Bringing your business online– 10 boring-ish biz things to do that actually help immensely.

 

When I began my first startup in 2012, I used the strategy of building it while flying the plane. It’s a totally valid way to start a business, and I loved the energy it took, but there were also massive energy leaks. Now, 10 years later, I’m helping new founders avoid what I didn’t know how to. This list of kinda-boring business tasks is actually super helpful. Think of it like having packed the right bags while you’re building that plane.

The Slow Startup– an alternative way to begin.

When we’re beginning something BIG, we can live in a space of dreams and adrenaline and the wild euphoria that is blowing your own damn mind with what you think is possible.

I LOVE THAT.

And it’s easier to keep doing that when there’s a little business structure to go along with it.

Here’s a simple list of seemingly boring business to-do’s that actually have big impact.

Emotional / Physical–

  1. Hiring a coach or joining a coaching program.

  2. Creating a list of stuff you love to do that DOESN’T include being in front of your laptop doing work.

  3. Finding a therapist / physician to help you understand your body’s current nervous system challenges.

  4. Setting work / non-work hours.

Creative–

  1. Creating a Vision Board for 1 year, 3 years, 10 years.

  2. Getting an app that makes posting content easier and more efficient (and actually optimizing it).

  3. Gathering a library of inspiration that truly moves you.

Financial / Organizational–

  1. Setting up a business budget with YNAB (or something similar)

  2. Setting up a personal budget with YNAB (or something similar)

  3. Organizing all your passwords / logins / contact info in a way that is super easy to access when you need it. Do this something SAFE, not on a google spreadsheet, ok?

Coaching–

This is super important. Coaching is your support system as you grow, evolve and process all the emotion around business. I recommend every new woman founder or business owner have a coach. I will never not reinforce how important this is. Your emotional world is more important than anything. You building a solid and loving relationship with yourself is the foundation for everything else.

Stuff that’s not work–

We work to live, not live to work, right? At least when you’re starting your own business YOU get to decide that for yourself finally. Make sure you’re out there LIVING. That is the point.

Therapy / Physicians–

It’s really helpful to have medical professionals you trust in your circle. Entrepreneurship (and life) is tough. Having someone to help you see in ways you don’t is only going to be in service of your own wellbeing. And everyone comes to business with a full life before them, full of experiences that business might trigger. A support system is crucial.

Vision Board–

As entrepreneurs, we can get really caught up in what’s happening RIGHT NOW, and that’s ok. But seeing the future, beginning to believe in that future instead of being caught up in task after task after task is so important. It will lighten your life experience and keep you moving forward.

Content Apps–

Apps that help you efficiently create, share and track content are worth their weight in gold. Content creation can take up a good portion of your day. And I don’t know about you but I don’t want to be on my phone all day and all night. Having content creation times is amazing, but the publishing of the content can be exhausting. Schedule + automate, fellow founders.

A library of Inspiration–

I use pinterest, of course, but use whatever works. But collecting inspiring imagery consistently helps you hone your own understanding of what moves YOU and that is important.

Budgets–

Hands down the number one thing that stands in the way of most of my clients feeling financial empowerment. If you have a vision board and an up-to-date budget, you can literally do ANYTHING. My choice is YNAB because it’s super simple and they have quality support.

Organizing all the things–

My god is it a time suck to look for addresses and logins and, ugh don’t get me started. I use 1Password but there are many options for keeping all the behind-the-biz stuff organized at at my fingertips. I try my best to think of it as my own beautifully-organized pantry of………email addresses? Tax returns? Credit card numbers? Yes, I know it’s a stretch but I do it and it helps me get it done.

Good luck getting your businesses up and running and changing the world.

xo,

your big biz sis who made all the mistakes and wants to save you from that chaos ;)

 
BusinessStephanie SheldonComment