"My First Year in Business"

My First Year in Business

What we think we need for money and resources to start a business is often not accurate. Depending on the type of business, you might need to outlay some cash early, but when it came to resources, we were able to launch without new computers (we primarily used our own personal laptops); we went without a fancy website (we put one together four or five months into the business, but we relied on my blog to drive awareness); and we went without any traditional marketing whatsoever (we used blogging, speaking gigs, and Twitter to land 100% of our business). Our costs were almost all salary since our business is consulting.

Sure, our office didn’t have an amazing view. Our chairs and desks weren’t in top condition (they worked‚ mostly). We didn’t run out and buy Macbook Pros right away. We used our personal cell phones. But they all helped us get the job done.

Takeaway: Focus on what you need to drive the business, not the “trappings” of a company.