You’ve had a business idea bouncing around your head for months. Maybe years.
You’ve researched, daydreamed, and made plans that never materialized. The gap between idea and reality keeps growing.
What you need isn’t more planning. It’s a bias toward action and a structured path to your first customer.
This 30-day plan takes you from concept to launched business. No more waiting.
## Week 1: Validate and Prepare (Days 1-7)
### Day 1: Define Your Offer
Stop thinking in abstract terms. Get specific.
**Answer these questions:**
– What exactly will you sell?
– Who specifically will buy it?
– What problem does it solve for them?
– How is it different from alternatives?
– What will you charge?
Write one paragraph describing your offer. Make it concrete.
**Example:**
“I will offer social media management services to real estate agents in Austin. I’ll create and schedule daily content across Instagram and Facebook for $800/month, saving them 10+ hours weekly while increasing their lead generation.”
### Day 2: Identify Your First Customers
You don’t need a large market. You need 10 potential customers.
**List building exercise:**
1. Write down 20 people who might need your offer
2. Include people you know personally
3. Include businesses you could research online
4. Include referrals you could ask for
These are your first outreach targets.
### Day 3: Research and Validate
Before building anything, confirm demand exists.
**Validation methods:**
– Talk to 5 potential customers about their problem
– Search for competitors (competition = demand)
– Find communities where your customers gather
– Look for people asking for what you’ll offer
**Validation questions to ask:**
– How do you currently solve this problem?
– What have you tried before?
– What would an ideal solution look like?
– Would you pay for [your offer]? How much?
For more on lean business launches, see our guide on [starting a business on $1,000](/blog/1000-startup-launch-business-budget/).
### Day 4: Handle Legal Basics
Get the foundation in place.
**Action items:**
– Register business name (or just use your own name)
– File for LLC if appropriate (or start as sole proprietor)
– Get an EIN from the IRS (free, takes 10 minutes)
– Open a business bank account
– Set up simple contract template
Don’t overcomplicate this. You can evolve legal structure later.
### Day 5: Set Up Financial Tracking
Track money from day one.
**Set up:**
– Business checking account
– Simple bookkeeping (Wave is free)
– Invoice template
– Payment processing (Stripe or PayPal)
**Create budget:**
– What can you spend to launch?
– What are your monthly fixed costs?
– What revenue do you need to break even?
### Day 6: Create Your Minimum Brand
You need enough to look professional, not perfect.
**Essential elements:**
– Business name (you can always change it)
– Simple logo (Canva, 30 minutes max)
– Color palette (pick 2-3 colors)
– Professional email address
Don’t spend more than 2 hours on this. Brand evolves with the business.
### Day 7: Week 1 Review
Reflect and prepare for execution.
**Review questions:**
– Is your offer clear and specific?
– Did validation conversations confirm demand?
– Are legal and financial basics in place?
– What’s your biggest uncertainty?
**Prepare for Week 2:**
– Finalize your customer list
– Gather contact information
– Draft your outreach message
## Week 2: Build Your Minimum Presence (Days 8-14)
### Day 8: Create Your Landing Page
You need one page that explains your offer and captures leads.
**Landing page elements:**
– Clear headline stating the benefit
– Brief explanation of what you offer
– Who it’s for
– Call-to-action (book a call, sign up, buy)
– Contact information
**Tools:** Carrd ($19/year), Notion (free), WordPress, Squarespace
Done beats perfect. Launch with a single page.
### Day 9: Set Up Email
Professional communication matters.
**Action items:**
– Set up business email (Google Workspace or free forwarding)
– Create email signature with contact info
– Write templates for common messages:
– Initial outreach
– Follow-up
– Proposal
– Thank you
### Day 10: Build Your Service/Product
Create the minimum viable version of what you’ll sell.
**For services:**
– Define your process/deliverables
– Create intake questionnaire
– Set up scheduling (Calendly)
– Prepare templates for delivery
**For products:**
– Create MVP version
– Set up delivery mechanism
– Write usage instructions
– Prepare support documentation
### Day 11: Create Sales Materials
Arm yourself for conversations.
**Essential materials:**
– One-pager explaining your offer
– Case study or example (even hypothetical)
– FAQ document
– Simple proposal template
– Pricing breakdown
You’ll refine these with feedback. Start rough.
### Day 12: Prepare Your Outreach
Draft the messages you’ll send.
**Cold outreach template:**
“Hi [Name], I noticed [specific observation about them]. I help [target customer] with [problem], and thought there might be value in connecting. Would you be open to a brief call?”
**Warm outreach template:**
“Hey [Name], I’m launching [business] to help [people like them]. Given your [situation], I thought you might find this useful. Can I share more?”
