I put up a question box on Instagram the other day asking what type of content you all wanted. And someone submitted a question asking what to focus on in a business when you’re just starting out. My answer? Focus on what makes you MONEY!

Focus on what makes you money!

Want to listen to the podcast version of this post? I’ve got you covered!

When you’re just starting out, it can be easy to jump ahead

If you’re a new entrepreneur who is looking to other entrepreneurs in a different stage of business than you, you might try to emulate them. But you really shouldn’t do everything that someone who is 10 steps ahead of you is doing!

For example, you see someone with a massive audience creating courses, and you want to create a course too. But you don’t have an audience and you haven’t established yourself as an expert in a field yet. Creating courses will probably not be a money maker for you right now in your business! That won’t be your quickest path to moolah.

If you’re just out of the gate in business, you can’t do the same techniques as someone who is way down the path of entrepreneurship. That’s not feasible for you.

I have been an entrepreneur for almost 11 years, and I have had this iteration of my business since 2016. Up until that point, I did a service for people – because THAT was the money maker. So for someone who is just starting out, looking at what I’m doing now just isn’t super realistic.

Where do I start in my business then!?!

I get it – you get told a million different paths by a million different people. And then, you don’t actually know what you should be doing!

I will say this until I am BLUE in the face.

When you’re just starting out, you HAVE to focus on what makes you money.

Money-making activities need to be your #1 priority until you get to the point where you’re making “enough,” or it’s automated that you make a certain amount.

Set goals in your business around your finances. And focus on money-making activities until you hit a certain goal that allows you to focus on other things that don’t have direct ties to money for you.

Maybe your goal is to book 3 clients per month, make $5,000 per month or 7 retainer clients for 6 months. Then you focus on money-making activities to hit those goals, and once you reach them you can have some flexibility in your focus. THAT’S when you spend time on activities that aren’t directly related to money.

If you are not yet making money in your business, you should NOT be growing on Instagram right now. You shouldn’t be trying out YouTube. You should be focusing on something that will MAKE YOU MONEY. That will give you the time and freedom to focus on other things.

 I’ll use my husband as an example

Jonathan would LOVE to farm full-time. That’s a dream for him. But currently, the income he makes from farming isn’t enough to sustain him full-time. So he could either continue working his 9-5 job and use that money to fund his farming, or start offering a service that could sustain his farming for now.

If you’re in a situation where you’re just starting out, growing on Instagram is not your primary goal at this point in time. Maybe you need money right now but also want to be a YouTuber. That’s fine – you can do that! But right now, that might not happen because you need to make money in the interim.

What are money-making activities? SERVICES.

Most people start by offering a service. You can charge a higher price point and do more of a one-on-one service, and it is a relatively quick return.

Instead of deciding to be an Instagram influencer where it might take 3 years for you to ever make money, you might start with a service. You can’t not make money for 3 years! A service could be anything from grocery shopping for people to creating blog designs. You want a quick turnaround on income – so one person finding out about your service means income for you.

If you know what the business is that you’re working toward but you still aren’t sure what you should be doing every day, it’s the same concept! Focus on what makes you money.

Want to be a web designer? You could be growing on Facebook, sure, but that’s not a quick money maker. What you should be doing is NETWORKING. Get in front of the people who need/want your service, and convince them to hire you!

Instagram and Facebook groups – not money-making activities.

Not sure what to focus on? FOCUS ON WHAT MAKES YOU MONEY.

Instagram and Facebook will still be there when you’re actually making money. Set and hit goals with your money-making activities.

People try and skip over this piece of the puzzle WAY too often. How are you focusing on what makes you money today?