You Don't Have to Build the Entire Business Before You Start One

Starting a business is intimidating.

Not because the individual steps are particularly difficult.

But because when you've never done it before, it feels like there are a thousand steps, and somehow you're supposed to know all of them before you begin.

At least that's how it felt to me.

I'd helped organizations implement systems, build processes, launch technology, improve operations, and solve complex problems. (And in the process I helped build their value and boost their revenue, something I was tired of doing only for the benefit of others.)

But building my own business felt different.

Because suddenly I wasn't looking at a company that already existed.

I was looking at a blank page.

And when you're starting from scratch, it's easy to compare yourself to businesses that have been around for years.

They have websites.

They have accounting systems.

They have brands.

They have clients.

They have processes.

They have technology stacks.

They have history.

What I struggled to accept at the time was that I was comparing Day One Alterra to organizations that had spent years becoming what they are today.

Of course it felt overwhelming.

What I needed wasn't all the answers.

I needed an anchor.

Finding the Anchor

Looking back, one of the most important things I did wasn't opening a bank account or selecting software.

It was defining Alterra Solutions.

The name.

The mission.

The values.

The idea that businesses deserve systems that reflect how they actually work—not how someone else thinks they should work. And that teams deserve the freedom and flexibility to work in a way that works for them. Where they want. When they want. How they want. 

Once Alterra became more than an idea, something shifted.

Before that, every decision felt HUGE.

I found myself asking:

Is this the right choice?

Am I doing this correctly?

What if I make the wrong decision?

But once Alterra started taking shape, the question changed.

Instead of asking:

"Is this right for me?"

I started asking:

"Is this right for Alterra?"

That distinction changed everything.

Because Alterra became a foundation I could build from.

A filter for decisions.

A north star when I wasn't sure what came next.

For me, that anchor was the brand itself.

For someone else, it might be their product.

Their industry.

Their mission.

Their expertise.

But I think every business needs something that helps answer the question:

"What are we trying to build?"

Once I had that, the next steps became easier.

Not because I suddenly knew everything.

But because I had a foundation to build on.

One Step at a Time

With that foundation in place, I stopped worrying about building the entire business and started focusing on building the next piece of it.

First, I registered my domain.

I chose Network Solutions.

Partly because they're the original domain registrar and I'm old school like that.

But mostly because over the years I've heard enough horror stories—and seen a few firsthand—where a business owner thought they owned their domain only to discover it had been registered by a hosting company on their behalf. Then when they wanted to leave, things became complicated.

That may not be as common today as it once was, but I wasn't interested in finding out.

I wanted to know my domain belonged to me.

One box checked.

Then I opened business checking, savings, and credit card accounts through where I already did my personal banking.

Another box checked.

Then Stripe for payment processing.

QuickBooks Online for accounting—though if I'm being completely honest, my bookkeeping discipline leaves a lot to be desired. Catching up on that is firmly on my to-do list.

Then HubSpot.

As a HubSpot Solutions Partner, there was never much chance I was going to choose anything else. When you're a HubSpot consultant, it's amazing how many problems seem solvable with HubSpot.

The website? HubSpot.

CRM? HubSpot.

Marketing? HubSpot.

Service? HubSpot.

Data? Also HubSpot.

And for a solo business, the entry point is surprisingly accessible.

Then Zoom, because I quickly learned that the free meeting limits weren't going to cut it.

Then Fireflies, which has become one of my favorite tools for capturing client conversations and meeting notes. I recently upgraded to video recording because enough clients assumed I had video recordings that it finally made sense.

None of these decisions were monumental.

They were simply the next thing that needed to happen.

A Year Later

Alterra recently passed its first year in business.

And when I look back, I'm amazed by how many things I've done that once felt completely outside my reach.

Signing clients.

Building systems.

Leading projects.

Creating partnerships.

Growing something that didn't exist before.

Not because any of those things were impossible.

But because they were unfamiliar.

The funny thing is that most of the things that seemed intimidating a year ago feel completely normal today.

Not because I figured everything out.

But because I started.

Then I took the next step.

And then the next one.

If you're thinking about building something of your own, my advice is simple:

You don't need to know everything before you begin.

You don't need the entire roadmap.

You don't need every answer.

You just need something solid to build from and the willingness to take the next step.

The rest gets figured out along the way.

At least that's how it worked for me.