Okay, let's talk about your brand name. And I want to say something right off the bat. Your brand name does not have to be perfect. It just has to be yours.

I've seen so many people get stuck on this step for weeks, literally weeks. They are in their notes app at 11 p.m. going back and forth between names. They ask all their friends, they're changing their mind every other day. And meanwhile, they are not building anything.

Truthfully, your name matters, but not as much as you may think it does right now. It matters more that you actually start. You can always rebrand later if you need to. I've done that. I built an entire brand in 24 hours. I had a logo, a website, a CRM, every single piece. And that brand that I built in 24 hours hit 6 figures in 10 months. And the name was not this big drawn out decision. It was literally just what felt right in the moment and I went with it.

So how do you come up with a brand name? If you have my Brand Detective tool, that would be the best place to start. The Brand Detective walks you through a bunch of questions about you, your personality, your business, your audience, and then it generates some AI prompts that help you brainstorm names. The names it comes up with are actually really good because they're based on your specific brand and not just random words.

If you don't have the Brand Detective, no worries. I do have it linked for you. But you just need to think through a few things. What encompasses your brand well? If somebody heard your brand name, would they get a sense of what you do or who you serve? Is it something that people could potentially search for and find? And the biggest one: is it already taken?

Once you have a name and you like it, you need to grab the domain. You're going to want to go to GoDaddy.com. It's super easy, it's cheap. You're going to search for your business name as a website.com. If it's available, grab it. Most domains are usually around $12 to $15 a year.

If your exact name isn't available as a .com, you can try to add a few things. Add "the" in front of it. That's what I did because mine was Simple Creator Co, but that combination wasn't working. So my website is actually thesimplecreator.com. I made it work.

Another thing you're going to want to search is Instagram handles. Look and see, does anybody else have your brand name? And I would also Google your brand name to see what comes up. Does somebody else already have a business like this? If it's in the same niche, you can't use it.

Now, in GoDaddy, when you're checking out, they're going to try to sell you a bunch of add-ons. Website hosting, email packages, domain protection, upgrades. You don't need any of that right now. Just buy the domain. We will handle everything else separately.

Once you have your domain, write it down somewhere where you're not going to lose it. Put it in the notes app on your phone or a sticky note on your desk. You're going to need that when we set up your email in lesson four.

Below this audio, there is a written checklist that walks you through the GoDaddy step-by-step process. So if you feel stuck, follow those steps. You're going to want to come up with your business name, search the .com on GoDaddy, if it's available, register it. Skip any of the add-ons, and write down your domain name somewhere safe.

And that's it. Once you do that, you own a piece of the internet. And that is really cool. You can do that today. There's nothing stopping you. If your day is busy, do it tomorrow. But don't put it off because this is such an easy win.

In the next lesson, we're going to talk about how to make your business legal. I promise it's way less scary than it sounds. I'll meet you over there when you're done.

All right, this is the lesson that usually freaks people out, and I get it. The second someone says "register your business," your brain probably goes to lawyers and paperwork and forms and "what if I do this wrong?" So I need you to take a deep breath because this is actually one of the most straightforward lessons in this whole kit.

Let me break this down really simply. Like, let's pretend that you and I are just sitting at a coffee shop. Very casual.

When you start selling things, you need to register your business with your state. The simplest way to do that is as what's called a sole proprietor. This is typically what I recommend everybody start with. It's the fastest and the cheapest option. Most states allow you to register for under $100.

You're basically filing what's called a DBA, which stands for "doing business as." It essentially tells the state, hey, I'm running a business under this name. And that's it. You're official. As a sole proprietor, you and your business are the same legal entity. Your business income goes on your personal tax return. It is simple and easy.

Now at some point down the road, you might want to consider filing as an LLC. LLC stands for limited liability company. An LLC basically creates a legal wall between your personal assets and your business assets. If something ever went wrong and somebody tried to sue your business (which is a very tiny chance, so don't panic), your personal stuff is protected. Your house, your car, your savings.

If you are a person who is a homeowner or has other personal assets, I may consider doing an LLC instead. But if your assets are minimal, sole proprietor all the way for now. The LLC also starts to have some tax benefits as you grow, but that is a conversation to have with a tax professional.

If you do want to go ahead and file as an LLC, it's usually around $300 depending on your state. You can do it yourself online. Google your state, file LLC, and your Secretary of State's website will come up. Most states let you do the entire thing online. It takes like 15 to 20 minutes. One thing I will say: don't do LegalZoom or anything like that. If a platform is trying to charge you to file the LLC for you, skip it. You can totally do it yourself.

