Your New Business Starter Series – An Overview

unanswered questions - brainstorming concept

Starting an online business can be overwhelming…

It can compare to being dropped in the middle of the ocean in a rowboat, then trying to paddle your way to an unknown destination you were told about one time.

I’ve been there. A thousand questions are running through your head. Where do you start? How do you build a web site?

You’ve heard that it is critical to provide value to potential customers though blogging, but how can you blog if you don’t even know what your product is? Or don’t even have a subject to talk about.

You’ve heard that it’s important to do ‘online marketing’ but since you haven’t sold any product yet, you’ve got no money for paid advertising. You assume social media is a free way to spread the word, but have no idea where to start aside from setting up some profiles.

Going back to our rowboat metaphor. What you need is a compass in your hand, and someone to point the direction to paddle.

My intention is to point you in the correct direction by outlining a series of posts that will act as your compass, helping you stay on course while you develop your online business.

I started my first business overly optimistic. I was completely blind to what lay ahead, and to how I should have prepared for it. I didn’t even know the questions to be asking. I made a lot of costly mistakes.

Although I am surely not a seasoned expert with decades of business savvy. I feel that you can benefit from the mistakes I’ve made, and learn from the things I’ve figured out so far.

This post outlines my upcoming series based on these lessons I’ve learned, the techniques and tools I’ve found useful, and lot’s of tips and tricks (especially if you are set up with a Mac).

I hope you find this series to be highly valuable while setting up your online business. Below is a general outline that will most likely change quite a bit, and be filled in slower than I intend to at this moment, but please enjoy, and feel free to let me know any specific topics you would like to see covered in the near future.

 

Where to start

Establishing and documenting your business goals and plan.

Choosing a web site / blog platform

Blogging for Business

The difference between wordpress.com and wordpress.org

Choosing a WordPress framework / theme / child theme

 

 Online Marketing

Developing a keyword strategy

Developing a content strategy

Creating landing pages

SEO

Paid advertising (Google AdWords)

Developing organic search traffic

Social media

Email lists

Auto-responders

Lead nurturing

A/B Split testing

sign-up forms

eBooks

Copywriting

 

 Tips and Tricks

Cognitive Productivity

Working with text / keyboard on a Mac

Becoming your own editorial manager / copy editor

Maintaining your Mac

Implementing new tools into your workflow

 

 Useful Tools and Services

Evernote

Text Expander

Moz

Dropbox

The Adobe Suite

Alfred

Flux

Automator

Keyboard Maestro

DreamShot

Better Touch Tool

1Password

Backup

Omnifocus

Hazel

Skitch

Space Gremlin

Super Duper