If I had to start over from scratch… RIGHT NOW, with no previous experience, no formal training or education, and no connections…
This is exactly what I would do to build an online business and start making money ASAP.
Hey, Posse! What’s up? It’s Alex.
If you’ve been thinking about starting an online business or side hustle to bring in a little extra cash, but all the advice online has you confused on EXACTLY what to do first…
Or maybe you’ve already dabbled a bit here and there, but your progress has felt slow, like you take one step forward, two steps back…
Then this lesson is for you! I’m going to take you through 3 steps I would follow if I had to start my business from scratch today.
Now if you’re thinking, “Only 3 steps?! Alex, get real.”
Listen, there is no reason to overcomplicate it – especially in the beginning…
The more complicated you make this, the less likely you are to FOLLOW THROUGH.
The truth is, with dedication and commitment, starting a business and a Personal Brand is actually pretty straightforward. All you need is a great offer and someone who wants to buy it…
I’m telling you, anyone can do this – including YOU – and the very first thing I would do is…
#1 – Learn An In-Demand Skill
Alright so this one feels obvious, but it’s VERY IMPORTANT.
Before you can start an online business, you need to sit down and think about WHAT KIND of business you want to start.
There’s a business out there for just about anything and everything you can think of.
You can sell knitting patterns on Etsy, make and sell custom t-shirts, gourmet dog bones — heck, people even have entire businesses selling sourdough recipes – successful ones!!
Whatever your hobby is, chances are pretty good you can make a business out of it.
BUT, BUT, BUT, BUT…
This is where I gotta pump the breaks and be the bearer of bad news. While I’m definitely not saying that you CAN’T be successful monetizing your hobby…
I AM saying that it isn’t necessarily the safest option or most likely path to success.
In my opinion, you should keep your hobby – A HOBBY. Something you do for fun and enjoyment, and if one day you naturally start making money doing it — that’s AMAZING.
But if I were starting an online business from scratch, I would want to start something with the HIGHEST chance of success, aka something you KNOW people NEED and will pay money for.
This is why I would focus on starting a business selling an IN-DEMAND SKILLSET.
Services like dog walking, house cleaning, landscaping, plumbing and car detailing are all services that are in HIGH DEMAND and I happily pay for regularly, along with millions of other people.
These could be things that we don’t want to do ourselves because they are tedious or time-consuming or we just straight up have no idea how to do it.
The service sector is HUGE and it is also BOOMING right now.
Now if you’re thinking, “Okay, Alex… But I can’t exactly start an online plumbing business or do virtual dog walking…”
I hear you. But remember, the service sector includes ANY service, which includes digital freelancers of ALL kinds – copywriters, virtual assistants, social media managers, graphic designers, marketing consultants, ad managers, videographers, coaches and the list goes on and on.
In fact, people are hiring online freelancers NOW more than ever before.
In the past two years ALONE there has been a 260% jump in freelance hiring across North America. And that trend is not slowing down any time soon.
So the first thing you need to do is take inventory of your skills and interests and see what kind of SERVICES you’d be interested in turning into a side hustle or career.
Then take the time to LEARN THAT SKILL from a trusted mentor.
Whether you enroll in an online course (I have a lot btw and you can learn about those here) or you teach yourself from free resources like my YouTube Channel – it really doesn’t matter.
With the right roadmap, guide and community, you can learn and get paid for a new skills relatively quickly if you put in the work.
I mean, many people spend YEARS getting formal education they end up doing nothing with. And even more people gladly spend 2-3-4-5-6-12 months just “thinking” about getting started and never do.
So start now!! Pick an in-demand skill you’re most interested in offering and learn from a trusted mentor. I even have a blog about how to find a mentor right here for you!
Then the next thing I would do is…
#2 – Focus On Helping People 1-on-1
I would start looking for people to help with my freshly learned skills!
Now there are LOTS of ways you can do this, but this blog is about how I would approach it if I were starting from scratch.
So what I would do is start to build my referral network and basically tell a whole bunch of people who I am and what I do, starting with the people who are MOST likely to celebrate and refer me: my friends, family, colleagues, former bosses, classmates and so on.
So that way, they can either:
- Reach out directly when they need my service or…
- Next time they’re chatting to someone who needs the service I provide, they can REFER me.
Do not underestimate the power of a referral network!
