The order of operations for building a freelance coaching or consulting business

If you've been struggling to get clients for your solo creator, coaching, or consulting business, I want to bet that it's probably not because you're not good at what you do. Instead, there's likely something off with your offer, your positioning, or the way you're trying to attract clients that just isn't clicking.

Now, I was never really good at math growing up, but one thing that stuck with me was PEMDAS. Remember PEMDAS? Parentheses, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, subtraction—it’s the order of operations in math. If you don’t follow the correct order, you won’t get the outcome you're looking for.

I want to suggest that growing your business also has an order of operations. There’s a sequence to doing things that leads to a successful outcome. What I find is that sometimes we get fixated on one thing—something that is important in the grand scheme of things—but we neglect or skip the steps that come before it.

So, in today’s video, we’re going to talk about the things that are really important to do in sequence so you can get that successful outcome. We want to ensure you're getting new clients, building your audience, and growing your business or brand—all while avoiding burnout. I’m excited for this video, so let’s jump into it.

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Alright, when starting a business—whether it’s a creative business, coaching, or consulting—we often jump in headfirst and try to find clients right away. While that’s important, if we don’t ask some critical questions up front, it can actually hinder our traction and growth early on.

In this video, I’m going to walk through six key areas that I’ve found are critical to building a healthy coaching, consulting, or creative business—and they need to be done in sequence.

1. Clarity Around Positioning

The first thing you need is clarity around your positioning. You need a positioning statement that helps you understand internally what you do and who you work with. That statement should then be translated externally so the world understands who you help and how.

As Stephen Covey says, "Begin with the end in mind." It’s crucial to know the who and what behind your work because that clarity filters into the rest of your marketing.

What most people do is they figure out their general service and then start looking at competitors—how they talk about themselves, what services they offer, how they communicate online. The problem is that this leads to what’s often called "swimming in the sea of sameness." You end up looking just like everyone else in your field.

When potential clients look for someone to hire, they don’t see any meaningful difference between you and the next person. That’s why it's so important to define your ideal client and the unique value you offer.

2. Messaging

Once you’re clear on your positioning, the next step is crafting your messaging. This is how you talk about what you do—whether online, offline, in person, or in writing. Your messaging should be clear, consistent, and aligned with your brand.

It should communicate your unique approach in a way that resonates with your ideal clients and makes you stand out from the crowd. When someone hears or reads your message, they should immediately understand why you’re the right fit for them.

3. Building Your Brand

Your brand is what makes you visible and memorable to your ideal clients. I love working with people on building their brand identity—whether visually, verbally, or through the way they engage with people.

Your brand is how you’re perceived by your audience. You can influence it, but you don’t fully control it. The more thoughtfully you craft your brand, the more it will work in your favor.

First impressions matter. A great first impression sticks with someone for a long time, while a bad first impression is hard to recover from. That’s why branding is so critical—especially when positioning yourself against competitors or alternative solutions that clients might be considering.

When I work with clients, I help them define their Minimum Viable Brand—the essential elements they need to be perceived as a professional and trustworthy option for their audience. You don’t need to be a designer, a copywriter, or hire an expensive branding expert to get this right.

4. Website & Online Presence

A lot of people skip ahead to this step on day one, thinking they need to build a website immediately. But the website is one of the most overwhelming parts of the process—trust me, I say this as someone who’s been designing websites for almost 20 years.

Even if you’re highly skilled in design or tech, building a website for yourself can feel like an uphill battle. That’s why it’s important to have your positioning, messaging, and branding dialed in first.

Once those foundational pieces are in place, you can then build a simple landing page that clearly communicates what you do and how people can work with you.

Your website is an asset, a tool—it’s not going to bring in clients overnight. That’s why it’s important to understand how to use it effectively.

5. Execution & Marketing

Once your website is live, the work doesn’t stop. A website alone won’t magically bring in leads—you need to actively drive traffic to it.

This is where people get stuck. They invest time, energy, and money into a website, then wonder why it’s not working for them. The reality is, a website is just a tool. You need a strategy to get in front of your audience.

That means:

• Finding out where your audience hangs out (social media, forums, events, etc.)
• Engaging with people directly (networking, conferences, outreach)
• Providing valuable content (blog posts, videos, resources)
• Using your website as a hub where people can learn more and take action

I’m not about hustle culture, but you do need to be proactive in getting in front of the right people. You can’t just hit publish and wait for clients to roll in—you have to go out and connect with them.

6. A Step-By-Step Program

I know this can feel overwhelming, which is why I’ve put together a six-week program to guide you through this process.

This is a beta test group of 8-10 people where we’ll work sequentially through each of these steps.

• We’ll clarify your positioning
• Craft your messaging
• Develop a minimum viable brand
• Build your website together
• And most importantly—learn how to use it effectively

A big part of this is having a supportive community so you can get feedback, see how others are positioning themselves, and refine your own approach.

By the end of the program, you’ll have a one-page website—built with the right messaging, branding, and positioning—that serves as the front door to your business online.

And the best part? You’ll be able to tweak and update it as your business evolves.

If this sounds like something you’re interested in, check out the link in the description. This is time-sensitive, so if you’re watching this in March 2025, now is the time to sign up. If you’re watching this later, there may be a new cohort open—check the website for details.

I hope this video was helpful. If you’re new here, I’d love for you to subscribe so you get notified when new videos come out.

A new video is coming soon—I’ll see you then!