Set your solopreneur systems up more easily, launch your new business faster, and learn quickly through real testing with real customers in just a few days. That’s what Anna and I discuss in this episode.
By the way, she is safe from the volcanic eruption in Costa Rica. Let’s get that out of the way first. You’ll hear us talking about it at the beginning of the episode. Once we moved past that concern, we jumped into the topic of how we set up all the basic tech and operational services for new solopreneur businesses (more details below).
I recently created a new tech stack for someone’s solopreneur business. I shared this in an article a few weeks ago, so I included those 10 steps below. Scroll up and hit play on this podcast episode to hear us go into more detail about the process, why the systems are so important, and what we recommend when starting your new business.
Sequence of setup operations
Email: Create an email address for your business using a trusted email provider. For example, you can set up a new business email address using Proton Mail (e.g., yourname@proton.me) and purchase a plan that provides at least one custom email name (e.g., yourname@yourbusinessdomain.com).
Domain Name: Now, you can use that new email address to sign up for domain name hosting (e.g., Namecheap) and secure a suitable domain name for your business.
Calendar: Unfortunately, I haven’t found another calendar service that integrates as easily with so many other services as Google Calendar does. So, you’ll have to set that up for your business, too.
Cloudflare: I love using Cloudflare for its ease of managing DNS records, improved website performance, and enhanced security (e.g., blocking attacks). To use Cloudflare to manage your DNS records instead, update your nameservers with your domain name host (step 2).
Custom Email Domain: Now that you have your domain name, you can set up a custom email name with Proton (e.g., yourname@yourbusinessdomain.com) and update your DNS MX records with Cloudflare. Please verify that you can send and receive from this new custom email before you use it to sign up for any other business services.
Website: Use your preferred website builder and hosting service to set up your new business website (e.g., I like Carrd). You will want to publish this new website using your new business domain (e.g., www.yourbusinessdomain.com).
Booking Meetings: Many services (e.g., Calendly) allow people to schedule meetings, but I’m a fan of TidyCal for its “buy once, use forever” model. Once you configure this service, you can set up both free and paid appointments.
Getting Paid: You’ll need a payment service to configure your paid appointments (e.g., with TidyCal) and accept payments from customers and clients. The easiest ones to set up are Stripe, PayPal, and Venmo; however, if you already have a preferred option, many others are also available.
Banking: Set up a separate bank account for your business. This will make your life much easier for accounting and tax preparation in the future.
Meetings and Calls: Most of us prefer not to share our private phone numbers with clients and customers. So, set up something like Zoom or Google Meet so you can have audio calls or video chats with them.
Scroll up and hit play to listen to us explain this process and the steps in more detail. Plus, the usual banter and laughter. We’re only human!
What are your favorite tools, services, and systems that are a must-have for your business? We’d love to hear about them! Please leave a comment below.
Larry Cornett is a Freedom Coach who works with ambitious professionals to help them reclaim their power, become invincible, and create new opportunities for their work and lives. Do more of what you love and less of what you hate! Check out his new Invincible Solopreneurs Daily Journal!
Anna Codina is a peak performance coach who helps busy owners detach from work to live better personal lives. Are you feeling overwhelmed, burnt out, or struggling to find that elusive work-life harmony? You're not alone. Her coaching philosophy is simple: Focus on your strengths, not your weaknesses. Get unstuck in 15 mins!
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