So many new freelancers I talk to DON’T announce on their social media that they just learned a new skill and are now starting a business.
WHY? This is hundreds – or in some cases – thousands of people who ALREADY KNOW and TRUST you.
These are going to be the absolute BEST people to help you start getting clients.
My friend Jay Clouse used to always say, “Get your advocates to advocate for you.” And it’s so true, but they can’t do that if they have NO CLUE WHAT YOU DO.
It’s so much easier to get hired from a personal referral than it is to get hired as a total stranger. I’m not saying that you can’t post on social media once and BAM! You get a client sent your way…
While that definitely DOES happen, it also might not happen for a while. That is okay and totally NORMAL.
So after I tell my friends and advocates, I would work my way out. I’d search for communities to join. I’d start going to events in my niche.
I’d be having conversations every single day and letting people know how I can help solve their problems.
But I wouldn’t be trying too hard to “sell” myself or pitch my services – I’d be focused on BUILDING MY REFERRAL NETWORK.
I’d be focused on having genuine conversations while, of course, letting people know I’m available for clients!
And WHILE I did all of that, I would also be on the lookout for any jobs or other opportunities I could apply for…
And if you want more specific ways to start finding clients, then grab a copy of me FREE guide with 101 Ways To Get Your Next Client.
That will give you more than enough ideas to get started.
Alright, so once I started getting the word out there about what I’m up to, I would…
#3 – Start Building A Personal Brand
I DON’T mean that I would start posting tons of “how to” content and try to position myself as some expert or influencer on social media…
NOOOOO.
BUT I absolutely WOULD utilize social media as the POWERFUL search engine, resume builder and trust-screener that is.
Whether you like it or not, people are going to look for you on social media BEFORE they hire you.
That’s just the world we live in today.
In fact…
- 98% of employers conduct background research about candidates online
- 70% of employers say that a personal brand is more important than a resume or CV
- And 74% of Americans are more likely to trust someone with an established personal brand
As you can see, this is NOT about being an “expert” or an “influencer”
The people who want to hire you could care LESS if you have 100 followers or 1000 followers or 100,000 followers.
They care about WHO YOU ARE.
It can literally be as simple as sharing a story of you sitting on your couch with a hurt back. (Which – btw- this was my MOST VIEWED story of the entire month last month.)
I was literally sharing no “value”, no actionable tips, no amazing insights. It was just a glimpse into my daily life. THAT is what I mean when I say “show up on social media” or “build your personal brand”.
It is NOT about creating endless content, “faking it till you make it” or documenting every moment of your private life on social media.It’s just about showing up and showing people that you are a real human.
And the best part about this is that you don’t need hundreds of thousands of followers for this to make a huge impact!!!
Because when it comes to building an online business in this “age of AI”, what you have to remember is that above all things:
Connection is our most valuable currency!
Because people don’t buy from strangers—they buy from the people they know, like, and trust.
If you aren’t putting yourself out there on social media then you’re giving potential clients NO CHANCE to know you exist at all. Let alone like or trust you.
The more you connect with your audience through storytelling, insights, and shared experiences, the more likely they are to hire you.
Now I know, I know, I know…
Showing up online can feel VERY intimidating.
Especially when you’re a beginner or a total introvert…
But I promise you already have EVERYTHING you need, right now, and on April 15-23rd – I’m going to show you EXACTLY how.
In my Personal Brand Bootcamp, I’ll give you a step-by-step blueprint you can follow to confidently build your personal brand online.
Even if you’re introverted, have ZERO free time, or cringe at the idea of creating content (it’s not just you)…
You’ll learn how to confidently claim your corner of the Internet, position yourself as a trusted connection in the right social circles, and attract premium clients who NEED your services more than ever right now.
Whether you’re just starting out, looking to grow your side hustle, or already fully booked, I’m going to prove to you why building your personal brand is your most brilliant business move right now. And that’s it!
The three things I would do if I was starting TODAY from scratch to make starting my business as simple, uncomplicated and EASY as possible.
You can get yourself registered for that by clicking this link.
And that’s it!!!! Exactly what I would do if I were starting my business today from scratch.
If you found this helpful, make sure to also join my newsletter here to stay in touch and get more tutorials right in your inbox!
Until next time, I’m Alex. Ciao for now!