Next step. If you file as an LLC, you're going to get what's called an EIN number. E-I-N stands for Employer Identification Number. Think of it like a social security number for your business. You'll use your EIN when you open your business bank account, which we'll talk about in a later lesson.

If you go the sole proprietor route, you will not have an EIN unless you apply for one separately. But you can still open a business bank account as a sole proprietor. You will just use your business name and your social security number instead of your EIN.

Here's how you're going to actually do this today. Google your state, register sole proprietor, or your state registered DBA. It will walk you through all of the steps. Fill out the form. Pay the filing fee. And then you're done. You are now registered as a business owner. Legally, nobody can tell you that it isn't real because it is real.

Here's what's going to happen. You're going to feel this little rush when it's done, and then this moment of "wait, I actually have a real business." I want you to lean into that. Screenshot it. Tell somebody. Post it to your stories if you want. This is a really big step that the majority of people never take.

Your checklist: register your business as a sole proprietor or an LLC. If you're an LLC, get your EIN through that process. If you're a sole proprietor, just remember you're going to use your social security number for your business bank account. Save any documents they give you. I have a Google Drive folder where all of my important business files go. Save any confirmation emails, registration details, anything they give you.

And then you're ready for the next lesson. This one's a really fun one. We are setting up your professional email and it's one of those things that instantly makes you look like you've been doing this for years. After you have registered your business, come back here and we'll go on to the next lesson.

Okay, you have already done so well in the previous steps, but I am so excited for this one because this lesson is going to make you feel so legit. Nothing says "I'm a real business" like getting an email from hello@yourbusinessname.com instead of yourbusiness-whatever@gmail.com.

I know it might sound like a small thing, but when somebody gets an email from your custom domain, they immediately take you more seriously. It changes how people perceive you. And really it's so much easier to set up than you'd think.

Here's what you need. Your domain name from lesson 2, and a Google Workspace account. Google Workspace is about $6 a month. That's it. And it is worth every penny because you're not just getting an email address. You actually get upgraded Google Drive storage, Google Calendar, Google Docs, all the Google tools will now be under your business. It's like the best $6 you're going to spend on your business.

To set it up, go to workspace.google.com. Click get started. It's going to ask you for your business name, how many people are on your team (just say it's just you), and then put your contact info. It'll ask you if you have a domain. You do, because if you've followed the directions, you have a domain name. Enter the domain that you registered in lesson two.

Now, Google needs to verify that you actually own this domain. I know that sounds technical, but all it means is you're going to copy a little code that Google gives you and paste it into your domain settings on GoDaddy.com. Google literally walks you through the steps, step by step with screenshots. Usually it takes less than 5 minutes. It's one of those things that sounds harder than it really is.

Once your domain is verified, you're going to pick your email address. I typically like to go with something simple, like hello@yourbusinessname.com. You could put your first name, like rebecca@yourbusinessname.com. For me, I choose hello because anybody on my team will use that same hello@ email address. It's not specifically tied to me.

Here's what's nice about Google Workspace. Your new email works exactly like regular Gmail. Same inbox, same app on your phone, same everything. The only difference is that instead of @gmail.com it says @yourbusinessname.com. So there's literally no learning curve. If you know how to use Gmail, you already know how to use this.

One thing here: don't go off and create a ton of different email addresses right now. You don't need support@, info@, and billing@. Just keep it simple with one email.

Below this audio is a written checklist walking you through every step of the Google Workspace setup. Sign up at workspace.google.com, $6 a month, enter your domain when it asks you, follow Google's instructions to verify your domain, and then choose your email address. Keep it really simple. Log in on your phone or your computer, send yourself a test email to make sure it works. And that's it.

Now you have a professional email address. When you send somebody an invoice or a receipt, or they buy something, and they see your email address, it shows up with your business name. That alone is worth the $6 right there.

Get that set up. You can do that in one afternoon. It should not take you ages. And then in the next lesson, we're going to talk all about bookkeeping and money things. Don't panic if you're not a numbers person. I'm going to keep it simple.

It's time to talk about money. Now, before your eyes totally glaze over, I need you to stay with me because this is probably the most important lesson in this whole kit. And it's really way simpler than you think.

Here's what I see happen all the time. New business owners do one of two things. They either completely ignore the money side of their business and then have a total panic attack when tax season comes around. Or they buy this super expensive accounting software that they don't understand, open it one time, feel overwhelmed, and then never touch it again. We are not going to do either of those things.

