How to Build a Strong AF Foundation for Your Business
Bring your vision to life, and set your business up for success
When it comes to starting your business, as with anything, building a strong foundation is crucial to the success and growth of your biz. The key to building this strong foundation is clarity across the board in all components of your business - from your vision, to your brand, to your product suite (among other things!)
In this blog post, I’ll use my Signature Business Vision Model to walk you through step-by-step on how to create a strong foundation for a lasting, scalable, and most importantly, successful business.
Step 1: Get Clear on the “Why” Behind Your Business and Establish your Mission
This is essential, and having clarity in the “why” behind your business is what is going to separate you from the competition down the road. Understanding the soul of your business - what you do, who you help, why you do it, the impact you want to create - is critical in the establishment of your business because everything you create in your business is to accomplish and further this mission.
I personally like to talk about establishing your mission as creating two types of statements: your vision statement and your mission statement.
The Vision Statement: This is is your big vision, the grand ideas, the highest impact, and what you want your business to achieve. I like to think this is more of an internal statement vs. external, because this vision statement is used by the business as reference for growth.
The Mission Statement: This is what your customers see, therefore I like to think of it as more of an external statement. This conveys to your clients and customers what you do, who you help, and your vision as well.
Step 2: Understand Exactly Who You Serve
Do you know who your ideal client is? I don’t just mean know him/her like “yeah she needs a product that solves x problem,” I’m talking know them know them like you know what their day looks like, their income, how many cats they have (or dogs), etc. In order to show up and attract your ideal client you have to know them inside out - their tastes, their preferences, their experiences, their dreams, desires, fears, and struggles. It might seem daunting - “how the heck would I know all this?!” But that’s actually where the fun lies - you get to create this person from your imagination. And let me tell, I won’t get into woowoo things here, but once you CLEARLY know who your ideal client is, like magic they WILL automatically manifest into your life. It’s actually kind of creepy. For more guidance on how to really understand your ideal client, make sure you grab the Business Vision Model linked below - you’ll get a whole list of guiding questions to help stir your imagination and gain a clear understanding of who you are wanting to attract into your business.
Step 3: Establish Your Brand
For many, establishing their brand is the fun part - this is where you really get to develop your business’s personality. It’s important to understand that there are two different branding types you need to have clarity on: aesthetic and non-aesthetic components.
Aesthetic Components: Highly visual, what people “see” when they come across your brand. This usually includes (but is not limited to):
Fonts
Colors
Graphics
Logos
Non-Aesthetic Components: These are (what I like to say) everything non-visual. So this might include (though not limited to):
Signature phrases (think: Carol Baskin’s “What’s up all you cool cats and kittens”)
Signature hashtags (you can even create your own and encourage your following to use/share
Brand Association (you always get Starbuck’s cappuccino’s and post them, so now people associate you with Starbuck’s cappuccino’s everytime they see it)
Unique Product Suite (think: Apple products)
Step 4: Create Your Product Suite
Once you understand who your ideal client is (and what their needs/struggles/pain points are), AND you’ve established a strong brand, it’s time to get to creating! This is where you really get let loose and create impact - through the products/services you provide and sell.
I like to recommend having three tiers of products, though this doesn’t necessarily mean you can only have three products! This just means that it’s a good idea to have products of low, mid, and high-costs in order to cater to your ideal client at different parts of their journey.
For example, in the coaching industry, there’s usually some kind of low-ticket offer such as a PDF or mini training, that leads to a higher, more supportive program such as a group coaching program, which then leads into the highest support and highest ticket offer of 1:1 coaching. Obviously this is a very general example, but it’s a good one that illustrates that each of these products solves different problems that exist at different levels of customer’s journey.
Of course, I’m sure the product industry is slightly different - but it still follows a similar concept - for example, look at the variety of Apple iPhones and their features - you can get some kind of standard/basic phone, then you can get the latest and greatest with ALL the new features, flashy camera (no pun intended), and cool new colors. Does this make sense?
Creating your product suite also becomes part of your brand - you will likely be associated and known for your products in the future! Whatever product(s) you create, you want to make sure you answer this key question for each one:
How do you serve your ideal client? What problem/pain point(s) do you solve?
Step 5: Establishing Your Presence
This step is directly related to understanding your ideal client - if you know your ideal client only uses Instagram and TikTok, and maybe Facebook sometimes but rarely, then you need establish your presence on Instagram and TikTok. Facebook can be placed on the backburner until you have your main platforms locked and loaded. Why? Because if they are there, and you decide to optimize Facebook instead, how the heck are they going to find you?! Short answer: they won’t. So your business needs to go to, and create content for, these places where your ideal client hangs out.
Step 6: Serving with Confidence
The final step to building a strong af foundation for your business is one that you might not expect - and that is to step up and serve with confidence. Whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur or starting your first business, imposter syndrome is a very real struggle many undergo.
It’s important to remember that you having a desire to start this business is for a reason, and that you are meant to share your gift, your message, your impact in the world. You have a unique idea or skill that will increase someone’s life joy, so remember that in the moments you wonder “Am I good enough? Am I doing the right thing?” (Trust me, there’s a 99% chance you’ll ask yourself that at some point in your journey). The answer to both questions is YES.
As my friend Meghan Lamle says, “While you’re wondering if you’re good enough, someone is putting you on their vision board” and I think that is one of the most powerful statements anyone can make. If you struggle with imposter syndrome, read this blog post for four ways you can overcome imposter syndrome.
And there you have it! Six beautiful steps to help you build the lasting, successful, scalable business of your dreams! If you are needing some more guidance, grab my signature Business Vision Model below. It’s usually $35 but with the link you’ll only get it for $5!
