How I’d Build My Business Again

WANT TO KNOW HOW I WOULD BUILD MY BUSINESS IF I WAS STARTING FROM SCRATCH?

EPISODE 031 | APPLE PODCASTS | SPOTIFY

Welcome to today’s episode, where we’re taking a bit of a different path. We are talking about what I would be doing inside my business, if I was to start all over again. This is a great episode if you are both in the idea stage or you are a few years in, but in need of some new motivation and perhaps to feel more connected to and excited by your business again.

They are all strategies that you can apply straightaway. I’ll be sharing a list of crucial steps, some I managed to implement relatively quickly into my business, and some that took me several years to figure out. It has taken me years to get to where I am today, and I know that you can do it far quicker than me, and I hope these steps really help you to do exactly that.

Like many of us, my business began simply as an idea, one that took root at my kitchen table with a laptop and a big dream to make it into something more. From those early days to where I am now, leading a brand that has achieved global reach and significant milestones, it’s been full of ups and downs and this episode isn't just about sharing my story, it's about the steps, the real talk on what it takes to build a business, and the honest reflections on what I’d do differently if I were to start all over again.

“Whether you’re scribbling down your first business plan or you’re already on your way to building your empire, I hope what I’ve learnt and I’m sharing today, will very much help and make a difference.”

EMAIL MARKETING & WEBSITE CONTROL

If there's one piece of advice I could go back and hammer home to my earlier self, it would be the importance of building an email list right from the start. In the early days, I was all about getting press coverage, which was great for visibility but it didn't build the direct line to our audience that email marketing does.

Email marketing is not just about sending out messages, it's about building relationships, offering value, and creating a community around your brand. If I were starting over, my first move would be to prioritise setting up an email list.

Choosing a platform that works for you is important. I’ve worked with two over the years, initially Mailchimp and more recently Flodesk. Flodesk is incredibly user-friendly and great if you're keen on design. A few other ones include ConvertKit, which offers amazing integration for creators looking to sell digital products or subscriptions. And Constant Contact is a powerhouse for automation and scaling up your email efforts.

These are systems that you can grow with. They are easy to use. There are so many more. All of these platforms will most likely be confusing to start with and none of them will be absolutely perfect, but take recommendations from those you trust and then stick with the platform, don’t flip flop around, otherwise you will never learn. So often we can feel fearful when it comes to tech, but there are so many guides and so much free support out there, so choose one platform and take the time to get to know it. It might come quickly to you, it might take a bit more time, but commit and take the time to learn and implement, get into the habit of making it work for you, you will be so grateful you did.

“Once you are familiar with the platform, you then need to look at ways of gathering email addresses, these can include:”

Lead generators, which are effectively something of value to your target audience that you give, in exchange for their email address. This can include discounts (e.g., 10% off the first order), free shipping, a downloadable PDF, a mini tutorials, or a guide related to your expertise and brand.

Secondly, website placement; it’s important that your newsletter sign-up is prominently placed on your website, such as in the header, on your homepage or as a pop-up. So when someone visits your website, if they love what they see, there is a way for them to keep in contact with you.

And finally, social media promotion. Use your social media platforms to promote your newsletter and explain the benefits of signing up.

“Once you have begun to gather your email addresses, it’s important to send consistent newsletters, decide how often you want to send an email and stick to it, whether it’s weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. Consistency is so important here. ”

The content you share should be a combination of valuable information linked directly to your business and offerings, and of course promoting your offerings. If you think of any newsletter you are signed up to, including our own, you will be used to receiving regular, consistent valuable content, hence why you are still subscribed and enjoy reading what’s being shared. It might be that you don’t read every one of them, but because they are consistent, that brand is front of mind for when you have time to digest.

By sharing original content consistently, it ensures that you have direct communication with your audience, you know how the algorithms change on social media, you have no control over that, so fostering a stronger and more personal connection via email will have a significant impact on your business. It is the most important way to keep in contact with your audience, your updates help develop a loyal community around your brand, and your subscribers are more likely to become advocates for your products or services.

Moving onto websites, think of your website as your online home base. Initially, I outsourced our website design, thinking it was best left to the professionals. However, I quickly realised the importance of being able to make updates on the fly, without the need to go through someone else every time. This led me to platforms like Squarespace, known for its intuitive design and ease of use, allowing anyone to update their site without needing to know how to code. I sound like I’m an affiliate partner here, as it stands I’m not, I don’t have a connection with Squarespace, other than I have found the platform very easy and enjoyable to use. Being completely transparent though, I’m currently looking at new options because we need a little more than we have just now. I’ll let you know how I get on! For the time being, Squarespace though has worked perfectly for us, for the last six plus years.

