What is the first way to start a business? The trick is to just get going

I truly believe that anyone can start a business doing what they love. Pushing yourself to see what you’re capable of and following your true passion (rather than someone else’s) is one of the most rewarding journeys you can possibly go on. After setting up notonthehighstreet in 2006 and my marketplace Holly & Co, I’ve seen thousands of people turn their dreams into reality and it’s a privilege to watch them realise their potential.

I want to share that building your own future, being creative and connecting with fellow founders is honestly the secret to living a happy life — and this pitstop guide will give you some pointers. If you want short, practical exercises to help you on your journey, you’ll find what I call ‘Holly’s Hacks’ in my book Do What You Love, Love What You Do. They’re the secret shortcuts I wish someone had told me when I was starting out and I’m thrilled it became a Sunday Times bestseller if it means that more of us can dream, dabble and do — I really hope it helps you too. It won’t always be easy but I promise it will always be worth it.

How can I start my own business with no money? Anyone can

Before we go into the nuts and bolts, let’s get this out the way. Can you really launch a business with no money? On my podcast Conversations of Inspiration, I’ve talked to hundreds of founders who have done exactly that, and on less than a thousand pounds too (just listen to Julie Dean CBE’s story, founder of The Cambridge Satchel Company, or Karen Millen’s. She built her clothing empire from just £100!). Many successful founders are also over 50… Or faced racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia…. Or were paralysed from the waist down even, you get the picture. The only thing standing in your way is confidence. Because anybody can be an entrepreneur at almost any stage or circumstance of life — and you can too — but it’s not for the faint-hearted. You need passion, resilience, a can-do attitude; you need to be agile, brave and unafraid to take chances. And if you do, the most remarkable life is waiting to unfold.

Starting a business begins with passion

In our grandparents’ time, it’s unlikely they would have had the luxury of wondering about their life’s purpose; about how they could positively affect the world they live in, and work in a way that works for them. Today we can — yet our time on the planet is so fleeting, surely we should spend it wisely? What would you love to do above all else? What have you always been crazily passionate about — that thing you always come back to because it just gets your engine roaring? Write this down. For instance, Jo Malone loved fragrance. Johnnie Boden had a fascination with women’s clothes. Rankin was obsessed with photography from the moment he discovered it. What’s your ‘thing’? The business you set up should be based on this somehow. If you’re passionate about it, you’ll become a magnet attracting others — and that’s golden in business.

Then look at your talents and skill set, and the unique experiences that have defined your life. How can you use these to give people what they need? Become a nerd in it. Learn all there is to know about the world you want to exist in. Find out who is moving the dials and follow them on Instagram. The more you can find out, the better, as it’ll put you in the strongest possible position to make sure you create something unique.

How to become an entrepreneur? Find your purpose and dream big

Visualise your mission (what you’d love to achieve) and start with your ‘why’. Why should this business exist? How will it help people? The best and most successful brands are often those that do more than just sell things. What impact can you make on the environment, community or to people’s lives? How can you balance profit with purpose? Bring ‘doing good’ into the heart of what you are building and this will help drive your mission.

Start to build your new life around this. Work out what your ‘good life’ looks like and what are your non-negotiables? Picking the kids up from school or having a holiday every year? Whatever they are, work your plan around that. The beauty of building a business is that you can do it your way.

Now stop procrastinating and start ‘doing’: what’s the big idea?

There’s beauty in imperfection and you can improve it as you go — but you can’t sculpt thin air! You need to dump the clay on the wheel first so to speak before you can mould your beautiful creation. Get a rough idea down on paper, then start plotting. You need a crystal clear reason customers will want what you’re offering as you’ll need to give them something they can’t get elsewhere. You’ll need a clear USP for your brand or products (ie. your ‘Unique Selling Point’ — what makes you different to, and better than, your competitors).

The importance of customer research when building a business

It’s critical that you find out all you can about the people you’d love to shop with you or use your service. Your business will live or die by whether you get this right or not so spend time on it. Can you get them to take a survey (on social, by email or by hiring a company to find out for you even)? Then you can do what’s called a SWOT — identify the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of your business idea, to help iron out the crinkles.

Build your brand and emotionally connect

Think about what you learned from customers. How should your brand behave? What would appeal to them? If your brand was a person who would it be and why? You can start to explore your business name, logo, tone of voice, what your story is and so on but most importantly, think how you want to make your customers feel — emotionally connecting with them is the number one way to build long-term relationships and this will be your superpower. Then you’ll need to map out your customer journey and a marketing plan. How will you reach people? Which channels do they use and what could your content plan look like?