Episode# 006 How To Start A Business With No Money
June 6, 2024
Unlocking Success: Launching a Profitable Business with Zero Marketing Budget
Episode Description:
In this episode of Marketing Strategies Uncovered, your host Rebecca Van Diest sits down with Joaquín Herrera, the creative force behind Blazing Heart Productions. Joaquín shares his journey from a visual artist in the VHS era to a seasoned video production expert. Learn about the evolution of video marketing, the art of storytelling, and the importance of respecting your audience.
Joaquín discusses his dual passions for film and martial arts, and how they intersect in his promotional work. He offers insights into creating impactful video content, emphasizing the importance of high-quality sound, brand consistency, and the intelligent use of modern technology.
Discover practical tips for making clients comfortable on camera, crafting effective video marketing strategies, and the potential future trends in the industry. Whether you're a seasoned marketer or just starting, Joaquín's experiences and advice will inspire you to elevate your video marketing game.
Tune in to explore the power of video in today's digital landscape and how thoughtful, creative approaches can make all the difference in your marketing success.
Secret Podcast: 4 Part Audio Training and Free Workbook: CLICK HERE
Full Transcription:
Hey, friends, and welcome to another episode of Marketing Strategies Uncovered. I'm Rebecca Van Deist, your host, and today we are going to talk about how to start a new business with basically zero dollars for your marketing. I'm really excited to dive into this. We're gonna discuss what's important in the very beginning, some things that you might want to think about as you grow, but this way you're not going to waste any money.
You're going to be profitable from day one. I'm really excited, so let's go ahead and get started.
I wanted to do this episode because some of you might be just getting started with your business, maybe you're really new and you're not really sure what to do for your marketing yet. So let's talk about what's gonna give you the most, bang for your buck.
You might have heard that if you're not making money, you don't have a business. You actually have a hobby at this point. And so you want to be really cautious of where you're spending money.
Funds are probably really tight, and you don't want to be wasting money on a business idea that you don't even know is valid or not really profitable yet. So let's go ahead and dig into what you can do.
I just read the book Million Dollar Weekend. And this talks about validating your business idea before you start spending money.
It's really interesting and I'd never really thought about it from this perspective. With me, I love marketing so much that in my head the first thing I do is I go buy my domain name, I put up a website, and it doesn't always work out. And if you can relate to that, let me know. I'd be glad to know that I'm not the only one.
But reading that book, he talked about not getting carried away spending money, before you're making any money.
So not buying a website, not buying equipment, not paying people to do things for you. I know this can be really difficult for me. I like to feel like I have something that looks good to present to people vs you really just need to validate you have a good idea. You have to find out if there's a need for what you want to do. It makes sense, right?
Some common misconceptions about this could be that saying of, you have to spend money to make money? And I think that's really not necessary. Especially depending on what you want to do, it'd really be ideal to actually line up some jobs first and pre sell your offer if at all possible.
Somebody that I really like to follow on YouTube, she's always got some great stories of different business ideas, is Cody Sanchez. She loves to talk about boring business ideas that cost little to no money to start up. And I love hearing about different business ideas.
Last week, I actually decided to start a cleaning business. But I'm not going to do any of the cleaning myself. I'm actually going to outsource all of it because I don't have a lot of extra physical energy or time. I've got a lot going on at my house, my property, and just life in general. I'm also running Clickers 2 Clients, so I have to take that into consideration. We're just going to kind of see how that all goes.
After reading the Million Dollar Weekend book, I did my research, and the first thing I did is I found out if there is a need in my area for this type of business. Some things that I found out when I was researching is I looked into local Facebook groups near me, and what I noticed is yes, there is lots of people asking: "Is there a cleaning business around here?" Sometimes it seems like there are one off people that do it, but nothing legit, nothing that you can Google, or anything comes up when you search: my city cleaning company or cleaning company near me.
And what does come up is really bad Google My Business profiles. Nobody has a website attached. And the businesses that are there, are very few. And I think what's happening in my area, is what is here is kind of maxed out.
I was actually looking for accountants near me, about 30 minutes away, and one that I really liked the most said they're not accepting any new clients right now. So it just shows the demand is there for businesses in my area. And honestly, I think jobs are in demand, too.
Something I want to do is be a really good employer. I want to be a good company that people want to work for. I want to pay well, have good benefits, have a good incentive that people want to do quality work, want to stick with me long term. And I guess that is part of my marketing is I'm actually going to, have this all on my listing for hiring people, is letting them know what I offer, what makes me different. So hopefully that'll help me stand out and I'll find some good quality people to help actually do the cleaning.
And the third part of my research is I watched some YouTube videos. Just like you would with Google, I went into YouTube and I put how to open a cleaning business. And I found this lady, The Professional Cleaner, and she has a very different view on marketing when you're opening a new cleaning business and keeping your costs very low.