We are going to keep things simple. Start with Google Sheets. You don't need QuickBooks. No monthly subscriptions for software. Just a spreadsheet that's going to track what comes in and what goes out. I have a template for you. It is included as a bonus with this kit. You'll find the link below this lesson. Go click that and make a copy so that you have your own version in your own Google Drive.

I also have a video that walks you through the spreadsheet visually. So if you want to see exactly where to put things and how the columns work, go watch that.

So here's how the spreadsheet works. You have two main sections: your income and your expenses. For income, every time money comes into your business, you log it. The date, what it was, how much, where it came from. For example: May 15th, packing list template, $27. One line. It takes like 10 seconds.

For expenses, same thing. Every time you spend money on your business, log it. Put the date, what it was for, how much, and then the category. Categories could be like software, advertising, education, supplies. The template already has the common ones in there for you.

When should you actually do this? Pick one day a week. Mondays, Fridays, whatever feels like a good day. Sit down for 10 to 15 minutes. Check your business bank account, your checkout platform, your PayPal, wherever money comes in and goes out. Log everything from the past week into your spreadsheet. Then close it. That's it for the week.

If you do this weekly, you are not going to have that terrible moment in March where you're staring at a year's worth of transactions trying to figure out what that $47 charge from October was.

Now, let me talk about taxes. When you're self-employed, nobody withholds taxes from your income like they do a regular paycheck. That is on you. I've seen people get burned by this because they didn't realize they need to set money aside and then they get hit with a giant tax bill. A good practice is to set aside about 30% of your income for taxes. Your actual tax rate may be lower, so talk to a tax professional if you want a more exact number. But 30% is a safe starting point. It's always better to set aside too much and have a nice surprise than owe money you don't have.

The other big thing: you're going to need a business bank account. It's vital that you keep your business transactions separate from your personal transactions. Whether you're a sole proprietor or an LLC, they need to be separate. Go to your local bank or open an account online. A free checking account works. If you've filed as an LLC, use your EIN to open it. If you're a sole proprietor, use your business name and your social security number.

When everything is mixed together in one checking account, it is a nightmare. You can't tell what's business and what's personal. Tax time becomes this awful guessing game. So separate accounts from day one.

Once your business account is open, that's where your business income should go and where your business expenses should come from. Whether you're using a business debit card or a business credit card, everything needs to be just for business. Don't use your personal credit card on paying for ads. That needs to be a business card.

Eventually, you could upgrade to something like QuickBooks. I personally use QuickBooks and have for years, but I used the spreadsheet first for the first two or three years. It just got to the point where the spreadsheet was feeling overwhelming with how many transactions I was putting in.

Also, remember that Google Workspace subscription for your custom email? That's a business expense. Your domain from GoDaddy? Business expense. Any courses or tools you've bought for your business? Business expenses. Track everything because it's all deductible.

Do you need a full-on accountant right now? Probably not yet. The spreadsheet will get you through your first year. When you start making consistent income, like several thousand a month, that's when you may want to consider hiring a bookkeeper or a CPA.

So here's your checklist. Open the bookkeeping template, make a copy. Watch the walkthrough. Open your business bank account if you don't have one. Log any income and expenses you've already had. Set a weekly reminder to update it. And start setting aside that 30% for taxes. Get your numbers in order and then in the next lesson, we get to talk about your online presence, your digital HQ.

Okay, websites. This is the lesson where I need to talk you off the ledge a bit, possibly, because when people hear "you need a web presence," their brain immediately goes to this massive, beautifully designed, custom built website with a blog and a portfolio and 12 pages of professionally designed everything with $3,000 and a month of work. No. You do not need any of that right now.

Here is what you actually need. A way for people to find you and a way for people to buy from you. That's it.

Let's start with the buying part because that's the most important piece. If people cannot give you money, nothing else matters. If you do not have a website yet, here's what I recommend. Start with Flodesk. Flodesk lets you build a sales page and a checkout all in one place. You can have a page that describes your product, tells people what it is, what's included, and then it has a buy button right there. It handles payment and delivers the product all in one. So you do not need a separate website for this. You don't need a separate checkout tool. It's all one thing.

If you went through Made to Sell, I teach Flodesk in there, so you may already have that part set up. The point is, you can be selling your digital product today with just a Flodesk page. You don't have to wait until you have a full website.

Now, as you're establishing your business, it is a good idea to eventually have an actual website. Not because your Flodesk page isn't working, but because a website gives you a home base. It's where people can learn about you, see what you're about, and trust you before they buy. It also helps you get found on Google over time.

