Lesson #1 – How To Get Started

A Note To The Experienced:

This first lesson was designed with beginners in mind. If you’ve had experienced in the web development industry or any sort of a strong tech background, hold tight. Tomorrow’s lesson goes into greater detail and next week’s lesson will give you a lot to work with, regardless of your experience level.

Now, a warning. For those of you who are new to business, building a business isn’t easy. It’s going to be a lot of hard work. I will do my very best to save you the pain that I’ve personally experienced and help you start this new business of yours on a foundation built for success.

Doing that, though, is going to take dedication from you and a willingness to keep going, even when things are difficult. The effort you put into the work in this course is going to be the key to what you get out of it.

Feeling Desperate? – If you are barely getting by financially and you are looking for a way to relieve your immediate pain by becoming a developer, This course will help you… but not right now. I was once in your position and I learned two vital lessons.

  1. Good things take time
  2. Clients can sense desperation

You will enjoy much more success with your new business if you have your basic needs covered. This may mean holding onto your day job for a while, or finding some part time work, but it is honestly the best thing you can do to ensure you are not repelling customers.

Beware information overload – You know what it’s like, you read an exciting success story from an entrepreneur and want to do the same thing with your life. The problem is, you feel like you dont have all the answers yet, so you search and find another success story that re-energises you, but the next step isn’t totally clear, so you go and google some more. Before you know it, you have signed up for lifechanging newsletter #26 and start the cycle over again.

You are probably already smiling because this very page is probably the latest in a long line of research you have already done to make a difference in your life.

As humans, we are prone to this cycle because it is easier to consume information than it is to apply it. So if you really want to make a change in your life, I recommend limiting your inputs and focussing on taking action, based on the good information you discover. Remember, occasional failure is much better than constant inaction.

This course you are reading right now, can make a dramatic impact on your life, but only if you take action.

Let’s get started!

What You Need To Begin

To get started, you’re going to need a few things. I am a firm believer in starting out as small and as simply as possible and growing out of success. Here’s what you need to begin:

  • A Computer – A Mac or PC (or even Linux), Laptop, Desktop, or Netbook, any computer that works and has a connection to the Internet will work just fine. Since you’re reading this online you’re probably already good to go. If you don’t have a computer of your own yet, I recommend you get a refurbished MacBook air. If you’re on a tighter budget, I recommend you buy a computer on Craigslist or eBay.
  • 5-10 Hours A Week – If you have a job, or you’re a stay-at-home parent, or you’re in school (or combinations of the three!), time is something you don’t have much of. To start a web development business you’re going to need 5-10 hours a week. If you can take an entire day each week, great. If not, try and spread it out over the course of the week.
  • $80-$100 Budget – You’re going to need a domain name (around $10) and then a WordPress theme (around $40-$50). You’re also going to need to setup web hosting ($6-$25 a month). There will be other tools and resources later, but for now, that’s it.

Introducing WordPress

WordPress is a “content management system”. It is a piece of software that runs on a web server and serves as the “backbone” to a website.

This website, and millions of others (about a quarter of the internet actually), were built on WordPress. If you want to learn more about the history of WordPress, I highly encourage you to read the “about” page on WordPress.org and the WordPress entry on Wikipedia.

As a web developer, WordPress is the key to getting a lot done in a short period of time without you needing to have any prior experience.

The Next Steps

Between now and tomorrow here are the two things I want you to do:

  1. Check Your Schedule – Figure out where you can set aside the 5-10 hours to get started. Put the time on your schedule and do whatever it takes to make sure you have the time available.
  2. Introduce Yourself – I want to hear from you! Send me an email to luke@creatingclients.io or write to me on twitter @lukef. Tell me about yourself, how you found this course, and why you decided to take this course. If you have any questions, send them along as well.

And that’s that! Look for Lesson #2 to arrive via email tomorrow morning. In Lesson #2, we’ll choose a domain name and build a website for your new business. In the meantime, I look forward to hearing from you!

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