling people what to do and how to do it, as if I already had my own company. I would stop by the owner’s office often, not to talk about my tasks but to ask how they ran things—what decisions they made, how they kept it all together. Even then, I knew that one day I would be on the other side of that conversation, running a business of my own.
Now, years later, I'm doing just that. Or at least trying. In this post, I'd like to briefly review what getting your own business up and running actually entails. And if I missed a crucial step along the way, hopefully I can look back at this post and laugh. Better yet - learn. I know I'm naive. I'm just choosing to push forward and learn as much as possible anyways. The best way to get proficient is to learn by doing.
1) Come up with a business name
2) Get clear on my business goals and mission
3) Get an LLC
4) Get a business email
5) Get a business bank account
6) Get a logo, typography, and colors
7) Get a PO Box
8) Get a business web domain
9) Set up social media profiles
10) Set up an email capture system
11) Set up extras, like this blog!
12) Get business insurance
13) Create my business card and hand it out (I'm here!)
14) Do the thing
Here is the tech stack I'm currently using:
Website- Carrd
Email Capture/Newsletter - ConvertKit
Blog - Blogstatic
Logo/etc - an IRL friend
Email - Gmail
Website domain - Squarespace (used to be Google Domains)
Chase - bank account and credit card
Social Media - Instagram
Social Media Manager - Buffer
Graphic Design - Canva and Affinity
Printing - Staples
Coaching app - Everfit
File Storage - Google Drive
Video Conferencing - Google Meet
Insurance - State Farm
I can't definitively tell you this is the best choice, the best path. Truth is, I have no idea. This process is filled with uncertainty. I know I've said that before, but it's a herculean task to be able to accurately describe to you just how inadequate and unprepared I feel.
Once fall arrives in full swing, I know winter will creep in behind it. And as the frost dissipates, spring will poke its first blade of grass through the thawing earth. As wild as the seasons can be, they will always occur. Just as the world rotates so too do the seasons change. Predictable even in their unpredictability. And so long as I keep pushing forward, so too will I usher in my own spring. My new beginnings. This is how I will find predictable success in my uncertainty. I don't need to know what tomorrow will bring, whether a fall day needs a light jacket or a raincoat, I just need to not give up.
