On Monday I published a blog post stating my case for “Why Writers Must Be Entrepreneurs.” The next day a See Jane Write member very honestly shared this: “I saw the post about writers being entrepreneurs, but I just don’t know how to get started.”
And for this particular woman it is crucial that she get started because she recently quit a soul-draining job to pursue her dreams.
I realized that I needed to design a clear path to help give some guidance for this crazy, but beautiful journey called entrepreneurship, a path that you could follow whether you’d left your day job or not.
As a writer and blogger you need three things to become an entrepreneur: your platform, your people, and your product.
Your Platform
Obviously, if you’re going to build a business with your words, you must have a blog and an active social media presence. But if you’re going to be an entrepreneur you also must build your brand. Thinking of yourself as a brand may feel gross or even wrong. But it’s not.
Your brand is quite simply your story.
Defining your brand is also about defining your values. What is most important to you? What beliefs are core to who you are and what you do? What’s your mission? What’s your worldview? What’s your vision for your life — both personally and professionally?
Defining your brand is also about being mindful of your visuals. As writers, we tend to only think about words, but in the age of the Internet and social media, visuals are SO important. Consider the visuals you will use to help people recognize your brand. This includes photos of yourself (such professional head shots), your signature colors (mine are deep pink, black and white), and your logo.
Your People
You can’t run a successful business without customers. So once you know who you are, figure out whom you serve. Determine your ideal reader/customer and then, as Danielle LaPorte says, “Find your tribe and love them hard.”
Use your blog and social media channels to build your email list.
Use guest posting, speaking engagements, and live events (either virtual or in-person) to reach new audiences.
Use Facebook groups to build community around your brand.
Your Product
Now that you have your people you need something to sell to them!
Remember, though, don’t start selling to your people immediately. First you need to build trust by offering them very valuable content for free. A good rule of thumb is to offer the what and the why for free and sell the how.
So how do you determine what your product or service should be? Listen to your people. What questions are they asking? What are they struggling with? What do they need your help doing? Use this to develop both your free content and the products and services that you will sell.
One of the best ways for bloggers to make money is to create courses and coaching programs centered on the focus of their blog.
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I understand I just essentially gave you a massive to-do list and you’re probably thinking that you need help through each of these steps. And the truth is if you bought a different course or e-book for each of the things you need to do to become an entrepreneur you’d spend thousands of dollars. And chances are you don’t have thousands of dollars to throw around because you either just quit your day job or you’re saving up to quit soon.
I have good news for you.
I recently partnered with One Woman Shop to help them promote their Solopreneur Success Bundle, which offers 20 products, worth over $1600, that can help you take your blog and your business to the next level. And you can get this bundle through September 16 for only $99!
Let’s take a look at what’s inside:
Offerings in the bundle that will help you polish your platform by whipping your blog and social media into shape include:
Create a Year’s Worth of Social Media Graphics by Jess Freeman (Retail value: $29). This 26-page PDF guide is for entrepreneurs and freelancers who are frustrated by their lack of social engagement, and want to create beautiful, branded social media graphics.
BluChic WordPress theme by Kathie Wiehanne (Retail value: $79). Feminine WordPress themes that give you confidence that your website is attracting and converting the right customers for your business. (I use a BluChic theme for my site!)
Blog Beautiful by Marianne Manthey (Retail value: $24). A 178-page e-book is more than just a book with a list of tips: It’s a self-paced course for creating a professional looking blog without spending thousands.
Offerings in the bundle that will help you find your people and grow your email list and community include:
Facebook Ads for List Building byBianca McKenzie (Value: $297). A step-by-step, 6-module course for creating, testing and getting results from Facebook ads. No more second guessing. Grow your mailing list faster and with confidence.
Growing With Groups by Val Geisler (Retail value: $97. A 10-module, DIY course designed to help you navigate marketing your business in Facebook Groups without feeling sleazy, salesy, or silly.
Get Famous by Melissa Bolton (Retail value: $37). Great publicity is for everyone, not just huge brands. Get Famous teaches you the same strategies Melissa used to get into O Magazine, Working Mother, Entrepreneur, and more.
Offerings in the bundle that will help you create, price, and sell your products and services include:
CourseCraft Pro Upgrade, x2 by Sara Funduk (Retail value: $98). CourseCraft’s Pro upgrade gets you unlimited participants, unlimited uploads, a customized URL, the ability to bundle your courses, and free custom branding. (This is the platform I use for my e-courses.)
Launch Playbook by Farideh Ceaser (Retail value: $98). Digital guide leading you through all the elements of a launch in an easy step-by-step manner, with checklists, budgets, calendars and more. (I used Farideh’s launch guide to make over $2,000 on the first launch of my signature e-course, Lady Blogger to Boss Lady.)
Get Paid – How to Price Your Packages and Services by Rebecca Tracey (Retail value: $35). The mother of all how-tos for determining your prices, whether you’re just getting started or have been in biz for a while.
And this isn’t even half of what all you get in the bundle. Click here for a complete list of offerings and to purchase the Solopreneur Success Bundle today for only $99. Remember, this offer expires at 11:59 ET on Friday, Sept. 16.
Disclaimer: Purchasing the Solopreneur Success Bundle through the links in this post will result in my business receiving compensation. I appreciate you trusting my opinion on the products that will help you better your business!