In this episode, I walk you through exactly how I would start an online business from zero in 2026. Whether you’re just thinking about launching your first offer or feeling overwhelmed by all the “build it all at once” advice, this episode simplifies everything into a clear, step-by-step process that actually works. I break down the seven essential steps I focus on — from choosing the right offer and getting clarity on the transformation it provides, to making early sales before the product is fully built and leaning into real relationships and community. If you want a practical, no-nonsense roadmap to kickstart your online business, this episode is for you.

🔑 Key Takeaways

1. Focus on One Offer

Instead of trying to juggle multiple products or ideas, I start with one clear offer. Focusing my energy helps me avoid dilution and build momentum fast — one strong offer converts better than ten half-built ones.

2. Get Crystal Clear on Transformation

Real success isn’t about features — it’s about the transformation my offer gives a customer. I define exactly what outcome someone will experience after working with me, and that clarity fuels all my marketing.

3. Sell Before I Create

I don’t wait to build the whole product before I sell it. I talk to real people, pre-sell the offer, and use that revenue and feedback to shape the final product. It’s the fastest way to validate demand and avoid wasted effort.

4. Personal Outreach for Early Sales

I personally reach out to people — DMs, emails, voice notes, conversations. Early sales come from real human connection, not automation or ads. This helps me test messaging, learn objections, and get confident selling.

5. Start List Building from Day One

From the very beginning, I'm building an email list. Every person who opts in becomes someone I can nurture, educate, and sell to. The list becomes the backbone of my future launches.

6. Leverage Community-Based Visibility

I show up in communities where my audience already hangs out — groups, forums, social spaces. I add value first, build visibility second. This approach grows reach without burning money on ads.

7. Build Intentional Relationships

I’m not just networking — I’m cultivating real relationships. These are the people who will refer business, collaborate with me, champion my offers, and help me grow long term.

LINKS TO RESOURCES MENTIONED IN TODAY’S EPISODE

Connect with Teresa on Website, (Grow, Launch, Sell), Sign up to Teresa's email list, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Facebook, Subscribe to my Youtube

