My Favorite "Start Your Own Business" Resources

Welcome to another edition of my Weekly Journal! I use this space to share about my journey from lawyer to jewelry business owner. In this week's journal entry I am sharing some practical resources, like my favorite podcasts and online teachers, if you want to start your own business someday or grow a business you already have. 

If you've already started down the business ownership pathway, you know that no one can teach you how to do it. There is no manual, guide, or checklist. When someone asks me, "How did you start your own business?" my mind almost goes blank. There is so much involved in answering that question it would probably take me 5 days to write about it! If you've spent 10 years working as a teacher or lawyer or nurse, you'd probably feel the same way if someone asked you, "How did you become a great teacher (or lawyer, or nurse, etc)?" While I can't tell you "how to do it" I can share some really good resources. Everything from books to podcasts to paid courses that I learned from during my business journey. 

Before I list some of my favorite resources can we just take a moment to be thankful for the Internet? I'm sure it was a lot harder to start a business 30 or 40 years ago. Just search "how to start an online business" in Google and you'll be bombarded with ads from teachers offering webinars on the topic. And, honestly, that's how I initially found all the helpful courses, podcasts, articles, etc that guided me on my business journey. You've got to weed through all the teachers and offerings out there to find what resonates with you, but it doesn't cost a dime to do that type of research and you'll learn a lot along the way. Then, when you find one or two or three teachers that resonate with you, you can consider taking one of their paid online courses. Do this if there's a topic you need to become more advanced in. For me, it was Facebook and Instagram Ads. That is truly how I've grown my business into a multi six-figure business, but you can't just jump into Instagram and start running ads. I took a 12-week intensive course on ads and I would highly recommend you do the same before wasting any money on social media ads (it WILL be a waste of money if you don't know what you're doing). Maybe social media ads will be what you invest in too - or maybe there's a different area that you will need to master to become successful. Every business is different and needs to decide that for themselves.

Ok, so here it goes. Here are some of my favorite business resources in no particular order:

B-School by Marie Forleo
My business ideas/plan looked VERY different before I took Marie Forleo's B-School course, which wasn't cheap but the hands-down best investment I ever made in myself and my business. But before you consider investing in her course too, check out all of her free content. It's probably easiest to start with her video series on YouTube. She has a podcast too (which I think is the video content turned into audio). Her website is https://www.marieforleo.com/

Jenna Kutcher
She offers a ton of great content online, in both video, podcast, and blog format. She also offers paid courses. I took her Pinterest for Business course and I thought it was well done. Her website is https://jennakutcher.com/

Amy Porterfield
Amy is one of the original "online business" teachers. I've never taken any of her paid courses, but I've listened to some of her free webinars, courses, and podcasts. She is great at teaching you how to build an email list (and why that is so important). Her website is https://www.amyporterfield.com/

Beth Anne of Brilliant Business Moms
I'm not a mom and you might not be either, but don't let it deter you from checking out the offerings of Brilliant Business Moms. The owner, Beth Anne, is far more practical than any other teacher I've come across. She knows what it is like to run a small business because she runs one herself. (Side note: yes, yes, believe it or not, there are teachers out there who have NEVER tried to run their own small business but profess they can teach you how to do it. Watch out for these types!!!!) 

I took Beth Anne's Facebook Ads Intensive course and I would highly recommend it to anyone wanting to scale their business using Facebook and Instagram ads. Just be aware that this is an intense program, just like the title says, so if you aren't committed to learning this topic, do not sign up. Here is her website: https://brilliantbusinessmoms.com/

Kaity Griffin
Kaity is a Google Ads teacher and she knows what she's talking about because she too once had her own successful online store. She presents information in a quick and easy way. She can boil down hard topics into digestable bites. I enrolled in her Google Ads course. Here is her website: https://kaitygriffin.com/

Podcasts:
Marie Forleo's podcast

Jenna Kutcher's podcast called Goal Digger

Amy Porterfield's podcast called Online Marketing Made Easy

Rick Mulready's podcast called The Art of Online Business (don't start here first - this is more advanced)

Chill and Prosper with Denise Duffield-Thomas (a good podcast for any woman business owner)

Next Level Facebook Ads with Phil Graham

Ben Heath on YouTube (he shares information on Facebook and Instagram Ads and recently started teaching about Google Ads)

Allie Bloyd on YouTube (also teaches about Facebook and Instagram Ads)

How I Built This with Guy Raz (unlike the above, you won't learn practical advice here, but you'll learn how other businesses started and grew which is very helpful and inspirational too)

There you have it! Start with this smaller list and you'll naturally stumble upon so many other teachers and resources. 

I hope you're able to learn something valuable from my own experiences. My wish is for everyone to know the feeling of doing work that brings them joy. It truly is an unbelievable gift to not dread Mondays and hope for Friday's fast arrival. If you'd like my Weekly Journal sent straight to your inbox every week, click here to subscribe.

P.S. Are you on Pinterest? I have a Weekly Journal board on Pinterest so you can easily navigate my journal entries. You can view and follow the board by clicking here. I've written so much about quitting my lawyer job to start g+h over the past few years and I want to make it easier for you to access and read the entries that resonate most!

xoxo,
Stacy