How to Build an Online Business in 7 Days.

Woah woah what?? How to start an online business in 7 DAYS? This might sound like crazy talk but trust me you can do it. And in this blog I’ll teach you how to do it well. For your and my sanity, we’ll be breaking it up into 7 days. By the end of the week you’ll have a fully functioning online business.

 

Day 1 on How Start an Online Business in 7 Days

In order to start an online business in 7 days, you will need to research your market. This may seem like it’s over your head, and if so make sure you check out our blog and video “60+ Ways to Work from Home”. However, we do need to cover the basics and that’s figuring out what business you would like to start. Do you want to be an online retail store? Do you want to be a educational website and sell lessons? Whatever it is you want to do, make sure you could work on that topic day in and day out.

 

Day 2 on How Start an Online Business in 7 Days

Now that you have the overall idea of your business it’s time to create a simple business plan. Key word: simple. Write down what problem you want to solve, and how you’re going to do it. If you’re having any problems creating your business plan don’t be afraid to reach out towards any of the services we have here at Entrepreneur Girl, or even shoot us an email! Day 2 actually has two steps, so since you now have the ideals of your business structured, you now need to start telling people about it! This step can sometimes feel uncomfortable so we suggest telling your family members about it or your friends. In the beginning tell the people around you that are going to give you support, but aren’t afraid to ask some questions. This will get you more comfortable with talking to people, and helps to define your business and makes it ‘real’. Also when they ask questions, it forces you to think through your plans and answer which it turns teaches them and you a little bit more about your business.

 

Day 3 on How Start an Online Business in 7 Days

During day 3 you will have to decide on the branding of your business. This area includes the visual arts like creating a logo, banner, and the theme colors of your business. So if you’re not exactly the creative type and will need some help with this process, Entrepreneur Girl even sells these services. Or if you’re looking for more of a quick fix instead of a possibly permanent logo, then you can always go to free services such as Canva.com. For inspiration be sure to look at websites that you find appealing and take those ideas and make your own. For this step you’ll need to find a picture of yourself that you find fitting for the About section of your website. Not to mention, you’ll have to establish a universal font. Once you have your logo all sorted out, be sure to share it with your group of friends and post it on social media like FaceBook. This way you get your friends and followers curious and engaged into what you’re doing.

 

Day 4 on How Start an Online Business in 7 Days

For Day 4 on this business making bootcamp, you will need to create a website. We understand that websites can take months to create, but we aren’t requesting anything extremely fancy. We understand that you are trying to start an online business in 7 days. All we request is that it has an About page, a home page, a services/product page, and a contact page. You don’t even have to have all of that information on separate pages! You could condense it to where you have all information on one or two pages. Personally I feel like the best website setup is to have a self hosted wordpress through wordpress.org, a good host site such as GoDaddy or HostGator, and to have a good starting template and this can be found on websites like Showit. If you are planning on focusing your business around e-commerce then I suggest Shopify. If you’re not planning on doing e-commerce then sites like Squarespace are very helpful. Using these resources will help to get you up and quickly as possible, and the faster your website is up, the faster you will start collecting customers.

Day 5 on How Start an Online Business in 7 Days

It’s at this point that we switch from the creative element of things to the accounting perspective of your business. Knowing what’s coming in and out of your business is extremely important. Thankfully there’s websites like GoDaddy, and Quickbooks that does all of this for you. You don’t even have to use a website, and can do it yourself by hand with pen and paper. Whatever technique works for you doesn’t matter. What matters is that you have a system in place that you understand, and will keep your finances organized. The second part of this is to become a part of a software in which people can pay you with for the product or service they are buying. We suggest using software such as SamCart, Stripe, PayPal, or Shopify. Make sure that the program is simple, and user friendly so that you’re not confused on what’s going on with your own website.

Day 6 on How Start an Online Business in 7 Days

We are so close to the establishment of your new online business! Today we want you to tell 100 people about your business. Yes, one-hundred people. This may seem like a huge leap but when you put it into perspective it isn’t too difficult. I mean most of us have over 100 Facebook friends so sending out a post going over your business and where they can contact you would even do the trick. This is a vital step when it comes to marketing your business so pleaseeeeee don’t shy away from this step. This is how you grab customers in the very beginning, and is important when it comes to free publicizing. You have to remember that word travels, and the people you contact now will be the ones referencing your company to their friends, and the friends of their friends. To help market your company you can join Facebook groups full of people who are also in the same field as you. Or you could find message boards. Or clubs around your community that deal with your field. Day six is all about marketing, and whether or not you adequately fulfill this step can determine whether or not your business has initial success.  

Day 7 on How Start an Online Business in 7 Days

Today during day 7, we will continue the marketing plan and hopefully grab your first customers! Getting your first customers first requires you to find out where they might be> They could be in the Facebook groups you should have joined the day before, or they could be on the message boards or in the clubs. You need to find where they are and then establish how you’re going to draw them in. How are you going to bring them into your business and keep them coming. You can do this by answering the following questions. How are you going to contact them? How are you going to form and keep a relationship with your customers? Are you going to offer them some incentive on your website in order to get them on there? What are you gonna do that’s going to appeal to your customers? Once you answer these questions you should have a clear view on how you’re going to tackle the task of getting customers.

 

Congratulations! You have completed the steps needed to start an online business in 7 days! If you ever become stuck in any of these steps please be sure to contact us or check out the services we offer! Like always there will be a corresponding video to this blog on our YouTube channel Entrepreneur Girl. Or if you constantly want to be in the loop with all of the blogs we are posting, be sure to become a part of our email list so that you never miss another blog. Until next week, this is Alaina Bollen signing out.

 

Creator: Alaina Bollen

Date created: 04/26/18