When you're ready for a website, I recommend Showit. S-H-O-W-I-T. That's the platform I have used for years and years. It is drag and drop, very user friendly, and they have lots of free templates to get started. You do not need to pay for a custom template right away.

Here's the pages that you actually need. A homepage: who you are, what you do, and some kind of button that takes people to your product. An about section: who is behind the brand, why you started this, what you care about. A contact page or section: your email address, maybe a simple form. And eventually a blog page. You don't have to have blog posts on day one, but having the page there means you can start adding content later.

Really, your homepage, your about page, and your contact could even be one long scrolling page with different sections. It can literally be one page. Don't overthink it. Done is better than perfect.

Once you have your website set up, your Flodesk checkout doesn't go away. You just link it from your website. Somebody lands on your website, they learn about you, they click buy, and it takes them to your Flodesk checkout. They work together.

Now I want to mention the Brand Detective, because this is where a lot of people get stuck. They have Showit open, they're staring at their page, and they're like, what do I even write? Your website is only as good as the words on it. You can have the prettiest designs in the world, but if the copy doesn't connect with your person, nobody is going to buy. The Brand Detective walks you through figuring out your brand identity, who you're talking to, what problem you're solving, and then helps you write your website copy based on your actual brand.

Here's my biggest piece of advice for this whole lesson. Don't get stuck on the website. I've seen so many people spend months tweaking fonts and rearranging things and they never actually launch. They have this beautiful website and zero sales because they never put their product out there. So get your Flodesk page set up, start selling, and then build the website alongside that or after. Do not let the website be the thing that keeps you from making money.

So here's your checklist. If you don't have a way to sell yet, set up Flodesk. When you're ready for a website, check out Showit and their free templates. Plan your pages: home, contact, about, and eventually a blog. Keep it simple. And if you need help writing the words, the Brand Detective tool can help you through all of it.

Get it done and live. Once it's live, you can always make tweaks. But it's not going to be perfect when you launch it and that's okay. Give yourself maybe two days to get it live. Set yourself a deadline. And then move on to the next lesson.

I just love this lesson because this is one where everything starts to feel real. Like physically, tangibly real. We are talking about your workspace.

I know what you might be thinking. Rebecca, I don't have a home office. Like, do I really need a workspace? Listen, you don't have to have a home office, but I strongly believe you need a spot. That's it. Just a spot.

It could be a corner of your kitchen counter or your table. It could be a closet that you've cleared out. It could be on your bed with your lap desk. Honestly, it doesn't matter where it is. What matters is that you have a place, a designated place where you sit down, your brain shifts, and you go from "I'm just hanging out" to "I am working on my business."

That shift is actually a really big deal because right now, a lot of you are likely building your business in these in-between moments. During nap time, after bedtime, the 30 minutes between school drop off and the next thing. And when you don't have a dedicated spot, it's really easy for those moments to just kind of float by without ever really locking in. You end up half working, half scrolling, half watching something, and then an hour goes by and you feel like you got nothing done.

When you have a spot, even if it's small, something clicks. You sit down and your brain knows: okay, it's go time. It's like a mindset shift. And that's actually the most important part of this lesson. It's not about the desk or the chair. It's about starting to see yourself as a business owner. And business owners have a place where they work.

So I want you to pick your spot right now. Look around and decide where your spot is going to be. And then I want you to make it yours because there's something really special about curating a little space that you love. It doesn't have to be Pinterest-worthy. It doesn't have to be expensive. It just has to make you want to sit down and create.

Maybe that's a candle that you love or a mug that makes you smile. A physical planner that feels good to write in. A lap desk if you're a couch or bed worker. I love working from my bed, honestly. Maybe it's some headphones so you can focus even if your house is loud. Whatever makes that space feel like yours. Keep it simple. You don't have to buy an entire office setup.

Here's the fun part. Once your workspace is set up, I want you to take a photo of it. And I want you to post it. If you're in our community, go post it there and tag me. Share it with somebody. There's something about saying out loud, "this is where I run my business," that makes the whole thing click. Even if it's just a folding table in the corner of your laundry room. Especially if it's a folding table in the corner of your laundry room. Because that's what makes it real. And real is what we're going for here.

So today, look around, pick your spot, set it up with a few things that make it feel like yours, and take your photo. Because one day you're going to want to look back at that and it's going to be really, really special.

Find your spot and curate it, and then we can get to our final lesson, which is so, so important. That is setting your boundaries. I'll meet you over there.

