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Hi reader,

When you're starting a business, it's tempting to jump straight into the fun stuff: picking a name, designing a logo, setting up a fancy website. But if you don’t have the fundamentals locked down, none of that actually matters.

I say this humbly as a website guy: Building a website is NOT step one.

Before you even think about a website, you need to be crystal clear on what problem you’re solving, who you’re solving it for, and how to position your solution. If you can’t answer those questions, your website won’t do what it’s supposed to – help you attract and convert the right customers.

Today’s advice to grow your business

Know exactly what you’re selling and who it’s for before building your website.

A website won’t magically attract customers if you haven’t nailed down the fundamentals. Before anything else, you need to know exactly what problem you’re solving, who needs it, and why they should choose you.

If you skip this step, you’ll end up with a website that looks nice but doesn’t actually drive results. Instead, focus on putting your offer in front of real people first. Test it, get feedback, and refine your messaging based on what works.

Once you have a proven offer and a clear understanding of your audience, THEN it’s time to build a website that amplifies what’s already working…not one based on guesswork.

Here’s how this will benefit you

You won’t waste time (or money) on the wrong website.

Building a website too early often means building a website that doesn’t speak to your audience.

Here’s what usually happens: You pick a domain name, choose a design, and throw some copy together. But once your business starts growing, you realize your messaging is off. Your services have evolved. Customers are asking different questions than you expected. Now, you’re stuck redoing everything – rewriting pages, redesigning layouts, and maybe even changing your entire brand positioning. That’s expensive and time-consuming.

Instead, take the time to test your offer first. Talk to real people. See what resonates. What objections do they have? What makes them say yes? Once you have that clarity, you can build a website that’s actually aligned with what your customers need.

You’ll attract more of your ideal customers.

The goal of your website isn’t just to get traffic – it’s to get the right traffic. If your messaging is too broad or unclear, you’ll end up attracting people who either don’t need what you’re offering or aren’t ready to buy.

But when you refine your offer first, everything changes. You’ll know exactly who you’re speaking to, what problems they’re struggling with, and what makes them say yes. That means your website can be built with messaging that addresses real pain points and positions your solution in a way that makes sense to them.

Instead of trying to convince random visitors to care, your site will naturally attract people who are already looking for a solution like yours. They’ll see themselves in your messaging, trust that you understand their needs, and be much more likely to take action.

Your first step

Make sure you know your offer and audience inside and out.

If you don’t have a website yet, don’t build one until you have absolute clarity on what you’re offering, who needs it, and why they should choose you. Talk to real customers, test different ways of positioning your solution, and make sure people are actually willing to pay for what you do. 

If you do already have a website, is it bringing in the right customers? If it’s not, take a step back. Does your offer solve a clear, specific problem? Are you speaking to the exact audience that needs it? If not, refine your positioning. A website can only do its job if the foundation behind it is strong. Otherwise, it’s just another page on the internet.

Best,

Jono