Get legit don't waste time trying to cut corners trust me you will hate yourself. Its hard trying to grow with out doing ALL the steps.
Get licensed: whatever field your in get certified/licensed, or take a class and add to your value. Never hurt anyone to learn besides the more you know the less you have to pay someone else to do for you. Theres only so much you can learn on the internet. You may think your cutting corners but trust me when i say no one that paid over $10,000 to learn something is getting on youtube to give it away for free. Of course there are trends and tips that people learn that are given but nothing compared to what you would gain going to class. Youtube is full of people just like you who don't really know but have happened to stumble upon a way that works.
Pay for a quality logo: yes you can make one on your phone but i learned the hard way that branding is very difficult when your logo is not done right. I had to do a lot of back tracking on photos & it hindered me from being able to put my logo on products and so forth. Pick something that is not bias to gender, race, or religion. Look at the big companies in your market and use them as a guide. Cartoon logos are cool but have become a big fad but wont benefit you a year from now don't wast your money branding with only that. I seen a post that said imagine if big companies like NIKE, KYLIE COSMETICS, or even TARGET had cartoons as their logo. Just save your time and get it done right the first time.
Get your LLC: for one protect yourself and your business. Having a registered business is a very inexpensive way to make sure your business is legit. You will need to have your business registered in order to get your business bank account and also puts you in another pool for business loans/grants. We recently found out through this pandemic it payed off big to have your ducks in a row don't get caught slipping.
Get your business bank account: find you a bank you love and accountant there to build a relationship with. I found that smaller branches are able to keep in touch and keep you in the loop on new grants and rules that you may need to be updated on. While bigger more popular banks your more of a number. This benefited me in many ways & i love having a personal relationship with my bank. Also this is a easy way to keep your income separate when it comes to tax time. Use it solely for income and expenses. Write yourself a check weekly from that account into your personal account then spend the money how you please. Establishing that time in business will benefit you once its time to expand.
Get some quality pictures of yourself: Do a photo shoot, take some professional pics. This helped me when it was for one time to do events rather it be a class, a vendor event, or just for my social media. Having those professional photos sets you apart and gives your brand a polished look. Take pride in your brand represent you well!
Grab you a ring light: getting a ring light helped me so much with creating content. My pics went from a 3 to a 12 lol.
Be consistent: post to your social media daily. The quote that sticks in my head is “how dare you work on something for weeks and post it one time”. I mean because who really seen it that one time anyway right. We see commercials 1,000 times on tv, and fashion nova emails us about 5 times a day why cant we. Be consistent with your color scheme make sure everything is cohesive.
Things i wish i would have done to cut down on expenses: invested in a laptop and printer to create my own labels and flyers. I spent so much for quality business card and such when over time i could have just done them on my own and saved. Its on my to do list for this year.
Believe in yourself!: if you cant see your vision no one can. People can tell when you are not confident or not organized. Its not a race to see who can do it first its who can do it better. Take your time and plan out your idea, have faith, & take the steps toward your goal.
All in all do it the right way the first time.