Today I’m talking with our winner of the Launch a Business Challenge, LaQuinda Renee. For our first ever business challenge, I couldn’t think of a better candidate. LaQuinda has spent much of her adult life pursuing the goal of starting a rather specific business-- a traveling dance business. From time in the peace corp to a masters in ethnochorelogy, LaQuinda has found a way to make her dreams come true. Just listen to the conversation and you’ll want to dream as big as her, too. The idea has been ruminating in her mind for years, aging like fine wine. She’s tweaked it here and there. Started a version of it, then took a step back, like we often do. The Launch a Business Challenge helped her to take care of all of the logistics she needed to get this thing into the next phase. Listen to what the business is like today and where she wants to take it.

Step four of launching a business is building your online presence. The biggest aspect of this is your website. Being found online is crucial to establishing yourself as a professional and legitimate business. So, when someone finds you, what are they supposed to do on your website? The hardest part about building a website is establishing the purpose or call to action.

Step five of launching a business is developing your social media. It’s really part two of building your online presence. You need to be found wherever your potential customers want to find you. And each social media platform is different. It’s also a big shift when you go from a user of social media to a manager of social media. 

Step three of launching a business is defining your brand. You know your goals, your product, your buyer, your market strategy, now how do you present your product to your buyer? Your brand communicates so much to your buyer. A picture is worth a thousand words, and the visual queues your target audience gets from your brand can give them a lot of information about you. 

Step one of launching a business is creating your business plan. This includes research, buyer personas, and so much more. You can’t expect to be successful without doing some heavy lifting up front. We’ll go over some basic elements, though we recommend you spend a good chunk of time here. Review a few of the episodes that launched before the challenge if you’d like a deeper dive into market research and product development. 

Step two of launching a business is crafting a go-to-market strategy. You’ve gathered a lot of information through your research, now you need to see how that information will affect your execution. What does it mean for your business model and operations?

Step six of launching a business is establishing the books. You can’t keep a business running if its finances aren’t healthy. But most entrepreneurs and business owners didn’t go to school for finance. Good news is, if you’re diligent, keeping your books updated and clean doesn’t have to be hard. You establish a system early on and follow it diligently.

Welcome to a special series on the show! With everything that’s gone on in 2020, we wanted to be a source of hope, inspiration, and motivation to get out there and help you get an idea off the ground and launch a business. In fact, our goal is to help you launch a business in 3 days! All you need is an idea or solution that you’ve been chewing on. Maybe you haven’t known what the next steps are. Or maybe you’re someone who needs external accountability. Either way, we’re here to bring out the entrepreneur in you! Buckle up, because it’s going to be a busy 3 days.

2020 could go down in history as the year of COVID or murder hornets. At Weave, we want to help define 2020 and 2021 as the years of entrepreneurs.So many things have been injected into the market that have changed the way we live and do business. But with the introduction of such changes and difficulty always comes innovation and development.On October 26, join us for the Launch A Business Challenge. We’re launching 7 new podcast episodes that will guide you through the process of taking that idea, conducting research and turning it into a real life money maker. Listen to each episode wherever you get your podcasts. And make sure to check out our templates and eBook online. All of these resources were built to help you establish your business in 3 days. That’s all it takes!Once you’ve finished, you’ll be eligible to win $1000 and a year of Weave to help you in your first year. We can not wait to help you follow your cause, establish new innovations, and build new traditions.

Today I’m talking with Marcus Wing. No one has been more affected by COVID than event producers. In 2 days, Marcus lost 98% of his business. Did he have a minute where he almost ripped his hair out? Yes. But he probably didn’t let it last much longer than that. Though this may be a novel and big shift in the market, it’s not something you’d go without experiencing during your life as an entrepreneur. Something someday will turn your world upside down. What will you do about it? Listen to how he responded to this dramatic and sudden loss, what he’s done to creatively pivot, and how he’s never let his spirits get down. Let’s get to the good stuff.