The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future

Six Steps to Getting Started Right Now
As we saw from the stories in 
Chapter 1
, you don’t need a lot of money or
special training to operate a business. You just need a product or service, a
group of people who want to buy it, and a way to get paid. We’ll look at
each of these things in more detail throughout the book, but you don’t have
to wait to get started. Here are the six steps you need to take:
1. Decide on your product or service.
2. Set up a website, even a very basic one (you can get a free one from
WordPress.org
).
3. Develop an offer (an offer is distinct from a product or service; see
Chapter 7
 for help).
4.  Ensure  you  have  a  way  to  get  paid  (get  a  free  PayPal  account  to
start).
5. Announce your offer to the world (see 
Chapter 9
 for more on this).
6. Learn from steps 1 through 5, then repeat.
 
Almost  all  microbusiness  building  follows  this  sequence  of  events.  Of
course, we’ll be discussing specifics as we go along, but it’s always better
to start from where you are than to wait for everything to be perfect.

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If you have an existing business and are thinking about how to apply the
concepts  from  this  book,  focus  on  either  getting  money  in  the  bank  or
developing new products or services. These are the most important tasks of
your business—not administration, maintenance, or anything else that takes
time without creating wealth or value. If you’re not sure what to do, think
about any of these ideas:
Can you contact your customer list with a special offer or incentive?
Can  you  introduce  a  new  product  or  service  to  complement  your
existing portfolio?
If you’re a coach or consultant, can you offer a special deal for clients
who prepay?
Is there a new way you can attract subscribers, clients, or customers?
 
But one way or another … just do something. Friedrich Engels said: “An
ounce of action is worth a ton of theory.” Choose the ounce of action today.