Transcript

If I had to start my business from scratch in 2026, I would do things very differently. And it's not because I necessarily did things wrong in the past, but the world has changed, the audience have changed and so have I. So in this video, I'm going to take you through step by step what I would do if I was starting an online business in 2026. No list, no offer, no audience, just me. I'm theres Z wearing and I am an online business expert, a speaker and a podcaster and the creator of Grow Launch Sell My signature program that helps course creators, membership owners, and coaches launch and sell that online offers with confidence and ease. In today's video, I'm gonna be sharing with you exactly what I would do if I was starting my online business all over again. Honestly, I could probably spend a long time telling you about all the mistakes I've made during the many years I've had my online business, but [00:01:00] let's just jump straight into it with the seven things that I would be doing. So if you are starting from scratch, or you are wanting to get your online business going in 2026, then this is the video for you. The very first thing I would do is pick one offer, and I really mean that. I would pick one thing to sell. I wouldn't create a whole product suite, a whole product offering. I would pick one thing, so I could have one message, one focus, target, one audience, and sell it over and over and over. It wouldn't matter what it is, whether it was a course or a membership or a coaching program, I would just basically pick one thing. Number two, I would get so crystal clear and so laser focused on the transformation. When you have one offer, you can get uber clear about what it is that that one offer's going to do, and it doesn't even have to be a big, complicated, massive transformation. [00:02:00] It could be something very clear, very simple, and very easy, but understand wholeheartedly. Where your customer is and where you are taking them to, and that your one offer is getting them there. Because one of the most important things now and for a long time in the online space is explaining to your customer. What your offer can actually do for them. The only way in which you can do this is by understanding the transformation that you are giving them. So when you know your one offer, I want you to get laser focused and so clear about what the transformation the offer is doing for them. Number three, sell it before you make it. Create a live beater version. One of the mistakes that I see lots, and probably one of the ones that I did, was deciding to create this beast of an online offer, IEA course or a membership, and creating every element before I had even tested whether people wanted it. So now I [00:03:00] would highly recommend, and especially if you're starting in 2026 to. Sell it before you make it. So actually work out if there's a market for it before you spend all that time and effort actually making the thing. And regardless of whether the thing's going to be live or evergreen, I would always run the first one live. I would always run it live because A, you are learning as you go and understanding what your customers really want from it, what they're really engaging with. You're seeing the questions that are coming up. Secondly, you don't have to create it all before you sell it. So for instance, if you are doing a course, you could run a course over six weeks and literally be creating each week as it comes along. But what you are doing is you're creating it once you've already sold it, so you are not spending loads of time and effort creating something that you don't know is going to sell. The other reason I would do a live beta is because you want those testimonials now. As a side note, I [00:04:00] wouldn't do it for free. I would charge them something, but I would probably give them a considerable discount. But I wouldn't recommend that you give things away for free because people don't take them seriously. There's no skin in the game. So I would definitely charge, but I would do a much reduced price because it's a beat aversion and because you're going to want those testimonials from them. Number four, personally outreach to make those sales. Again, this might seem a little bit strange of a thing to do when you're creating an online business, and especially if you were to look at how the, my online business looks today. But if I was starting from scratch, I would personally outreach to people to try and sell to them, and in some cases I would still do that now. It's so much easier to have a conversation with someone than it is to try and sell something online, just through emails and social media, and I know that's what we want to get to. But to get there, this is going to be the first step. This is gonna be the easiest way in which you can [00:05:00] do that. And I would do this through personal dms, through reaching out, sending voice notes, having conversations, dropping people emails directly to them. I would ha start a conversation in saying, I would love to talk to you about this thing. All we're trying to do is open up some conversations and then if the sell is right and if they think it's gonna fit for them, then brilliant. But the very first way that I want you to sell your online offer is by personally reaching out and having those conversations. And I promise you, you will sell it way faster than if you just try and sell it online. Number five. Start your list building from day one. How many business owners have I seen that? How many business owners that I've seen? If I had five pound for every business owner that wished they'd started their email list sooner, I probably wouldn't have to work ever again. Starting your email list is one of the most important things that you can do other than making money, which we've already covered. We're gonna try and sell that [00:06:00] one offer with that one transformation directly to people. Starting your email list is so important, so. Because we know the one offer, I want you to create a really good, strong, compelling lead magnet that is a great prerequisite for that one offer, and get it out there straight away. Make it a very simple and a very clear funnel. A funnel seems like too much of a word, but basically we have one lead magnet that leads to your one offer. Now, we don't have to directly sell it to your one offer, but it does need to naturally lead to it. And therefore, if you do start selling it makes sense. But promote that lead magnet from day one. Put it on your social media, send it to people you know, put it into community groups, basically get that email list started. Number six, use community-based visibility rather than just relying on social media. Now, I'm not saying that don't do social media. It's great and it can do lots of things for us. [00:07:00] However, when you first start, I would a hundred percent focus on community visibility. And what I mean by that is getting into other people's communities, joining memberships, just basically being in the room with other people. So whether it's a community for other business owners, whether it's a community for your audience, whatever it is, I want you to get in those communities. That can feel a little bit scary and a little bit out of your comfort zone, but I promise you. It's one of the quickest and easiest ways to build your audience and to build who you are and what you do. Because even if you are in a community like mine where you are working alongside other business owners who maybe aren't your customers, they know loads of people. And in my Grow Launch Sale program and within my community teas world, I have had so many. Collaborations and people come together and help each other because they're in the same world and because they get [00:08:00] on. So honestly, getting in those communities is so very important, and this is going to get you warm leads, not random followers. And number seven, build relationships. Intentionally. And number seven, build relationships intentionally. This is something I did when I started my business and it has paid me dividends. Find people in your world and make real, honest, not fast connections with them. This is a slow burn. This is, I wanna hang out with you because you're cool, or I want to be in your world because I really like you. Not what can I get from you and how can you help me build my business? When you make those connections with real honesty and real authenticity, then they will last you for years and they will pay off so much. I can't tell you many, many years ago I reached out to Amy Porterfield. I had met her a couple of times at events, so not only had I gone to events in the States and I'm [00:09:00] based in the uk, so it was a significant investment to go and get in the room with these people. I then reached out to her. I offered to take her for a coffee. This was a very long time ago. I flew five and a half thousand miles to take her to for a coffee. I built that relationship with her. Since then, she's been on my podcast. She's spoken at my summit. I've been to her house and I now get to call her a friend. Now, I never built that relationship. With all that in mind, I built that relationship genuinely because I really liked it and I wanted to build a relationship with her. I can give you this story about so many other people that I've built relationships with. It's never the intent to build a relationship to what I can get out of it. It was always the intent of building a good, quality, real relationship with these people. And then it is paid off in lots of ways, some to do with the business, some to do personally and in more ways than I can tell you. So how can you build real. Intentional relationships because yes, you might [00:10:00] be starting your online business from scratch, but we want this to last a long time. I've been in business a long time, so it's never about what can I get from them quickly. It's never about building those relationships to just see what you can get from them. Honestly, real businesses are built from relationships, not from the algorithm. So there you go. That's what I would do if I was starting my online business from scratch. Let me recap those seven things. Number one, I would have one offer only. Number two, I would be crystal clear on that transformation. Number three, I would sell it before I make it, and I would do a live beater version of it. Number four, I would do personal outreach to make those early sales. Number five, I would start list building from day one using a strong lead magnet. That is a great prerequisite for my one offer. Number six. I would do community-based visibility, getting in front of different communities, and number seven, I would build relationships intentionally. Honestly, [00:11:00] that's what I would do if I was starting my business in 2026. So you don't need big audiences, complicated funnels, or perfect offers to get started. You just need one offer and you just need to get started. If you find this video helpful, then please hit that like button. Why not give me a comment And I would love it if you could make sure that you are actually subscribed. So you get notified the next time a video goes live.