How to Start a Business: 8 Essential Steps Every New Entrepreneur Should Know
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“Your energy is your currency. The more heart you put into what you build, the more the world will reflect it back.” – Brandon Peña
At its core, a business isn't just about selling a product or service—it’s a powerful engine for solving a problem, creating real impact, and building a better future. It’s the moment a dream becomes a purpose-driven venture. Whether you’re roasting coffee beans for a small business like 787 Coffee, offering freelance design services, or developing a new app, you’re an entrepreneur the moment you commit to serving others with intention.
Entrepreneurship exists to move culture forward and fill a need. In a world that desperately needs more ideas with heart, there has never been a better time to start.
1. Start with the Problem, Not the Product
Before stepping into any entrepreneurial venture, you first have to fall in love with the process of understanding the problem you're solving. What problem are YOU SOLVING? It is about the for human by human approach. Truly listening and caring about your potential customers wants, needs, and frustrations to their current problem. If you are that solution to their pain points it will create a deeper trust and bound to the humans you are servicing exceeding a transaction. The best entrepreneurs constantly adapt to the changes in markets, behavior and needs. Develop bounds not just transactions. Start with the end in mind.
Action Step: Interview 10 potential customers about their challenges before building anything. After doing this ask yourself - am I fixing a problem?
2. Validate Your Idea with Real Money
Ideas are everywhere, but paying customers prove your business has legs. Start small and get someone to pay you—even if it's just $1—before you invest months building. This separates real demand from polite interest.
Action Step: Create a simple landing page or offer your service manually to test if people will actually pay.
3. Know Your Numbers from Day One
You don't need complex spreadsheets, but you must understand: How much does it cost to acquire a customer? How much do they spend? What are your core expenses? Cash flow is the lifeblood of any business.
Action Step: Track every dollar in and out, even if you're pre-revenue. Use a simple tool like a notebook or basic spreadsheet. - I will add more content on this topic. Subscribe to my newsletter for more!
4. Build Your Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
Don't aim for perfection—aim for "good enough to learn." Your first version should solve the core problem with the simplest possible solution. You'll learn more from one real customer using an imperfect product than months of planning. Believe in YOUSELF - YOU GOT THIS!
Action Step: Identify the one core feature that solves your customer's main problem and build only that. - start. Take action TODAY!
5. Master the Art of Resourcefulness
You don't need massive funding to start. Use what you have, borrow what you can, and be creative with constraints. Many successful businesses started with less than $1,000. Your resourcefulness is often more valuable than your resources.
Action Step: List everything you already have that could help your business—skills, connections, tools, space.
6. Focus on One Customer Segment First
The temptation is to serve everyone, but successful businesses start by serving someone incredibly well. Pick your ideal customer and become obsessed with making their experience amazing. You can expand later.
Action Step: Write a detailed description of your ideal first customer—their age, challenges, where they spend time online.
7. Build Systems for Everything You Do Repeatedly
From day one, document processes for tasks you'll do again. How do you onboard customers? Handle complaints? Manage inventory? Systems let you scale without burning out and eventually hire others.
Action Step: Create a simple checklist for your most common business task.
8. Embrace the Learning Mindset
Every "failure" is data. Every customer complaint is insight. Every competitor is a teacher. The entrepreneurs who thrive are those who adapt fastest based on what they learn. Your first idea probably won't be your best idea.
Action Step: Set up a simple system to capture what you learn each week—what worked, what didn't, what you'll try next.
Business in One Simple Paragraph.
Starting a business is like selling apples at school - you find a problem (friends are hungry), test if people will pay (sell 1 apple for $1), know your money (buy apple for 50 cents, sell for $1, keep 50 cents), start small (5 apples in your backpack), use what you have (your backpack and mom's car), help one group first (just hungry classmates), make simple rules (buy Sunday, sell Monday-Friday), and learn from mistakes (if apples go brown, try bananas next time).
To start today: ask 3 friends what problems make them angry, try solving one problem for $5 this week, and write down what works and what doesn't for 30 days.
Business is just helping people solve problems while making money - like learning to walk, you start small and get better with practice!
How to Start a Business with Limited Experience & Capital
The time for excuses is over. The time for action is NOW.
Your future self is counting on the decisions you make today. Will you follow the crowd, or will you join the elite few who dare to build something extraordinary?
You don’t need deep pockets or a perfect business plan to begin—just a clear mission and the commitment to start. Here's a lean startup method to get you going:
Start Small & Validate Your Idea: Offer your product or service to friends, local communities, or online groups. Get feedback, and use it to refine your offering. This is your market research.
Leverage Your Existing Skills: Your knowledge is more valuable than you think. Whether it’s cooking, writing, organizing, or fixing tech—there’s a business opportunity in it.
Build a Simple Online Presence: Use free tools like Canva, Linktree, or Google Docs to create a professional look. A simple website or a strong social media presence is crucial for new businesses.
Listen, Learn, and Evolve: Customer feedback is your most valuable currency. Brandon grew 787 Coffee by listening to every comment and customer insight. Use this information to improve your product or service.
Reinvest Wisely: Focus early profits on what truly improves the customer experience or grows your business—like better packaging, faster delivery, or building a stronger community.
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3 Easy Steps to Apply This to Your Business or Life TODAY
Step 1: The Customer Problem Interview (15 minutes) Text 3 people who fit your ideal customer profile. Ask them: "What's the biggest challenge you face with [your business area]?" Listen without pitching. Write down their exact words. This directly applies Steps 1 & 6 from above—you're starting with real problems and focusing on your specific customer segment.
Step 2: The $20 MVP Test (This week) Take the most common problem from your interviews and create the simplest possible solution you can deliver this week. Offer it to one person for $20 (or whatever small amount makes sense). This combines Steps 2, 4, and 5—you're validating with real money, building your MVP, and being resourceful with what you have right now.
Step 3: The Learning System Setup (Next 30 days) Create a simple document or notebook where you track: What worked? What didn't? What did customers actually say? What will you try next? Do this weekly for 30 days. This implements Steps 7 & 8—you're building systems for what you do repeatedly and embracing the learning mindset that separates successful entrepreneurs from dreamers.
Real talk: These 8 steps aren't theory—they're YOUR roadmap. Most humans read guides like this and do nothing. But you're different. You understand that your energy is your currency, and the world needs what you're building. Start with Step 1 today, because tomorrow's excuses won't build the business your heart knows you're meant to create.