Getting started
Don’t need to feel disheartened.
Hello, Ben here.
Listen to our latest episode here :)
My wife is starting something new.
Not like that.
She’s just completed four years of training and clinical supervision and is about to qualify as a homeopath.
Because of this, we’ve been thinking about all the start-up questions a new business owner goes through.
How will I get clients?
How do I set my prices in a way that doesn’t put people off, but also doesn’t make them bite my hand off?
Will anyone show up?
Can I do this on my own?
Why hasn’t Ben written the copy for my website yet?
(Oops, sorry.)
Obviously, she’s an avid listener of indie business club. But it’s still daunting stepping out on your own.
Here’s three things we’ve done to try and reduce the overwhelm:
Get comfortable with saying your price early. Deciding on pricing before you start having conversations with potential clients will stop you clamming up or feeling put on the spot when you’re asked to tell someone how much you’re charging. Top tip, it sounds daft but standing in front of a mirror and saying your price out loud to yourself really works.
Tell everyone what you’re doing. This might sound incredibly obvious, but have a think about all the non-work people you meet on a day to day basis. For me, it’s people at the gym, other parents on the school run etc. I probably only know what about 5% of them do for a living. Mrs McK has been telling people for the last two years what she’s training towards, and those no-sell conversations have slowly turned into people interested in her services. It means that she’ll start her practice with some momentum (and 5 patients!).
Anticipate what resources you need and get things sorted as early as you can. In her case it’s the natural remedies she’l prescribe to patients, a space to work from, a website (😬), some printed stationery. We’ve been steadily building up a stock of these things over the last year which has meant her start-up costs have been spread out rather than one big lump, and she’s ready now to jump straight in to treating people. (I know, I know, I’ll get the website sorted next).
If you’re starting something new, or you have done recently, then our most recent episode is just for you. It’s called Roll With It and you can listen below.
Ben & Mel
Find our producer, theme composer and potential new starter of something Ant Henderson on LinkedIn and you can watch older episodes of the show on YouTube here.
PS: indie business club is now on THE GRAM (I think that’s what the kids are calling it). Connect with us on there @indiebusinessclubpod
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The back catalogue
27 Music Sounds Better WithYou: audio branding
26 You Get What You Give: outsourcing
25 Frankly Mr Shankly: testimonials
24 Let’s Go Surfing: LIVE Q&A episode
23 Separated by motorways: working with friends
22 Bloc Party: celebrating wins
21 Got Your Money: pricing part 2
20 Joy Division: work/life balance
19 Daytripper: conferences part deux
18 The Day We Caught The Train: conferences ft Nick Crawford and Lorna Smart
17 Hanging On The Telephone: ghosting ft Will Slater and Heather Pownall
16 Heart Shaped Box: niching ft Ayo Abbas and Raymond Manzor
15 The Masterplan: goal setting ft Janine Coombes and friends
b-side Word of the year
b-side LinkedIn revisited
14 Handbags and Gladrags: industry awards ft Charles Commins and Fab Giovannetti
13 You’re The Voice: tone Of Voice ft Nick Parker, Rishi Dastidar and Amy Nolan
12 Plug In Baby: software ft Jo Shock and Jack Chambers-Ward
11 Somebody Told Me: referrals ft Bob Burg and Penni and Jo Pickering
10 Paranoid Android: AI vs creativity ft Tom Albrighton and Molly Scanlan
09 Shiny Happy People: personal brands ft Lea Turner and Steve Folland
08 Chasing Rainbows: business planning ft. Alastair Thomson and Melanie Johnson
07 A Design For Life: creating for yourself with guest co-host Dan Nelken ft. Penny Brazier and The McKinneys
06 I Bet You Look Good On The Timeline: social media ft. Dave Harland and Jonathan Wilcock
05 Flaming Lips: public speaking ft. Pascalle Bergmans, Becki Wilson and Nikki Pilkington
04 A Little Respect: client relationships ft. Jodie Newman and Sophie Cross
03 All Together Now: communities ft. Mark Masters and Ant Henderson
02 It’s Oh So Quiet: finding clients ft. John Lyons and Bonnie Harrington
01 Fools Gold: pricing your projects ft. Tom Garfield and Ange Lyons
00 What’s The Story? Podcast origins