You don’t have to do it all at once.

We get a lot of inquiries from people who have big dreams. They want a new site, and they want SEO, they want e-commerce, they want the works. But once the quote comes their way, they lose all the wind from their sails!

One thing I want to be sure people understand is that when it comes to your online presence, it’s okay to take it slow. You don’t have to do it all at once. And sometimes, it’s better this way.

Maybe you have a great idea and a small budget. That’s okay. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing, because we can build on everything we do so that you can grow gradually over time.

The benefits of starting slow is that you can gauge interest in your great idea before you spend all your money, or worse, spend money you don’t have and wind up with no return. Have I seen this happen? Yes. It’s hard to be objective about your own ideas, especially when you really think you have a winner. It can be difficult to look at it and think it might not be successful. And it’s important to have confidence in your idea as well.

But lots of small businesses fail all the time. Data from the Small Business Administration shows that 33% of small businesses will fail within the first two years. That’s one-third of all new small businesses are not going to make it. And only about 50% of businesses will make it past five years.

We have just celebrated our ten-year anniversary in a field that is flush with competitors, and I credit our longevity with our slow but steady growth. We felt like we had a business that filled a niche area, and we worked on that. We didn’t have the knowledge, the business aptitude, or the capital to go full-force out of the gate. We started slow, with just one client. And we built on that year after year. As we grew, we learned more. Our client base grew, and we’ve been able to add more services, more options, and become the full-service company we are today.

Plan for Success in Stages

• Figure out your priorities. What is a “must-have” for your business? Make three lists – your “need”, your “want” and your “would be nice” list.
• Figure out your budget. You’d be surprised how many people have no budget when they get started. It’s important to know how much money you have to spend, because that really dictates a lot of your options.
• Find out how much your needs and wants will cost, and then figure out what you need to do know, what you can afford to add, and what can wait until phase two or phase three of the project.
• Plan when and how you will add on your options. Set goals. “If we see this much growth by this date, then we’ll add this feature.”

Setting up a plan for growing your business will help you stay on track financially, but enable you to get what you need and what you want for your business at a pace you sustain and a rate you can afford.