I can tweak our site to exactly match our brand's evolving needs, without waiting on or paying extra fees to web designers. It's empowering to take full control of your website, ensuring it always accurately reflects your brand and can be updated as quickly as your ideas come to you.

“In both these foundational areas—email marketing and website management—the lesson is clear: direct engagement with your audience and control over your brand’s online presence are non-negotiable for growth.”

DEEPLY UNDERSTANDING YOUR AUDIENCE

Next up, Understanding your audience. In the early days, I definitely focussed on a far too wide audience, feeling it was important to appeal to everyone. But I quickly learned how important it is to narrow down your focus. It's about really getting to know who you're talking to—what drives them, what challenges they face, and what they dream of achieving. Whether you are providing life changing offerings or you are supplying something in the entertainment or luxury sector, it applies just the same.

Looking back, I definitely see how a broad approach diluted my message. The turning point came when I started to define our offerings, really understanding firstly who my target audience was and what they needed. I remember initially feeling quite scared, it almost felt counterintuitive, that to narrow my focus, would narrow the opportunities, but we know that the absolute opposite happens. The more specific you are, the greater focus you have, the far stronger your brand and offerings are, and the more your target audience feel they are in the right place and feel confident they can trust you, and then to become an advocate of your brand.

It’s not at all about excluding potential customers; it's about resonating with the right ones. When you understand who your audience is, you can tailor your communication, your products, and your services to meet them exactly where they are. This detailed understanding of your audience shapes everything from your marketing messages to the products you develop, ensuring they feel seen and understood.

And the very best way to get to this level of understanding is through engagement and listening. Social media, for instance, offers us such an incredible window into the lives and preferences of your audience. If you treat it as a two-way street for conversation, and really engage with your audience. This also comes back to the importance of focussing on engagement with your audience, rather than on increasing numbers. When you place your focus here, genuinely engage with your audience, the growth then happens. I talk more about this in episode 025, My Guide to Instagram. Although this episode is about Instagram, there are many points that apply to all social media platforms, specifically on the point of asking questions, seeing how you can help, and then really listening and paying attention to the responses.

“Surveys and direct communication are other powerful tools. They can provide insights that you might not have considered, revealing deeper needs and how your audience interacts with your brand.”

This direct feedback is incredible, informing not just the offerings you create but how you talk about them. We’ve recently had huge success from a survey we did, we learnt so much from it, and have been applying our learnings in different ways for months. In fact, it was so helpful that I’ll be recording an upcoming episode, so I can share everything we learnt with you. That will come out in the next few weeks.

Listening though extends beyond just hearing what your audience says; it's about understanding the why behind their words. What are their pain points? What solutions are they seeking? By really listening and understanding, looking into your audience's world massively helps you to create relevant content for all your marketing, communication and offerings, making them all more relevant, engaging, and ultimately, more effective.

When you truly understand your audience, every product launch, every service offered, and every piece of content you create becomes a direct reflection of them and helps to fulfil their needs. It’s about them, their needs, and how your brand can really help. It’s both good business and exactly how you build a brand that people feel a part of, and ultimately one that lasts.

Really understanding my target audience is, and centering them in everything that I did, is definitely something I wished I had done at the very start of my business. And if you are listening to this, and you are several years into running your business, and feel concerned that this is perhaps not an approach you have taken as yet, please know it is never ever too late, instead I hope it offers a breakthrough for you and helps you to feel excited and motivated. And if you are already fully focussed on your target audience, I know you will be nodding along with this!

STREAMLINING FOCUS FOR GREATER GROWTH

Next up, one of the most impactful lessons I've learned is the importance of focus, especially when it comes to revenue streams. Early on, the temptation was to chase every possible revenue opportunity, fearing that focusing too narrowly might mean missing out. However, I learnt how important it is not to spread yourself too thin, as this quickly dilutes not just your brand's message, but also your effectiveness and satisfaction in your work.

I found that by honing in on a few key areas that truly aligned with my passion and the core mission of the business, not only did our profitability improve, but so did our brand clarity. This wasn't about cutting off potential sources of income, but instead choosing those that made the most sense for our brand and our audience. For me, this meant focusing on areas where we could make the most impact, specifically service based in the earlier years.

“I see this all too often, small brands that have a huge number of different offerings, across a variety of different revenue streams. This is an exhausting approach, you will find yourself running ragged and your profit in return will often be minimal. ”

There are some businesses who have multiple revenue streams and they do this very well, but for a healthy, small and particularly home-based business, as mine has always been, I would absolutely streamline your revenue streams. If you are in a position where you have multiple offerings and revenue streams, and you know deep down you have diluted yourself, take the time to work out what you most love and what is most profitable for you, and then streamline.

It also greatly helps to become an expert in one specific area, and you can’t be an expert in many areas. It takes time and effort to build this reputation and it will only happen when you are hugely focussed.

