How Can I Start a Business as a Service Provider Without Falling Into the ‘I Didn’t Know That!’ Cycle?

When I first started my business, my goal was to earn some passive income alongside my therapy practice. I figured I’d throw up a website, write a couple of blog posts, and share them when relevant—and that would be enough to bring in money.

Boy, was I wrong.

Unfortunately, this misconception is common among new business owners. In this blog post, I’m sharing the things I didn’t know when I started—and only discovered once I was deep in the process.

My goal: to help you answer the question “How can I start my business the right way.”

I’ll also highlight a few of my favorite resources that helped me get back on track.

Some links on this site are affiliate links, meaning I may earn a commission if you click or make a purchase—at no extra cost to you. Popular affiliates include: Branden Drake, Mailerlite, Zach Spuckler, etc. More details are on my Disclaimers Page and Terms & Conditions found at the bottom of this webpage. I only recommend products I genuinely love and believe in. Using these links supports this website, and I truly appreciate it. Thank you!

You Need Contracts That Cover Refunds and Terminations

When I first started building my business, I thought being nice and flexible would be enough to keep clients happy. I didn’t think I’d ever need a strong contract—after all, I trusted my clients, and I believed in the value of what I was offering.

But here’s the hard truth: even when your work is great, not every client experience will be. Sooner or later, someone will ask for a refund, try to ghost halfway through a contract, or demand extras that were never included. If you don’t have solid legal protections in place, it can cost you time, money, and serious stress.

That’s why refund policies and contract termination clauses aren’t just “nice to have”—they’re non-negotiables. They protect you from getting stuck in toxic working relationships and also give clients clear expectations from the start.

If you’re a service provider and don’t yet have strong contracts in place, I highly recommend Braden Drake’s Contract Club. His legal templates are written in plain English, customizable, and actually make sense. It’s the legal resource I wish I had when I started—and it’s saved me from more than one uncomfortable situation.

Related Post: Therapy Contracts 101: The 8 Non-Negotiables You Need to Know

Social Media Isn’t the End Goal—It’s Just the Start

Here’s something no one told me early on when starting my business: social media isn’t where most sales happen. Its real purpose? Getting potential clients to notice you and eventually take action off the platform.

If you’re relying solely on social media to sell your offer, you’re fighting an uphill battle. Stats show that only about 1% of people who see your content on social media will actually buy from you. That’s not a strategy—that’s a gamble.

Think of social media as farming on borrowed land. You don’t control the algorithm. You don’t own your followers. At any moment, a platform can change its rules, limit your reach, or even lock you out entirely. If your entire business depends on Instagram or TikTok, that’s a risky foundation.

That’s why I stopped chasing likes and started focusing on building my email list—where I could consistently show up, nurture my audience, and help them make informed decisions about my services. Email gives you a direct line to people who chose to hear from you, and that’s powerful.

How do I get my audience off of Instagram and onto my email list? Paid Ads.

Why? Because on your email list YOU control who sees your offer. You’re no longer shouting into the void—you’re strategically placing your content in front of your ideal clients.

My mentor and friend Zach Spuckler taught me how to run Facebook and Instagram ads directly to a freebie, which helps grow my email list with the right people. Once someone signs up for your freebie, they’re added to your email list where you can nurture the relationship, provide value, and guide them toward your low-ticket or high-ticket offer. It’s smarter, more efficient, and honestly, way less exhausting.

If you’re new to Facebook ads or want to stop spinning your wheels on Instagram with zero traction, I can’t recommend Zach Spuckler’s Facebook Ads $25 Bootcamp enough. In just 5 days, you’ll learn how to set up and promote your freebie with confidence. And if you’re ready to go deeper with strategy and business growth, his monthly membership is seriously gold. In it he not only talks about more advanced strategies for paid ads but also how to crate and build a low ticket offer, master retargeting ads, sales ads, hosting both free and paid challenges and so much more.

Related Post: The Facebook Ads for List Building Bootcamp – Zach Spuckler: What You Need To Know (Complete Review)

Data Is King—Know Where Your Leads Are Coming From

If you don’t know where your leads are coming from, you won’t know where to spend your time, money, or energy. Plain and simple: data is king.

For example, through Google Analytics, I learned that the majority of my traffic comes from organic Google searches. That insight alone changed everything—I now focus about 90% of my marketing efforts on SEO because I know it works for me.

Other business owner friends of mine discovered that Instagram is their top lead generator—but only because they took the time to track and analyze their data using tools like Google Analytics and custom tracking links. Without that kind of clarity, you’re just guessing.

I learned how to do all of this through the self paced course Measure & Maximize. It teaches you how to set up your analytics step by step—not only with Google Analytics, but also with a free tool called Looker Studio (formerly Data Studio). I now have an automated report delivered to my inbox weekly that gives me a clear snapshot of my data, so I can make informed decisions in less than 30 seconds.

And if you’re not ready to dive in fully or don’t want to deal with spreadsheets yet, their low ticket offer, Tag Your Traffic mini-course is a great starting point. It gives you the ability to track where your traffic is coming from without overwhelming tech or deep analytics knowledge.

Email Marketing Is Not Intuitive: It Required Setup and Maintenance 

When I first started with email marketing, I assumed it was as simple as writing an email, clicking “send,” and watching it land in someone’s inbox. I gave zero thought to whether it would actually be delivered—or worse, whether it would end up in the spam folder. I also didn’t realize there were legal considerations involved, like making sure people clearly opted in and that I was complying with U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) laws.

