How to start a business online? When I started out in business, the year was 2008. I was going through a divorce. For those of you who remember, 2008 was the beginning of the Great Recession, and jobs were scarce even in cities like San Francisco. To top it all off, I had been working at home raising children — deeply rewarding, but not too lucrative!

I remember the first computer I ever saw, which was somewhere between kindergarten and second grade. Little did I know that someday soon I would be carrying not just one but two computers — one in my backpack and one in my pocket. But I am getting ahead of myself.

As I spent time upgrading my traditional marketing skills to digital marketing skills and getting used to how an iPhone works, I realized that many women at my age and life stage were in a similar situation. Taking it a little further, there are — believe it or not — millions of people, not just women, in or around my age bracket who know nothing about how to use computers or how technology can help them upgrade their skills and get better jobs.

Today, I am the CEO of San Francisco’s first and only full-service B Corp-certified digital marketing agency. I have the privilege of working alongside a dedicated team of digital marketing specialists and B Corp leaders, while also having the time and energy to spend time with my children, foster my relationships, and live a healthy lifestyle in (very expensive!) San Francisco.

How Did You Start a Business Online?

How did I learn how to start a business online? Not alone, that I can say for sure!

When we talk about income inequality, we are also talking about education and skill inequality. Because I know first-hand what it’s like to have to rebuild a career under challenging circumstances, one of the aims of Colibri Digital Marketing, both as a certified B Corp and as members of society, is to help narrow the opportunity gaps caused by inequality.

Today, lots of people are talking about who is winning and who is losing in the contemporary US economy. Like me, people who were used to working in a pre-smartphone economy are having to find ways to meet new challenges and carve out new ways to live and make ends meet.

The challenge is profound, but we have found several ways to make a difference. Read on to find out more and discover the tools we offer to help businesses thrive.

How Colibri Digital Marketing Serves Small Business

Shine Online. The 15 part Shine Online and Off Digital Marketing Solutions course is packed with information and news you can use to grow your business. We address everything from SEO to social media management to creating an editorial calendar.

Free Strategy Sessions. A free strategy session from a top San Francisco digital marketing agency? Yes, please! Leverage the online presence of your business. You’ll leave the session with action steps for improving your digital marketing. Sign up below!

The Colibri Digital Marketing blog. We have a saying around here — content is Queen. And if you’re looking for the highest quality articles about digital marketing, look no further than our digital marketing blog. It’s all of our expertise condensed into an easy to read format.

Colibri OfCourse: Our Newest Low-Cost Resource for Small Businesses

We are so excited to launch our new course, Online Business Builders for Beginners, on Skillshare! It will explore all the ins and outs of how to build a business online. Our course will be available mid-February, but for now enjoy full access to over 18,000 classes taught by creators from around the world. Just click the image below to get started.

how to start a business online

Watch Our Online Business Builders for Beginners Teaser

To me, as a business owner and a world citizen, it’s important to figure out ways — large or small — to make a difference. I call this throwing my drops in the bucket because even small actions can make a big positive impact on those around us.

This year we’ve joined the B Corp Inclusive Economy Challenge, in honor of our commitment to grow a business that adds momentum to movements like #BlackLivesMatter and #equalpay.

No matter how progressive the conduct of your business is, the B Corp certification is a clear and incontestable way of announcing those practices to clients, customers, investors, prospective employees, and anyone else.You can learn more about B Corp certification and marketing for B Corps HERE.

Do You Know How to Start A Business Online?

Do you have ideas about how to bring education and resources to creative but cash-strapped individuals and small businesses? Reach out and share your ideas. Together we make a positive difference.