The hardest part of launching a business is getting started.

There are a million resources out there telling you how to launch a business, all with conflicting advice. You start out with a simple Google search or a few books, and the next thing you know you’re swimming in overwhelm. 

That’s why I put together this guide on how to launch a business in 30 days, which covers everything you need to do in your first month–and nothing more. No frills or extras, just the exact steps you need to take if you want your business to be a success, and all the resources you need to get there!

Your first month in business doesn’t need to be a stress and caffeine fueled bender. If you follow these steps, you’ll be well on your way to building a profitable and sustainable business.

For a more detailed (free!) guide on how to launch a business in 30 days, download the Laptop Lifestyle Blueprint, which will walk you through each step day by day. 

Ready to launch a business in 30 days? Let’s get started!

Week 1: Set up the basics.

Decide on your business idea.

The key thing to remember is to focus on one skill. If you want to launch a business in 30 days, you need to keep it simple, and the best way to do that is to pick a tried and true online business skill that you can offer right away. Remember, you can always continue to learn more and improved your skillset, but you have to get started Some of the most popular web-based businesses include:

• Copywriting
• Web design
• Virtual assistance
• Graphic design
• Social media management

For more ideas, check out this list of the 10 Best Digital Nomad Jobs for Beginners. 

Don’t try to do everything at once, and don’t feel like you’re committed to this idea forever–you can always try something new down the line. The most important part is to pick something and get started!

If you don’t know what kind of business you want to start, check out my Aligned and Profitable Skills course.

Related Post: How to Become a Virtual Assistant With No Experience

Craft an offer. 

In order to craft your offer, you need to know three things:

• What you’re selling
• Who you’re selling it to
• How much you’ll charge for it

Tip: Try to frame the first two in terms of how you help people, and who you help specifically. 

For most service-based businesses, the first part is straight forward: You’re selling your services (copywriting, design, etc.). Who you’re selling to is what’s known as your ideal client–the person who will ideally buy your services. 

Related Post:  Create a Sell-Out Launch Offer

Make this as crystal clear and specific as possible! Try writing your offer out in the form of: “I sell [product/service] to [ideal client].” 

If you can’t communicate it, you can’t sell it.

The prices you charge will depend on your industry and experience. A simple Google search can give you a ballpark range to get started (remember you can always increase your rates later). This is also something we talk about with a lot more strategy and detail in my program Laptop Lifestyle Bootcamp.

Set up your tech. 

Note: You do not need a website to get started! You can land your first few clients and even make a few thousand dollars before building a website (which can be a very time-consuming process).

Instead of spending hours on web design and paying for hosting, focus on setting up these three things:

• A professional email
• Contracts (you can find templates online)
• A payment processor

That’s it–that’s all you need! A way to communicate, legal protection and a simple way to receive payment (PayPal or Stripe works just fine). In the long term, you’ll need more to run your business, but for now it’s enough to get started and land your first few clients. 

There’s so much to do when it comes to starting an online business, that it’s best to get up and running as soon as possible. That way you can earn money while you set up the rest! 

Related Post: Starting an Online Business: 10 Things I Wish I’d Known 

Week 2: Get visible. 

Choose ONE social media platform.

In the future, you can create as many social profiles as you want, but for now stick to one! Choose one based on whichever you like best and where your ideal clients are. Are they a Pinterest person or part of the Instagram crowd?

Don’t spend forever obsessing over your handle or logo (you can always change or add it later). To get started and actually start landing clients you just need two things:

1. For people to know you exist.
2. To start showing up online and engaging. 

The main purpose of social media at this stage is to get new eyes on your business. Share your knowledge and how you can help people, talk about your offers, and engage with potential clients.

Start producing content.

To get started, check out the 5 types of social media posts or read about how to use Instagram stories for business. 

Remember you’re running a business account–you have to sell something! Start with just one one offer (your primary product or service, which you decided in Week 1). And make sure your social media branding is consistent and professional. Use business accounts, and stick to the same colors and fonts.

For more on creating content, check out the video below.

Make it easy for people to buy.

If you want to make money, people need a way to purchase your offer. Make sure it’s easy to contact you and purchase. Don’t overthink this–it can be as simple as a CTA (call to action) in your bio that asks people to DM you to book a call. 

Once you have your first client, you’ll be glad you set up contracts and a payment processor in advance. 

Tip: Instead of a website, make Instagram story slides in Canva and save them to your highlights. You can have one for testimonials, book me, contact, etc.

Related Post: Creating Content That Converts: 3 Steps to Success

Week 3: Sell, Sell, Sell.

Keep it up on social.

Now you’ve got your social media set up, it’s time to start selling! Post promotional posts and tell people about your services, engage in the comments and DMs, and invite people to buy. 

Learn how to expand your visibility and to sell on Instagram (a lot of these principles can be applied to other social platforms). 

Build and maintain customer relationships.

The #1 key to sales is building relationships! People need to know, like, and trust you before they purchase from you (read more about sales psychology here). 

So follow up with people you’ve pitched or engaged with. Don’t worry about selling to them right away, just focus on starting a conversation. If you have clients by this point, think about how you can turn them into long term customers–it’s much easier to keep existing clients than find new ones!

Related Post: How to Make Money on Instagram in 2021

Week 4: Think long term. 

Expand your presence.

Work on growing your reach on Instagram and other social media. If you’re doing well, think about adding another social platform or starting on your website. You may want to start an email list as well (check out this video to get started!). 

If you’re still trying to get your account off the ground, check out my free guide on how to gain 100 ideal client followers on Instagram every week!

Get your finances in order.

Until now, you may have been caught up in the chaos of trying to launch a business in 30 days. But if you have paying clients (or even if you don’t), you need to keep track of your basic income and expenses. A simple Excel sheet will work for your first few months. 

Check out the video below for everything you need to know about online bookkeeping! (plus you can download my exact income and expenses tracker 😉)

Like I mentioned in this post, the best time to get your finances sorted is NOW–before you’re making lots of money and booked out with clients. 

Clarify your vision.

Finally, think about your long term vision of where you want this business to go. Is this a side hustle, or are you hoping to make it your full-time career? Where do you envision the business a year from now? Five years?

Don’t skip over this step! One of the most common reasons new entrepreneurs fail is because they don’t have a clear vision of where they want to go.

Can you really launch a business in 30 days?

The short answer: YES!

The steps above will take you from zero to a profitable business in 30 days, but at that point you’ll be in “freelancer mode”. Eventually you’ll have to move from this stage of messy action towards building a sustainable business (for advice on getting to that next stage, check out the 8 steps to start an online business). 

If you’re ready to go all in on building the business of your dreams, check out Laptop Lifestyle Bootcamp, my signature group coaching program that tackles everything from tech to systems and mindset to help you set up six figure foundations, scale to $5k months, and build a business that lasts so you can quit your 9-5 and even travel the world. 

We have worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs all over the world and have a lifelong community of business besties as well as live coaching from me along the way!

If you’re ready to make your business dreams reality, join us in the next cohort of Laptop Lifestyle Bootcamp!

Keep Reading:

5 Business Tips for Success as a New Entrepreneur

How I made over $5k in my first month in business

Starting an Online Business: 11 Lessons Learned in My First Year 

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