✦ What do I need to start a business as a contractor or freelancer ? (and what can wait)

Sharing what I’ve learnt in the past years as a virtual assistant helping people launching their business or working with people that already have a business and what tools they’ve used to start their business journey.
When you’re starting out, what you really need is a solution that solves a problem someone actually has, then the admin side of things starts, the part that, for many, can feel a little soul-sucking. Here is a checklist to help you out!

What you need to start:

✔ Start from what you know (this is how I started as a Virtual Assistant)

✔ Do a market research

✔ Help people

✔ Start charging

✔ Keep going

Now…..

✦ The Bare Minimum OF What You Truly Need

• CLARITY

☐ A clear(ish) idea of the problem you solve and who you help

☐ A clear offer (what you do, how it helps, and what it costs - have it dialed even if it is one signature offer)

• ADMIN

☐ Create a Simple contract or Service Agreements (use ChatGPT to help you with it once you have the two listed above ⬆ clear)

☐ Register your business locally or nationally (e.g. sole trader, LLC, etc.) - To register your business in BC

☐ Apply for business number in BC

☐ A business bank account

☐ Track income and expenses from day one (this.is.so.important)

☐ A way to take payments (Wave, is a great start point and Honeybook, this one offers a more polished, all-in-one and is great for client workflows - highly recommend)

A SIDE NOTE FOR WHEN THE TIME TO DECIDE ON HOW MUCH ARE YOU’RE GOING TO CHARGE: THE PAYMENT PROCESSING FEES

Credit card fees (typically 2.9% of the transaction amount + $0.30 per transaction) can add up. If you’re selling anything online and use a payment processor like Stripe, please know that if you charge a customer $100 for a service, the fee would be $2.90 + $0.30, totaling $3.20. You would receive $96.80.*

If you are working with individuals or businesses outside your home country, there might be additional fees for international cards and if you are processing a payment in a currency different from your account’s default currency, there’s an additional fee for currency conversion too.

• DIGITAL PRESENCE

☐ Buy a domain (e.g., from GoDaddy, Namecheap, Squarespace - If you’re going to build your website with Squarespace they offer free domain when you sign up for Business plan)

☐ Set up a professional email (e.g., hello@yourdomain.com via Google Workspace)

☐ A simple, clear website or landing page

☐ A social media profile

• BUSINESS TOOLS & SYSTEMS

☐ A way to book calls (Calendly, Google Calendar - I use G-calendar, it comes with google workspace)

☐ A way to meet clients (Zoom or Google Meet - included with you have google workspace)

☐ A system for keeping notes and tracking tasks AKA Keeping Yourself Organized (paper or a tool such as Notion - my favorite)

☐ A system for keeping files (Google drive/folder)

….. I absolutely love Google Workspace, it is all-in-on business hub, it helps me to stay organized and allow me to work with my client in real time collaboration.

• CLIENT PROCESS

☐ Have a discovery call script or outline ready

☐ Have your contracts ready by now

☐ A onboarding form/questionnaire (can use Google form to start with)

☐ Create a welcome onboarding email

☐ WhatsApp or Instagram DMs to connect with your early audience

✦ What can wait a bit:

• Terms and Business insurance (depending on the each business this may be priority)

Managing this side of the business (legal docs) is admittedly the most painfully boring and unenjoyable aspect I would say, but regardless, very important.

• Full brand kit (custom fonts/colors/logo) - use simple Canva branding to start

• Full website with multiple pages – begin with an one-page website or landing page can be a good start

• Consistent social media strategy – start with 1 platform and grow from there

• Email list setup and opt-in freebie – useful, but can come after you’ve nailed your offer

• Automated email workflows (Mailerlite, Flodesk)

• CRM setup (for full workflows)

• Feedback forms and offboarding systems

• Advanced SEO/AI optimization or blogging

Hope this helps and remember to start from what you need first and if you need help, let me know :)