Thankfully, I learned all of this through a mentor, Cheryl, whose course Deliverability Unboxed was a game-changer. It taught me how to properly set up the backend of my email marketing systems to ensure my emails were not only compliant but also reliably delivered to the people who wanted them.

The best part? I now have the skills to do this myself—so if I ever switch platforms (say, from Convertkit to MailerLite‘s free plan which includes automations) or need to integrate a new payment processor in place of ThriveCart, I won’t need to hire someone to fix it for me.

If you want to be confident in your setup and avoid costly mistakes down the line, I highly recommend Cheryl’s course. It’s self-paced, packed with step-by-step tutorials, and truly worth the investment.

Related Post: 5 Email Marketing Content Ideas Every Therapist Needs to Know NOW! 

Find a Website Host That Actually Cares About You

Quite frankly, I wish I had started with Lyrical Host from the very beginning. When I first built my website, I used Bluehost. At first, everything was fine—mainly because someone else built the site, and I just left it as it was. But once I started adding blog posts and making changes to the back end, things started to break. That’s when I realized how critical it was to have good customer support on hand.

Unfortunately, Bluehost’s customer support is abysmal. I spent hours (and sometimes days) trying to fix simple issues, often with no real resolution. This is where Lyrical Host comes in. Their support is the complete opposite—fast, friendly, and most importantly, effective. They’re actual humans who speak actual conversational English and are ready to help you troubleshoot, whether it’s website hosting questions or even WordPress-related issues.

But Lyrical Host offers more than just superior support—it also provides features that make a big difference for business owners:

• Faster Website Performance: Lyrical Host uses optimized servers, ensuring your site loads faster. This is especially important for retaining visitors and improving your SEO rankings. Bluehost, on the other hand, often struggles with slow speeds due to overloaded shared servers.
  
• Free SSL Certificates: Lyrical Host includes an SSL certificate in their plans at no extra charge, which is crucial for website security and building trust with visitors. Bluehost offers SSL, but you often have to pay extra for this feature on lower-tier plans.
  
• Free Website Migrations: When I switched to Lyrical Host, they took care of moving my site from Bluehost without any extra cost. Bluehost potentially charges for website migrations, which can be a hassle if you’re not tech-savvy.
  
• One-on-One Customer Support: Unlike Bluehost, where support can feel impersonal (they literally would just parrot what I said to them…not helpful) and difficult to reach, Lyrical Host provides personalized support. Their team is knowledgeable and always available to walk you through any questions, whether it’s about hosting, WordPress, or email authentication setup. They don’t just give you generic answers—they genuinely help you resolve issues.
  
• Email Deliverability Optimization: When I switched to Lyrical Host, they handled the technical backend for my email marketing, ensuring my emails got delivered to inboxes. This was a huge time-saver. Previously, I had to dive into deliverability best practices through Cheryl’s course (which I still highly recommend), but with Lyrical Host, they took care of the technical aspects I would’ve spent hours on to redo.
  
• No Price Hikes: One thing I really appreciate about Lyrical Host is their transparent pricing. Bluehost tends to lure you in with a low introductory rate, only to raise your price dramatically after the first term. Lyrical Host is straightforward with their pricing and doesn’t surprise you with price hikes down the road.

Their plans are already affordable given the premium service you receive—but to make it an even better deal, use the code StressLess10 to get 10% off your purchase.

Related Post: Lyrical Host: What You Need To Know (Complete Review)

System Automation is NOT Automatic

We’ve all heard about the dream of earning passive income while you sleep—but the truth is, that kind of success doesn’t just happen. To truly make passive income a reality, you need systems in place, and that means automation.

But here’s the thing: automation isn’t “automatic.” It takes time, effort, and the right tools to set up. For example, if you want to automate responses to comments on your social media or direct messages asking for more information, you need to actually create those systems first. You know, the kind of messages that say, “Comment XYZ for a link to this topic” or “DM me for more info”—these are typically automated workflows that require setup upfront.

It might sound simple, but it does require some time and energy. The good news is that with the right tools, it doesn’t have to be complicated. For me, ManyChat has been my go to resource in this area. It’s cheerfully cheap, yet powerful enough to handle automation across my social media platforms.

With ManyChat, I can automatically send freebie links, share information about my services, and even add people to my email list directly from social media comments or DMs. And the best part? This also works seamlessly with Facebook Ads, which means you can automate the process of collecting leads while ensuring they’re added to your email list without lifting a finger.

In short, while automation takes time to set up, it can save you an incredible amount of time in the long run—if you have the right tools and systems in place.

Final Thoughts

The resources I’ve shared above are perfect for the do-it-yourselfer who loves diving into the nitty-gritty and figuring things out on their own. However, if you’re looking to streamline the process and consolidate your knowledge with someone who’s already been there and done that, I’m here to help.

Whether you’re struggling with promoting your course, marketing automation, or refining your copywriting, my coaching and copywriting services are designed to guide you through these challenges, saving you time, energy, and frustration.

Let’s work together to build a strategy that aligns with your goals and helps you scale your business with confidence. Learn more about how we can collaborate to elevate your business to the next level.