Surprisingly, she doesn't think you should have a website or waste your time doing social media. These are things that she still doesn't do after 20 years of being in the cleaning industry. I love that she's successful.
She has a six figure business. She doesn't have a website. So I did want to include her in this episode because it's really interesting that you don't actually need a website. What she did do for her marketing, where she did spend some money, is she got business cards that it looks like she designed herself.
She actually had a successful business in Florida, and then moved to a whole other state like 2,000 miles away. She actually invested in a newspaper ad when she moved. Honestly, I wouldn't even do that. I wouldn't recommend putting in a newspaper ad unless you know that your ideal client are going to be looking at the newspaper. I kind of feel like that's outdated at this time. She said that she did that five years ago, and I think even five years ago, more people were getting physical newspapers, than they do now. Most people now, they are Googling, they're looking at Google My Business profiles, and they're looking at websites.
They're trusting Google to match them with the service that they need. So in my opinion, I would do that. But if you're on a budget, it just shows you don't need a whole lot. Tell people what you're doing and do free things like a business Facebook account. Those can actually come up in search results.
Honestly, you don't even need a business card. I actually hired somebody and paid him thousands of dollars to remove several trees on my property. He didn't have a business card. I contacted him on Facebook, he has a business profile account there and I messaged him. The truck he was driving wasn't even branded when he did the interview to work for me, and I chose to hire him. And he didn't need to be licensed until he actually got the job, right? So you don't even need to spend money on licensing until you know that you have a job lined up and you could even pre sell that job, letting people know, "Hey, can you give me 10% or a hundred dollars up front just to secure your spot on my calendar?"
Whatever you wanna do, whatever feels good to you. So what this lady did is she actually relies more on networking, or leaving handwritten cards with the businesses, or on people's doors if she wants to work in a neighborhood, and she just puts her business card inside.
She does recommend going to business owners and talking to them face to face. You can do networking, so going to things like the local chamber of commerce, you can do this for free. You don't have to be a member to visit, and you can get your name out there. This is a really great way to network, and if you don't have business cards yet, what I would do is just have your cell phone out like it's just totally normal for you and saying, "Oh, hey, I would love to stay in touch with you.
What is it that you do again?" Put in their name and their phone number, send them a text with your name and phone number, so that way they have that saved and maybe book a one to one getting together at a coffee shop if they're going to be a good referral partner for you. And just make it sound like, Oh, this is just what I do. You know, feel confident in yourself, feel confident in your business. And again, you don't need anything for that, it's completely free.
How she talked about networking face to face and referrals being such a huge part of her business, reminds me of how I scaled Clickers 2 Clients, my digital marketing business. And I got that to six figures just with networking and with referrals. So it really does show it does work. I love having a website because it makes me feel more confident, but is it a need? No. Did I need it in the very beginning? No. I Could have definitely gotten away with a Facebook business page, things that could make me still feel comfortable and professional, but not really costing me a lot of money.
So these are some really great ways to validate you have a good business idea. Are people willing to pay you, work with you, hire you, before you're spending a lot of money? If you do feel like you need business cards, I actually created and designed mine on Canva. And I got 100 for $30 just to start out with. It's not the cheapest version, so it just shows you can still get decent quality business cards for not a lot of money.
Also what I like about getting a small amount of business cards is it lets you see it in person and then you know if you like it and if you want to reorder. Something that I realized this morning is I'd really like to add a QR code. So I'm glad that I didn't order a whole bunch in the beginning.
A great first step if this is your first business, your first idea, is to try and get three people who will give you money before you start. This will validate your business idea based on the book that we've been talking about. So, you don't need a license, you don't need a bank account, insurance, anything really until you start working, right?
Just validate your business idea and then you'll know if it's worth investing in.
I hope you found this video helpful and I would love to know, how much did you spend to start your business before you made a profit? If you're like a lot of business owners and spent thousands before you made a profit, what would you do differently?
Send me a direct message over on Facebook or leave me a comment on my YouTube channel and just let me know wherever you're watching this or listening to this. I'd love to hear from you.
And since I started talking about this cleaning business, I wanted to let you know that I'm going to be talking about this cleaning business that I'm starting and what I'm doing for my marketing. My goal is to create a six figure business in six months. I'm actually going to talk through this whole thing with a special guest who is a well known business coach and get their feedback live for the podcast. So keep an eye out over the next few weeks for that episode. And I'll share all the details of what I'm doing and the progress that I'm making along the way. We'll get real advice on what steps I should take to make my goal a reality.
That's another tip I'll leave you with today. You don't have to know everything, but find the person that you need to help you and fill in the gaps between what you know and what you need.