If I were starting again, I would spend time knowing exactly where I was focussed and from what I was making money. I was fortunate and this for me happened more by chance, that within my first few years I realised that our core focus of our business should be within services. And it was many years before I brought in additional offerings. So I would ensure you minimise your revenue streams, have a maximum of two or three, have a very clear focus and only add additional offerings, including products and/or services, when you know you are ready.

Master one first, and then move on. Today, we only have three distinct products, that’s it. We have a hugely successful business, we love what we do, we are incredibly focussed, just with three products and at the moment, we are only deeply focussed on one of them. That being our Goal-Getters Masterclass, where we are applying all our focus.

“For you, it might be a clear range of products, all of them deeply linked to a core message or it might be a very specific type of service within your sector, targeting a very clear audience, with specific needs.”

We want to ensure what we offer is exceptional and the only way we can do that, is it ensure all our focus is placed in a few areas.

I know it can feel very scary cutting back, and it can feel counterintuitive, but I assure you, running a smaller business with as minimal revenue streams as possible, helps to ease the pressure, hugely improves your focus and in turn motivation, you become known as an expert in one specific area and your business will absolutely grow as a direct result.

Speaking with one of our participants within our current Goal-Getters Masterclass, she has just done exactly this. It was a huge step for her, and it’s wonderful to see the pressure ease, the enjoyment for what she’s doing return and I know her business will fly as a direct result.

Equally transformative, has been adopting a more structured approach to my daily schedule. In the busyness of running a business, and this is particularly true in the earlier years, it's so easy to feel like you're constantly reacting rather than being truly proactive and acting with intention. One method I’ve found helpful has been implementing time blocking and prioritising just 2-3 main tasks each day.

“Time blocking isn’t a new concept, but its effectiveness can’t be overstated. By dedicating specific blocks of time to my most important tasks, I have been able to give them the focused attention that means that I can always move forward effectively and efficiently with my projects, significantly boosting my productivity and definitely reducing stress. This approach also meant that I could allocate time for strategic planning and creative thinking, rather than letting the day-to-day demands that we are all familiar with in a small business, consume all my energy.”

And when it comes to knowing which tasks to focus on, because particularly as a solopreneur you have to become very good at working out where the key areas are that need your focus, I learned to distinguish between what was truly urgent and what could wait. This often meant making tough decisions about what would make a difference for our customers and for the business and what was merely busywork. It was a process of constant refinement, learning to say no to tasks that didn't align with my key goals and plans, and yes to those that would move us in the right direction.

Streamlining my focus across revenue streams and day-to-day tasks definitely brought a clarity and efficiency to my working and the business overall. It allowed me to grow what I was doing in a more directed, sustainable way, aligning my efforts with exactly what I began to realise my customers really needed and benefited from. And perhaps most importantly, it brought a sense of purpose and fulfilment back to the work, reminding me why I started my business in the first place.

Whether you're in the early stages of your business or years into the journey feeling overwhelmed by the breadth of your commitments, I would love you to consider where you can streamline your focus. It might just be the breakthrough you need to reignite your passion and help you to move your business to where you would love for it to be.

VISION OPPORTUNITIES & MINDSET

Every business owner needs a clear vision that helps you to decide every decision and opportunity. For me, this vision has been connected with both what’s important to me and my family, and how I can best support them, and how I can look after and support everyone within our audience, creating value and making a meaningful impact in our core areas of focus.

Ensuring that every opportunity aligns with this vision has been helpful and crucial to help me grow and stay true to what we stand for as a brand. When you really understand what your overall vision for your business is, it ensures that every project and opportunity that comes your way, you can decide if it is right to say yes to, by simply asking if it will help you move closer to your plans and goals? And if it doesn't, if it's not right for you, no matter how lucrative it may seem on the surface, this will help you make decisive decisions that are in line with all that you do.

Learning when to say yes and when to say no has been one of my biggest growth areas. Early on, it was tempting to grab every opportunity that came my way, fearing that saying no might close doors. However, I quickly realised that not every opportunity is the right fit. Some can distract you from your core mission or dilute your brand's message.

“Saying no to opportunities that don’t align with our brand has allowed me to stay focused and authentic. It’s definitely a learning curve, but understanding that saying no can actually open up more appropriate and aligned opportunities has really helped me.”

But equally as important, is really grabbing the right opportunities, even if they seem scary to start with. One of the best things I did was to embrace public speaking. Now, I have always been very much stage crew rather than front of stage. Being on a platform, in front of people was previously one of my deepest fears. I think most people can relate to that. There are very few people who will embrace public speaking with genuine enthusiasm and confidence, but by overcoming this fear, it opened huge opportunities for me. So if you have an opportunity, that you know will place you centre stage in front of your target audience, and you know it’s superb for your brand, be brave and grab it. There are so many online tutorials to help you overcome your fear. And when you know your subject deeply, it becomes much, much easier.

