You might start out by yourself, but if you’re serious about building something real, you must first lay the foundation for yourselfand for those you will eventually employ.

If you’ve been following my blogs for a while, you know I run a school called The Ground Up Academy, where I teach entrepreneurs how to build their brands from the ground up, starting with foundational principles. It’s easy to skip over these foundational steps because, honestly, they don’t seem important at first. Most of the time, the main goal is to “get to the bag.”

But because of my passion and the mistakes I’ve made in business my declaration is simple: I don’t teach side hustlers. I teach people who want to build lasting brands. Even if you’re starting out as a so-called solopreneur, you’re still an entrepreneur. I actually hate the term “solopreneur,” but let’s not get stuck there.

Many times in business, you’ll start out alone nd that’s okay. But it’s also the exact reason why you need to build your brand with the future team in mind. This is why having a mission statement and core values is critical. They will drive your decisions now and, eventually, the decisions of everyone you hire. They shape the culture of your business.

If you’re that person using a quality industrial heat press to create shirts, you need to know exactly how long it takes to produce those shirts. Why? Because one day, you’ll hire someone for that role, and you need to ensure they’re doing the job not just correctly but efficiently. That’s where standard operating procedures come into play.

You also need to understand how essential brand identity and trademarks are. You should be able to tell your brand’s story in the blink of an eye. These things are just as critical as knowing where you’ll source your products wholesale, how your website will function, calculating costs of sales and profit margins, and designing the customer journey.

All these elements are essential to building a successful business. As the entrepreneur, you need to have a firm grasp on every aspect because your ultimate goal should be to work on the business, not in the business.

God Bless The Entrepreneur