Taking the Leap: How to get your New Marketing Business off the Ground

Launching a marketing business can feel a little – or a lot – scary. You’ve been dreaming of skipping that commute in favor of working from your own home in your pajamas with as many cups (pots?) of coffee as your heart desires. But knowing how to start can be overwhelming. Finding clients, creating a business website, snagging creative subcontractors, learning about accounting and proposals and contracts and … *deep breaths*.

It’s ok! We’ve been there. Think of us as your Marketing Traffic Controllers. We’ve got those big glow-y wand things, and we’re going to point you in the right direction toward building your own marketing company.

First? Get a client, any client.

You’re not a marketer if you have no clients to market, so make finding your first client your number one priority. This will probably be easier than you imagine, and it doesn’t mean cold-calling local businesses you’ve never stepped foot into. No, start with what – and who – you know.

What about that non-profit you’ve been volunteering with for years. Do they have a need for a marketing partner? What about the small business your friend started last year — have you been helping them develop their social media strategy? Chances are, if you’re into marketing, you’re probably already the person that people in your circle come to for advice and expertise. Now is the perfect time to formalize those relationships!

Explain that you’re launching your own marketing business and you’d love to bring them on as clients and expand the services you’re already providing or have provided in the past. These initial clients will be like gold to your budding business. They’ll be able to provide testimonials to feature on your website, they’ll get your portfolio of work started, and most importantly, they probably have business-owner friends to whom they’ll start singing your praises.

Being able to land that first client (or two, or three) also tells you something very important: There is a need for this, and YOU can fill that need. And don’t worry taking on clients before you’ve got all the business stuff in place; it’s never too early to get those projects going!

Next? Make a giant to-do list.

This is where you catalog everything that needs to get done. You’ve got to develop your own brand and its spirit, you need to figure out what promotional channels you’ll use, you need to gather an advisory crew, and you’ll need to get all your business practices in place (invoicing and billing and vendors, oh my). It can all feel a little daunting if you’re not careful.

This is the best time for you to decide: Do I want to go it alone, or do I want to follow in the footsteps of those who’ve paved the way before me? As iMarketers, we’ve been there and done that in so many different ways. We’ve hit the roadblocks and stumbled over our own two feet, so you don’t have to! We wish we’d had someone holding our hand and telling us how to write a project proposal or a develop a contract with a client or pay those estimated taxes correctly — and on time.

That’s why iMarketer exists! To help you launch your dream now without months of trial and error, two steps forward and three steps back. Every minute you spend figuring out procedures is a minute you could have spent making money! Plus, PLUS, joining the iMarketer community means that although you’re striking out on your own, you’ve got a safety net of fellow iMarketers behind you to support you, advise you and cheer you on along the way.

Go ahead, take a peek. Learn how the iMarketer Blueprint can help guide you from dreams to reality.