The “START UP” method- starting with no money and not all the answers, and doing it anyways.
A behind the scenes look at how I ran the START UP Workshop- using free resources from the workshop, spending no money, and starting before I had all the answers on how the hell I was going to do it.
I was about to send out an email with 5 free resources because I thought it would be quick and easy. A couple of descriptive lines, a link, maybe a referral link, and done. I hadn’t sent an email out to people in a while and I wanted to stay in touch.
I started typing and in normal Autumn Over Sharer fashion I just kept typing. I looked down and realized I had A LOT to say about just these 5 resources and about 10 more were on the tip of my tongue.
I thought… this is kinda genius… I could totally do more with this, but… can I really pull off a workshop?
I jumped to Instagram stories and put up a poll. Would anyone even be interested??
I decided in my head that if I got just 10 people who said they were interested I would go ahead with it.
And that’s the exact number I got. 10 people.
Running an entire workshop was a risky move based on 10 people in a random story poll, but I looked at the people who had answered and I had faith that if I did put something awesome together enough would keep their word and join me, and hopefully it would grow from there! Thank you to the O.G. 10, because they gave me that “permission” to get started!
Making the marketing content was easy. Making the web page was easy. These are all things I love to do.
But… how was I going to host it? Record it for the replay? Host the replay? Accept payment? Get the link to people? The questions started to pile up. I did a few quick Google searches to ease my mind, and…
I put it up for sale.
Yes. I was advertising and selling a workshop that I didn’t even entirely understand how I was going to even host or deliver it.
But I didn’t care, because I knew I would find the answers.
I also knew I had to START somewhere.
I also knew
I had to
START
somewhere.
It was funny to watch me start something with the same attitude I was going to later teach… yet at the time I sure as hell wasn’t going to clue people in on the fact that behind the scenes I was still getting my shit together! At the time I knew I couldn’t be that relatable!
Why? Because I know how people can judge this phase of things. People want to see someone who is confident with all the answers.
And to be fair I was damn confident and FULL of answers for the content I was about to teach. I would NEVER sell education (or anything for that matter) that I knew nothing about. THAT is NOT where we “fake it till we make it.” But it wasn’t the education I didn’t know. It was how to deliver it. I was also very confident I could and would find all the solutions to my little problems with enough research and time. And I did.
I think if you have never started something before you might make the assumption that the other people who have, have it all figured out, and if they don’t then they aren’t as___________ (fill in the blank: smart, good at what they do, professional, etc.).
I think if you have started things before you know that we are all constantly, behind the scenes, just in the process of figuring things out. We’re just not blasting that journey publicly. That’s why individuals have brainstorming sessions, cooperations hold big meetings, business owners join networking groups, and so on. No one is just born with the innate understanding of how to run their business or perform their craft. They learn.
I choose to share this behind the scenes journey so people can see- this phase of not having it all together happens, to everyone, all the time. It’s not you. It’s the process of evolution.
I have actually gotten to a place in business before where I had all the answers and I actually think that’s what started my demise. The fun challenge, the puzzle, the questions… it was all figured out. And I got bored. And I quit for 2 years.
So! After I launched I began to research all my questions and continue to market. I actually used 12 / 20 free resources I talk about in the worshop to get the job done! I didn’t spend 1 dime to advertise, host, record, or sell the Workshop. My website is an expense I have been paying for yearly for years, so that was already covered but there are websites and online shops I could actually use for free to do this if I needed to, which I talk all about in the workshop!
As the big day approached I knew I had to do a trial run and get more organized. I did every step as I would on the actual day with my husband- testing video, audio, recording, links, etc. I was nervous I would forget all the steps so I meticulously wrote them down step by step, even with pictures so I wouldn’t forget how to get the slideshow live. Again- these are the things that NO ONE sees that gives the illusion some of us are so friggin smart and these things come natural, when in all reality there are things we are still learning as we go, no matter how many years or decades we have been in business!
After that I looked through the script I had written and decided to print it out. I was nervous I would leave something important out, so I propped it up behind the screen as I did the workshop. You’ll see me in the workshop move the papers around and refer to my notes because I later figured- I am human, not a robot, and having notes is normal and acceptable. These are all things you can do too. No one is expecting you to show up with 2 hours of information perfectly stored in your brain.
Once the whole thing was finished my next task was getting the replay up, and yes… I was STILL solving “problems” even AFTER the workshop had wrapped up! I went with my first idea of how to creatively host it on my site, of course not upgrading to the plan for courses…I sent out an email letting people know the replay was available.
At this point it had dawned on me that what I had put together was actually very valuable and pretty epic, and I had the ability to sell the replay as its own workshop! Now I had just taken a live event and made it a constant offering I could sell online at any time! I reworded all the marketing material, removed “live” and updated some images. I added A TON of info to the sales page, since I could now more easily verbalize what the hell was in the worksop, because it had happened! It was here when I looked at all I had created and realized- holy cow! This is A LOT. I knew I couldn’t undervalue all my hard work and 13 years of experience and education, so I increased the price and told the world about it again.
It was on the morning of this second launch that I was STILL tweaking things! Moving links, re-uploading content on the website that wasn’t working like I thought, and adding to my brainstorming list of things that I can STILL possibly add on!! I was thrilled to see on the second launch people were still buying, even after I assumed everyone was so tried of hearing about it!
This is also a huge lesson in- never stop talking about what you have created!
My point with all of this- no one has it all figured out right away, if ever. It’s the START that matters. It’s the DOING. It’s the belief in yourself and what you have to offer the world. The rest will follow. You will find answers. It doesn’t have to cost you anything. And what you don’t know doesn’t have to define you or hold you back.
SO START.
Are you ready to FINALLY start, but you’re worried you don’t have the cash flow to get you going?
That’s EXACTLY why I created the START UP in the first place!
20 FREE resources to get your business started (or your art sold!) and keep growing!
I not only share the resources and provide easy links to find them (along with any additional perks you can get with my referal links) I explain WHY you even need them for your business in the first place and how to use them to GROW!
