How are you from the last time you read my blog?
If you are new, welcome to my blog!
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As a business owner, I know you might want to create this fabulous business plan of having your business online and how to go about doing so. You are hoping that it will be smooth sailing with no bumps on the straight road ahead. Was I wrong to think this because, during this path, it’s like I started from Z and not A!
I wanted to share with you 20 things that you should have in place to accompany your business plan.
Now I know you will not have everything in place, but I wanted to share with you some of these wishes that you do not end up having to make the same mistakes that I did when I started my business or what to expect on your business journey.
Let the wishing begin!
♥ I wish I had known that virtual assisting was an industry a year ago and you can make money online.
♥ I wish I had known that when I started out virtual assisting that I could not only offer administrative services alone. I have to keep on learning.
♥ I wish I had known that I could start networking my services in social media platform, such as joining groups and finding clients there too. (Hey, you can join my Free Facebook group, which has constant support of ladies by industries.)
♥I wish I had known that having more than one income, such as passive income, would be handy when you have off days and no clients to tend to.
♥ I wish I had known that I would need to build and create a list from day one.
♥ I wish I had known that I would need to create a freebie to capture clients and that a list is important but without the freebie, it’s like staring at a sign hoping that it will answer you.
♥ I wish I had known that I will need a website from day one.
♥ I wish I had known that I had to research who my ideal client is; the same thing as having a targeted niche to work with.
♥ I wish I had known that I would need the assistance of a coach who had gone down that road and can assist me with my business guide.
♥ I wish I had known 10 years ago that I would be a business owner so that I could prepare myself for all this work.
The wishing continues.
♥ I wish I had known that from day one, I can’t do this all alone so I would need the help of others, such as hiring out for help to run a business.
♥ I wish I had known that I would need a business and a marketing plan.
♥ I wish I had known that marketing would be hard and even if you have a website, you will need to reach other clients when those clients do not need your services on those off days.
♥ I wish I had known that in order to go from step D in the process of creating a business I can’t go pass step A, B, and C. Where is a complete guide when you need one?
♥ I wish I had known that I would have to create content, schedule newsletters, emails and use tools that will support me.
♥ I wish I had known that it’s best to schedule your days for a specific task to be completed so that I am better to organize on what to achieve.
♥ I wish I had known that creating a website and even having content, clients will not miraculously come to me unless they have encountered me before.
♥ I wish I had known that I would need to register my business in my home country as well as doing this in the country of my clients because I am not protected from copyright in my clients’ country.
♥ I wish I had known that even though it’s exciting to create a business that it would be nice to have support from other like minded individuals in my field because trust me, my family will not and can’t relate.
♥ I wish I had known what to do with each step in order to create a business, from even from high school, telling me that you need to go to this school to learn this, but then again with the trends changing every minute online, it would be best to learn more online.
What are yours ‘I wish I had known’ facts before creating a business? You do not have to list all 20 of yours here and even if you have more, but do please share your top 5 of what you wish you had known before creating a business.
It was nice of you to stop by.
Until then, happy hiring, and best wishes with your business.
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The freebie thing. I am struggling with it! I kind of know what I want to do but never have a chance to sit down and set up MailChimp. There is so still much more I am learning…and learning from bloggers like you!
Jackie, we all start somewhere, don’t worry about it, do it in stages.
There’s so much that I still need to set up for my blog! This is a great post!
Thanks Theresa!
I wish I had discovered this 8 years ago! And yes! I wish I had learned more about how to run a business…it should be taught more in school.
Heather, don’t get me started, this should be in school from the tender age so that we can gradually learn more about entrepreneurship.
Oh goodness, I feel you! There are so many things I wish I knew from the beginning when I started mshealthesteem.com. And I’m sure there’s tons more to learn. One day at a time eh? 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for stopping by Sara! Nice site all the best to you.
I absolutely appreciate your post and as someone starting out a business online the greatest piece of advice you provided was scheduling. I’m trying to fit everything in one day and it’s not working. Thank you!
Thank you Darcy! That just made my day, don’t beat yourself up, it will all come in.
Love these and agree with getting the support when you need it!
Awesome!
Like you, I wish I’d known that virtual assistance was a thing a long time ago! I just started a course on it last week! I’m looking forward to starting my very own VA business!
Awesome Paula! All the best to you.
Great list! Thanks for the insight! <3
Thank you Amy!
Everything on this list is so true! Hindsight is 20-20 they say, but it’s great to be able to learn from each other online with blog posts like this.
All the best Robyn!
I can relate to so many of these. But I think failure is only failure if we fail to learn from it 🙂
Couldn’t agree more!
I should really look into a virtual assistance myself. Are they expensive?
Not really depending on what task you need assistance with? It can vary from $20-$30 an hour for administrative virtual assistant and $50-$100 for technical virtual assistant.
I LOVE THIS! So absolutely true! I getcha, completely!
Thanks Sophia!
These are great! I’ve thought about becoming a VA but it scares me a little, haha. I need to learn all I can. I have started a little freelance business but it is floundering. I picked up a second part time job to make sure the bills are paid. I’ve pinned this post to take a peek at once I get more info on VA’s. This post is great! I am a new follower too.
Thank you Leslie! Don’t be afraid to reach out if you have any questions.
These wishes are too real! Thanks for this!
Thanks Chelsea!
I totally feel you! There are so many things I wish I knew about blogging when I started. But we learn as we go and you’ve come a long way from when you started. 🙂 Which is completely awesome! Thank you for sharing wisdom from your own experiences. Makes it easier for others starting out. <3
Thanks Sara!
This is awesome, wish I knew all this before I started
Got to start somewhere!
I am desperately trying to get the freebie thing finished. So much I still need to tackle. A lot to focus on. Great post as always. 🙂
Thanks Carolyn.
You’re on point with your list. However, 3 weeks after I launched my blog, I have accepted that this process is not going to be easy, so I am learning lil by lil until I reach my goal. I have since felt less overwhelmed handling my blog and the learning process while being employed full time. Doing a To-Do list is very helpful and stops me from being all over the place and not getting enough done at the same time. I also take comfort in knowing that i have done all this alone. All the best to you and thanks for sharing your list.
All in stages Sylvia!
This is all so true! It’s so much work to get up and running and then you’re constantly learning. I feel like I could work 24hours a day and it still wouldn’t be enough to keep up!
I know the feeling.