Don't be afraid to reach out for help when you need it. Really nobody does anything by themselves. It always takes, a lot of people supporting you to make things happen. Whether that's your referral partners or your friends, your family, your support system, whoever those people may be.
So thank you so much for reading, listening, or watching Marketing Strategies Uncovered and I will talk to you soon.
Episode Description: In this episode of "Marketing Strategies Uncovered," host Rebecca is joined by Jade Chabelski of Maven and Muse Media to explore the powerful impact of social media on event promotion. Jade shares her expertise in social media management and content creation, offering practical tips on how to effectively use platforms like Instagram and Facebook to boost event attendance and engagement. From the importance of early and frequent promotion to leveraging user-generated content and collaborating with local vendors, Jade provides a comprehensive guide to supercharging your events. Tune in to discover strategies for both in-person and online events, and learn how to make a lasting impression on your audience. Whether you're a small business owner or a marketing professional, this episode is packed with valuable insights to help you maximize your event's success. Connect with Jade: https://www.mavenandmusemedia.com/ https://www.facebook.com/junkn.jadarie
Episode Description: In this episode of Marketing Strategies Uncovered, your host Rebecca Van Diest sits down with Joaquín Herrera, the creative force behind Blazing Heart Productions. Joaquín shares his journey from a visual artist in the VHS era to a seasoned video production expert. Learn about the evolution of video marketing, the art of storytelling, and the importance of respecting your audience. Joaquín discusses his dual passions for film and martial arts, and how they intersect in his promotional work. He offers insights into creating impactful video content, emphasizing the importance of high-quality sound, brand consistency, and the intelligent use of modern technology. Discover practical tips for making clients comfortable on camera, crafting effective video marketing strategies, and the potential future trends in the industry. Whether you're a seasoned marketer or just starting, Joaquín's experiences and advice will inspire you to elevate your video marketing game. Tune in to explore the power of video in today's digital landscape and how thoughtful, creative approaches can make all the difference in your marketing success.
Episode Description: In this episode of Marketing Strategies Uncovered, we dive into the essentials of optimizing your website for search engines without breaking the bank. Perfect for small business owners and entrepreneurs working with limited funds. Rebecca shares four easy SEO steps you can follow every month. You can choose to implement them yourself or outsource as you can afford to. Learn how to perform effective topic research using ChatGPT, create compelling content, apply on-page SEO techniques, and get valuable backlinks. By the end of this episode, you'll have a clear, actionable plan to improve your website’s visibility and drive organic traffic. Tune in and discover how to make SEO work for you, no matter your budget!
Episode Description: Join host Rebecca Van Diest in this insightful episode of "Marketing Strategies Uncovered" as she delves into the transformative power of subscription services in businesses. Discover how adding subscription models can recession-proof your business, create recurring revenue streams, and enhance customer loyalty. Rebecca shares real-world examples, strategies, and tips on how to integrate subscription services into different industries, making it a must-listen for entrepreneurs, marketers, and business owners seeking sustainable growth. Whether you're looking to unlock new revenue streams, retain customers, or innovate your business model, this episode provides valuable insights and actionable advice to help you succeed in the subscription economy. Tune in to learn how subscriptions can be a game-changer for your business and take your marketing strategies to the next level.
In this episode, Rebecca Cousins shares her journey from corporate America to successful entrepreneur, revealing how she turned a devastating layoff into an opportunity to build her dream business while staying home with her newborn. With over 20 years of experience in marketing and entrepreneurship, Rebecca Cousins specializes in helping online entrepreneurs generate leads and sales using evergreen strategies, funnels, and automations. Listen in as we discuss the power of email list building, the importance of owning your audience, and the evolution of lead magnets in marketing. Discover how the Secret Podcast, a unique blend of podcasting and webinars, can revolutionize your lead generation and sales process, allowing you to nurture prospects and convert them into paying clients seamlessly. Whether you're a seasoned online entrepreneur or just starting your journey, this episode is packed with valuable insights and actionable tips to take your business to the next level. Don't miss out on this enlightening conversation with Rebecca Cousins and uncover the strategies that can transform your business. To learn more about Rebecca Cousins and her transformative programs, visit: SimpleBusinessStartup.com/secret-podcast . Get ready to unlock the secrets of successful online marketing and take your business to new heights.
In this episode, we dive into the journey of a business owner who faced challenges but ultimately found success through effective marketing strategies. We explore the importance of prioritizing marketing efforts, regardless of budget or business stage. The host shares personal experiences and tips on building a strong online presence, including SEO, website creation, social media, and email marketing. The episode emphasizes the need for consistency, goal-setting, and using tools like Google Calendar or Asana to stay organized and focused. Listeners are encouraged to assess their marketing needs, set achievable goals, and commit to consistent action to grow their businesses. Join us on Marketing Secrets Uncovered for more insights and strategies to boost your business success.