Business Bootcamp: 7 Weeks to Start Your Own Business

Here are some key points of this lesson:

• To be successful, you need to know your customers, your competitors, and your industry
• Knowing these things will help you structure your company, build a brand, know how much to charge, set yourself apart
• Specifically, find out what other freelancers/companies in your niche offer
• Common Market Research Mistake - Using only web resources
• Market research should continue as your business grows

Here are some key points of this lesson:

• Knowing your audience affects how you position yourself, your branding and marketing strategies
• Start with basic demographics
• Develop a customer profile
• Monitor and evolve

Here are some key points of this lesson:

• Knowing your competitors can help you to set yourself apart
• Here are 3 tools to research your competition
• Be a Secret Shopper

Here are some key points for this lesson:

• What is a value proposition?
• Basically - what sets you apart from the competition?
• 3 Steps to your Value Proposition

Here are some key points for this lesson:

• A strategy is important so that you can stay focused and complete your goals.
• Look back at your goals (remember Video 2, week 1)
• What steps do you need to take to achieve these goals?
• If you start to feel burnt out, look at your goal

Here are some key points to this lesson:

• Steps to creating your own brand:
  • Do your research
  • Choose a name
  • Create a logo
  • Define your voice
  • Build your website - most likely the #1 way people will find you, and purchase products/services from you.
  • Social Media

• Complete Wordpress tutorial
• other resources for building websites

Here are some key points to this lesson:

• Complete Wordpress tutorial
• other resources for building websites

Here are some key points to this lesson:

• Complete Wordpress tutorial
• other resources for building websites

Here are some key points to this lesson:

• Email marketing is not dead
• Advantages of email
• How to start building your email list
• How I doubled my daily opt-ins in 3 steps

Here are some key points to this lesson:

• Email marketing is not dead
• Advantages of email
• How to start building your email list
• How I doubled my daily opt-ins in 3 step

Here are some key points to this lesson:

• Creating a killer portfolio
• How to get great testimonials when starting out

Here are some key points to this lesson:

• You want your clients to be your fans
• Building a social media presence can bolster your professionalism
• Tips for Using Social Media for Success

Welcome to the fourth week of your business bootcamp. In this section, you'll learn how to get your first gigs. Using family and friends is not just a way to find your first job, but also a way to build your portfolio. You'll learn how to find targeted customers and much more!

Here are some key points to this lesson:

• Family and friends come first
• If you’re moonlighting, ask your co-workers
• Announce your new venture to the world via social media
• The #1 Way to get your first client

Here are some key points to this lesson:

• How to use 7 sources to find targeted customers
• Why an email list is one of your best sources

Here are some key points to this lesson:

• How to use 7 sources to find targeted customers
• Why an email list is one of your best sources

Here are some key points to this lesson:

• Deciding how much to charge for products and services is difficult. I’ve struggled to figure out my own pricing models, and continue to adjust pricing according to the market (supply and demand).
• Tip: set prices according to the quality of your work, not the quantity
• Make sure to cover all of your expenses, taxes, and equipment costs
• Charging per project or an hourly rate

Here are some key points to this lesson:

• Having a routine is one of the most important things for successfully freelancing
• Tips for having a solid routine:
• What systems can you put in place to be a more efficient worker?

Welcome to the fifth week of your business bootcamp. In this section, you look at my own 6-figure business and how I was able to grow it to over $100,000 per year. Then we learn more ways to increase prices and negotiate deals.

Here are some key points in this lesson:

• How did I increase my yearly income by 328%+?
• Have multiple streams of income
• Make sure to set yourself apart as a premium freelancer
• Invest time into creating passive income streams

Here are some key points in this lesson:

• You need to close deals to make money, stay in business, and do what you love
• Tips to closing the deal

Here are some key points in this lesson:

• A contract is a formal agreement between two parties, in writing and legally binding
• A contract can save you from being taken advantage of by a client
• Things to include in a contract:
• Contracts are very important and legally binding, therefore it’s always good to get professional legal advice if you have any concerns

Here are some key points in this lesson:

• An invoice is a document issued to the client that describes the agreed upon product(s) services and price
• Once you have finished a job, you send an invoice to the client
• A basic invoice contains
• While you can use applications like Quickbooks to create invoices, I just use Microsoft Word
• Use the sample invoice that I’ve provided to build your own template

Here are some key points in this lesson:

• Finding long-term clients is the best way to long-term freelancing success
• Pounding the pavement and having to hustle every week or two to find new freelancing gigs will get old
• The answer to this is finding clients that can re-hire you
• Upselling and Cross-selling
• Upselling helps to build deeper relationships with your customers
• Upselling is easier than finding new customers
• My personal experience upselling & cross-selling

Here are some key points in this lesson:

• Starting out as a Sole Proprietorship
• LLC - Limited Liability Company
• S-Corp
• Incorporating your business increases your credibility
• How do you do it?

Here are some key points in this lesson:

• However you do your bookkeeping, tracking all of your finances is a crucial part to freelance success
• Reasons to methodically track finances:
• Separating your business finances with a new bank account
• Bookkeeping software like Quickbooks is a great software for tracking income and expenses

Here are some key points in this lesson:

• Why do we have to pay taxes?
• Why do we have to pay more taxes as a freelancer?
• Tips for doing taxes

Here are some key points in this lesson:

• One of the best parts of freelancing is being able to write off expenses
• Expenses decrease your net income, and therefore decrease your taxes
• Keep track of when, where, and how much with receipts
• Basic expenses that you can deduct

Here are some key points in this lesson:

• Build a relationship that goes beyond client/vendor
• Have open communication
• Align your vision before the project begins
• Listen to them
• Be the expert
• Keep a list of your clients

• Your Customer Lifetime Value is an important stat for understanding how to make business decisions
• CLV is basically how much revenue you earn from a customer minus any expenses on acquiring and serving them
• By knowing your CLV, you can...

• Email Automation
• Social Media Automation
• Finance Automation

Here are some key points in this lesson:

• Managing time is the number 1 complaint I get from new freelancers and entrepreneurs
• Most people are trying to start a side business while working full time
• Many people have families (spouses, kids, parents) to take care of
• How does one succeed at freelancing?
• My personal struggle with managing time
• Now that I freelance full time, how do I manage my time

Here are some key points in this lesson:

• Rapid audience growth through partnerships
• Examples from my own experience:
• How to find a good partner

Here are some key points in this lesson:

• Find new customers with these brand building strategies
• You’ve already created your brand, now is the time to expose it to the world
• How I built my brand from scratch

By now, you're well on your way to having a successful business. I just want to take a moment to thank you and wish you good luck!