Saying yes to every positive opportunity that you can, the ones that get you in front of different people, specifically your audience, is such a great thing to do. But actually, this isn’t just limited to public speaking, the same applies to meeting new people, whether that’s networking and industry events or places where you know you will be able to meet new potential clients.

I said yes to so many different things. If I knew my target audience would be there, I was there like a shot.

Knowing what you should and shouldn’t say yes to comes back to knowing your target audience and having a limited number of revenue streams, so you know exactly where you should focus and when an opportunity arises, whether it’s one you should pursue or not.

Being scared is not a reason to say no, but if you know the opportunity is not in line with your target audience, that is a strong no.

“And you might get it wrong to start off with, that’s OK, you will refine and begin to know clearly when an opportunity works or doesn’t. And where I say I was saying yes to these opportunities, it was yes to pursuing them. It was many, many years before I was actually invited to events, for a long time I had to be absolutely proactive and directly pursue them.”

Moving onto mindset, in a market that's louder and more crowded than ever, the pressure to stand out can feel overwhelming. But I've learned that it’s not about seeing this as how you must stand out, instead it’s where you should be placing your focus. This is about understanding and asking the right questions. It’s not about figuring out how to stand out, it’s absolutely about shifting our mindset from trying to stand out for the sake of visibility to focusing on genuinely providing value to our target audience. This means understanding their needs, challenges, and aspirations and then tailoring your offerings and all your communication to meet those needs. With this focus, it’s helped me to build deeper connections with my audience and it has naturally helped me to stand out in a way that feels genuine and sustainable.

Looking back on what we have just discussed in the last few minutes, aligning your vision with the opportunities, being smart about what you say yes and no to, and focusing on really supporting your audience over focussing on how you can stand out are key points that have profoundly shaped my business. And they are definitely areas that I wished I had focussed on right from the start, and if you apply your focus here too, they will help you profoundly.

“If there’s one habit that has fundamentally shaped me as a small business owner, it’s the want and pursuit of continuous learning.”

So much changes so quickly, and with it I have evolved, grown, and adapted, and this has all come through ongoing learning. Pretty much everyday I’ll listen to a podcast episode, take a lesson or a module in a course or read a chapter of business, mindset, productivity or health book. Each of these have opened my mind to new ideas, strategies, and perspectives.

It’s about a combination of accumulating knowledge and staying flexible, curious, and innovative. It's definitely what has helped me to create string offerings, and continually enhance our customer experience. Moreover, this learning is deeply personal. It challenges me to grow, definitely pushes me out of my comfort zones, and helps me to continuously feel deeply passionate about what I do.

I want to emphasise that these are not just strategies for business success; they are hugely helpful for life as a whole. They help us remain humble, keep us hugely curious, and resilient, particularly when we come up against obstacles. For all of us, focusing on learning and growing and a healthy mindset is so important.

“OK, so we’ve looked at the foundational strategies and reflections that I wished I had focussed on from the very beginning of my business, from building an email list, to deeply understanding my audience, to the importance of streamlining my daily focus and revenue streams. The key takeaways are:”

• The importance of building your email list, this is such a foundational and key part of your business, specifically in creating lasting relationships with your audience, through providing value and building a community.

• Next, Understanding Your Audience: Narrowing your focus doesn't limit your opportunities; it amplifies them. Deep engagement and listening on platforms like social media and through direct feedback using methods like surveys can reveal invaluable insights.

• We looked at the importance of concentrating on a few key revenue streams that align with your passion and mission, and how this will enhance profitability and brand clarity, alongside time blocking and prioritising tasks to help you with your productivity and focus.

• We also looked at Seizing the Right Opportunities, by Aligning every decision with your overall business vision. Learning to say both yes and no is equally important, to make sure your time is placed on your key projects and to help move your forwards in the direction you would love to go.

I hope these strategies help you. Whether you're right at the start with your business idea or you would just love a fresh boost, these tips I hope will give you a clear focus. And if you are thinking you might be too late to apply any of these ideas, don’t worry. It’s never too late to adjust your approach, pick up new skills, or shift your focus. Honestly, every single day is a chance to refine your business and edge closer to what you really want from it.

Thanks for being here with me, I greatly appreciate your time and if there is one thing you take from this episode, I hope that it’s always possible to find a deep sense of motivation and excitement for your business, and in fact, two things, make sure you start your newsletter list if you haven’t done so as yet, I will be sharing more on newsletters in upcoming episodes.

Many thanks again and with huge love,
Philippa x