4 Basic Business Rules (And How to Break Them)
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4 Basic Business Rules (And How to Break Them)
by Megan Griffith
Business is like art.
There are rules.
You don't have to follow them, but you need to know them so that when you break them, you do it in a way that improves your clients' experience, rather than making things awkward and weird.
So let's dive into 4 of the classic "business best practices," why they're a rule in the first place, and how you can break the rules successfully.
Biz Rule #1: You need to start by making a website.
Yeah, a lot of people will tell you that the first thing you should do when starting a business is create an elegant, functional, enticing website.
Why this is a rule:
I think a lot of people view your website as a kind of business card. They judge how legit your business is by how legit your website looks. People might think you're not exactly "with it" if your website's got that ancient 90s aesthetic (sorry 90s babies, the internet moves fast, and let's face it, we are getting old).
If you remember this, welcome
to the official Oldies club.
But on a deeper level, I think this is a rule because the process of building your website will actually help you define your business as a whole.
Think about it.
To create a website, you need to choose your aesthetic, your content pillars, your business values, and so much more.
So by starting with creating a website, you're actually diving into all the other stuff that will guide how you run your business.
One reason to follow this rule:
You know you want to run a business, but all the details are still a bit fuzzy for you, and you're not sure where to start.
Starting with a website is tried and true, and often helps kickstart your plans for other areas of the business.
Pro tip: unless you have a good, definable reason for breaking these business rules, just go ahead and follow them. They exist because they're helpful in most cases.
One reason to break this rule:
You have people asking to buy a product or service from you, and you can't make the website and deliver the product/service to them at the same time.
If people are already clamoring to work with you, it means you've created trust already, which makes the website a little bit redundant.
I know a few business owners now who simply do not have a website.
They have landing pages, and checkout pages, and social media, but they've been too busy actually working with clients to make a website.
How to break this rule successfully:
And that's the exact way to break this rule successfully: create landing pages, AKA, webpages for specific offers.
That way you can advertise what you have to offer, and start building an email list and making money now, without slowing down to create a full website.
Advertise these landing pages on socials, wherever you create content, whether it's YouTube, Substack, LinkedIn, Bluesky, or something else.
Biz Rule #2: You MUST use social media.
Oh. My. Gods.
I am so tired of this advice. Yes, many of us can benefit by being on social media.
But good gravy, it's not a MUST.
If you kinda hate social media, let's talk about how to break this rule WELL.
Why this is a rule:
Social media is basically free advertising. Any time you're able to show up in front of your people without paying for it, you should at least CONSIDER it, you know?
Everyone and their brother is on social media. You can reach almost any niche, any demographic, and again, it's largely for free.
Oh, and even better, social media is inherently social. It is naturally more geared toward building community than something like a website.
And community is key for building a business of returning customers who are happy to sing your praises (hell yeah word of mouth marketing).
One reason to follow this rule:
You enjoy talking about what you do, and you want to actively connect with others in your space.
Not as "networking" per se, but because you love the topic of your business and just want more opportunities to talk about it and learn about it from others who love it too.
P.S. This applies to introverts too!
Just because you're not as social as an extrovert, that doesn't mean you don't have RADICALLY IMPORTANT shit to say.
Don't count yourself out of social media just because you're an introvert. Go learn from introverted business experts, like Ruth Poundwhite!
One reason to break this rule:
You hate socials.
You detest them, you think they're stupid/a waste of time/toxic/etc.
If you hold disdain for something, it will NEVER bring success to your business.
So either work on that mindset, or just...don't do socials.
How to break this rule successfully:
If you don't want to be on socials, you still need to find a way to bring people into your world.
There are some strategies you can try that are social-adjacent, like Substack, blogging, podcasting, Pinterest, and so much more.
If you choose not to be on social, make sure you have a clear plan for how people will find you, how they will get to know you, and how they will buy from you (good advice even if you ARE on socials too, btw).
Biz Rule #3: "Consistency is king."
I loathe this.
For me, this is a rule I simply have to break. If it works for you, great, but if you've been trying and failing to be consistent in your business forever, allow me to introduce you to the world of "fuck consistency."
Why this is a rule:
As much as I hate this rule, it does exist for a reason.
The algorithm needs a constant stream of new, fresh content to feed to its users, and just like with a stray cat, if you consistently feed the algo, it will keep coming back to you.
Posting on a regular schedule puts the algorithm at ease. They can TRUST you, they can RELY on you.
And it's not just the algo.
Actual people don't want to follow or engage with an abandoned social media page. Right?? Nothing is more depressing than finding a post you love, checking out the profile, only to see they haven't posted anything in 8 months.
One reason to follow this rule:
There are two main reasons you should follow this rule, even though I think it sucks:
1) You need to build up a bank of content to establish a reputable presence online, so that people know you're legit, and that you're not going anywhere.
2) You haven't quite nailed exactly what you're all about in your business yet. Thinking endlessly about what you SHOULD create won't help you nearly as much as just creating the damn content. And doing it consistently will help you narrow in on your business ethos.
One reason to break this rule:
You are just...not consistent.
You're a scatterbrained, type B, chaotic person and just the word "consistency" gives you hives.
If posting consistently makes you resent your business, DON'T DO IT.
You need to LOVE your business for it to be successful (at least, that's what works best for me!)
How to break this rule successfully:
Aim for persistence over consistency.
Just keep posting.
Even if it's once every other week, or 4 times one month and 12 times the next. If you refuse to give up, it's really hard to fail.
On those days your forget to post, or run out of time, or just can't be bothered, don't view that as "failing" or breaking some kind of streak.
View it as a pause, one that you can hit restart on any time.
Biz Rule #4: The backend of your business needs to be high-tech.
Oh tech. So glorious when it works, such a pain in the ASS when it doesn't.
So...how techy does your business have to be?? Do you need everything to be automated right away? What needs to be done first and what can you do later? How much should you spend on tech in your business?
Let's talk about it.
Why this is a rule:
The less friction that exists between people finding you and them buying from you and having a great experience, the easier it will be to make money.
And tech can definitely reduce friction.
One reason to follow this rule:
If you love tech, then I say go for it. Make your business as techy and streamlined as you like.
One caveat though:
Even if you love tech, make sure you're not spending so much time on the tech that you forget to actually DO the business part of your business.
One reason to break this rule:
You officially have my permission to break this rule if tech is going to slow you down.
If you want to know what tech you actually, really NEED to have set up, read this article all about what tech solutions I recommend (coming soon!)
How to break this rule successfully:
Use a free Stripe account to create simple, streamlined checkout pages.
If this is too much, then heck, just advertise your products and services, tell people to DM you to get them, then just tell them to Venmo or PayPal you, then once they do, send them the goods.
Now, obviously this will NOT scale well. It will quickly become chaotic and take more time than just setting up the tech would.
But it's a way to get you started, or heck, help you make enough money to hire someone to set up the backend tech FOR you!
Basically, there are a million ways to run your business.
You don't have to follow any one rule.
But that doesn't mean you should just go in, guns a'blazing, with no plan.
Let me help you make a plan that works for YOU in the High Priestess Business Mastermind. This is a community of chaotic, witchy, leftist entrepreneurs who are scaling their way to 6-figures/year.