For complete outreach strategies, see our guide on [cold outreach that gets responses](/blog/cold-outreach-gets-responses/).
### Day 13: Set Up Tracking
Know what’s working from day one.
**Track:**
– Outreach sent
– Responses received
– Calls booked
– Proposals sent
– Deals closed
A simple spreadsheet works. Update it daily.
### Day 14: Week 2 Review
Assess readiness for launch.
**Checklist:**
– [ ] Landing page live
– [ ] Email working
– [ ] Service/product ready to deliver
– [ ] Sales materials prepared
– [ ] Outreach messages drafted
– [ ] Tracking system in place
If anything’s missing, finish it before Week 3.
## Week 3: Launch and Sell (Days 15-21)
### Day 15: Announce to Your Network
Tell everyone you know.
**Announcement channels:**
– Personal social media
– LinkedIn post
– Email to contacts
– Text to close friends/family
– Any communities you’re part of
**The ask:** “If you know anyone who might need [service], I’d appreciate an introduction.”
Don’t be shy. People want to help—they just need to know how.
### Day 16-17: First Outreach Wave
Contact your first 20 potential customers.
**Outreach mix:**
– 10 warm (people you know or were referred to)
– 10 cold (researched prospects)
Send personalized messages. Not templates.
**Daily target:** 10 messages sent
### Day 18-19: Follow Up and Book Calls
Most responses come from follow-ups.
**Follow-up schedule:**
– Day 3 after initial outreach
– Day 7 if no response
**Call booking:**
When someone shows interest, get on a call immediately. Don’t let momentum die.
### Day 20: Deliver First Work (If Applicable)
If you’ve closed a deal, prioritize delivery.
**First customer priorities:**
– Exceptional service (they’re your first case study)
– Ask for feedback throughout
– Document the process
– Request testimonial when complete
Your first customer is the foundation of your business. Treat them accordingly.
### Day 21: Week 3 Review
Evaluate your launch.
**Key questions:**
– How many people did you reach out to?
– What was your response rate?
– How many calls did you book?
– Did you close any deals?
– What objections did you hear?
**Adjust approach based on feedback.**
## Week 4: Iterate and Scale (Days 22-30)
### Day 22-23: Second Outreach Wave
Double your outreach volume.
**Expand your list:**
– Ask existing contacts for referrals
– Research new prospects
– Join relevant communities
– Engage on social media
**Daily target:** 15-20 messages
### Day 24-25: Refine Your Offer
Use feedback to improve.
**Questions to address:**
– What objections keep coming up?
– What questions do prospects ask?
– What would make them say yes faster?
– Is pricing correct?
Adjust your messaging, materials, and possibly your offer itself.
### Day 26-27: Content and Visibility
Start building organic reach.
**Content opportunities:**
– LinkedIn posts about your expertise
– Answers in relevant communities
– Simple blog post or guide
– Email to early leads with value
You’re building credibility while also selling.
For time management while building, see our guide on [productivity hacks for entrepreneurs](/blog/time-management-hacks-entrepreneurs/).
### Day 28-29: Systems and Automation
Streamline what’s working.
**Automate:**
– Email sequences for leads
– Calendar scheduling
– Invoice creation
– Social media posting
**Document:**
– Your sales process
– Delivery workflow
– Frequently asked questions
Build systems now while the business is simple.
### Day 30: Review and Plan Forward
Assess your first month and plan month two.
**Month 1 metrics:**
– Outreach sent: ___
– Responses received: ___
– Calls completed: ___
– Proposals sent: ___
– Deals closed: ___
– Revenue generated: ___
**Month 2 goals:**
– How many more deals do you need?
– What channels are working?
– What will you stop doing?
– What will you double down on?
## Beyond Day 30
Your business is launched. Now it needs to grow.
**Month 2 priorities:**
– Consistent outreach and sales
– Deliver excellent work to early customers
– Collect testimonials and case studies
– Start content marketing
– Build referral relationships
**Month 3 priorities:**
– Optimize your sales process
– Increase prices based on demand
– Consider additional offers
– Systematize everything possible
The hardest part is starting. You’ve done that. Now keep going.
## Your Action Step Today
Don’t just read this plan. Start it.
**Right now:**
1. Open a document
2. Write your one-paragraph offer description
3. List 10 potential first customers
4. Schedule time tomorrow to continue
Ideas without action are worthless. Launched businesses create opportunities.
**Ready to accelerate your entrepreneurial journey?** AdCoach offers courses on business building, marketing, and sales for entrepreneurs. [Explore our courses](/courses/) and build your business faster.