Okay, friend, this is the last lesson, and I have saved this one for the end on purpose. But first I want you to celebrate how far you have come. You have completed 7 lessons. We're here on lesson number 8 and that is something to be celebrated because you have made extremely big strides in legitimizing your business. You have a real business. You are a real business owner now. And I seriously could not be more proud.

I wanted to include this lesson here because here's the thing. You can have the best business name, the cleanest website, the most organized bookkeeping spreadsheet, but if you don't set boundaries around this thing, none of it matters. And you will burn out. So that's why we're here. I'm going to share some things that I have learned the hard way.

The first thing I need you to know is having your own business does not mean you have to be available all the time. I think we have this picture in our head that being a business owner means always being on. Always checking, always responding, always working on something. But the whole point of building something on your own terms is that you get to decide when you work.

So we're going to pick your work hours. And I don't mean "I'll just work whenever I can," because "whenever I can" turns into all the time really, really fast. I want specific hours on specific days.

This is going to look different for everybody, and that is the whole point. If you're a mom with little ones at home, maybe your work hours are nap time and an hour after bedtime. That's 3 to 4 hours. That's plenty. I built my business on those margins. I still run my business on those margins. Right now, I work 2 days a week for 4 hours each day. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8 hours a week total. That's it. And everything I need to get done happens in those windows.

Whatever season you're in right now, pick the hours that work for you in this season and write them down. And then tell somebody. This is the part that people skip and it's the part that makes the biggest difference. If you're married, tell your spouse. If you're not married, tell your roommate, tell your friend, tell whoever shares your space. Say, "these are my work hours, and during this time, I need to focus."

When you don't communicate it, one of two things happen. Either people interrupt you constantly and you never get anything done. Or you feel guilty about every single second that you spend working because nobody knows that you're supposed to be working. Both of those are terrible. Have the conversation. When your spouse sees you taking this thing seriously, they start to take it seriously too.

Next thing: turn off your notifications. All of them. I cannot believe how many people still have their Instagram notifications on. Every single like, every comment, every DM, buzzing on your phone all day long. Turn them off right now. Go into your settings, notifications, and turn them off for everything. You can check Instagram when you sit down to work. You don't need to pull it out every 30 seconds during your real life.

I actually took a major social media break a while back. I deleted all the apps from my home screen. I set time limits, the whole thing. I can tell you within 48 hours, I felt like a different person. I was more present with my kids. I was reaching for a book instead of my phone. And my business was completely fine through all of that. I didn't miss anything important. Nothing fell apart.

The same goes for your email. You do not need to check your email all day. Nothing in your inbox is an emergency. I'm going to say it again. Nothing in your inbox is an emergency. It is absolutely okay to check your inbox twice a day during your work hours. When it's your work time, check in, respond, handle what needs to be handled, and then close it.

Responding to DMs and customer questions is also not an emergency. I know this is hard, especially when you're new, because everything feels urgent. Somebody messages about your product and your brain goes, "I need to respond right now or I'm going to lose the sale." You won't. People are a lot more patient than you think. A few hours is totally fine. Even 24 hours is fine for most things. What's not fine is training yourself to drop everything every single time your phone lights up. That is not a business. That is a leash.

Another boundary: close your laptop. When your work hours are over, physically close your laptop. Not minimize the tab. Close the whole thing, put it away, and walk away. I keep my laptop in my office. It doesn't come to the couch. It doesn't come to the dinner table.

My son, when he was much younger, he would say "all done, all done" and try to physically close my laptop. And one of those times, I remember thinking, this is not why I built my business. I built it so I could have more time with my kids, not less. That was my turning point. So the next day, I set my work hours, I made the boundary. And here's what happened. Nothing bad happened. Sales still came in. Customers still got helped, maybe a few hours later. My evenings came back. My presence came back. The guilt went away.

You are building this business so that you could have a better life, not so that your business can take over your life. So protect your time because it's the most valuable thing that you have.

Here's what I want you to do. Write down specific work hours and days. Tell your spouse or somebody in your house what those are. Turn off your notifications, all of them. Set a specific time to batch respond to emails and DMs during your work hours. And when your work time is done, close your laptop. Not minimize. Close it. Be done.

And with that, we are done. The whole Business Starter Kit, all 8 lessons complete. Your business has a real foundation now. You have a name, a domain, your entity is registered. You've got a professional email, a bookkeeping system, a way for people to buy from you, a workspace, and boundaries that are going to keep this whole thing going. You did the thing that most people never do. And you didn't just think about it or plan. You built it. I am so thrilled for you. Go give yourself a little treat. You deserve it. And then we can go on to making sales because you are absolutely ready for it.