Starting from Scratch: How I'd Build My Marketing if I Had to Start Over

If I had to build my business from the ground up, with no audience, no fancy tools, and no momentum — here’s exactly what I’d do. In this episode, I’m walking you through the simple, strategic steps I’d take to attract the right people, grow an email list, and start making sales without wasting time or burning out.

Whether you’re brand new to business or feeling like you need to reset your marketing, this episode is packed with practical advice and encouragement to help you build real momentum — from scratch.

Plus, I’ve created a free download to help you map out your own action plan so you can stop spinning your wheels and start marketing with confidence.

🎧 Tune in now — and don’t forget to grab your free guide!

Connect with me

Website: www.newschoolofmarketing.com
Facebook: @newschoolofmarketing
Facebook group: @newschoolofmarketing
Instagram: @bianca_mckenzie

Work with me:

🟠 NEW SCHOOL OF MARKETING BUSINESS CLUB: a supportive, action-focused community where business owners get weekly coaching, expert feedback, and co-working sessions to stay consistent, accountable, and strategic with their marketing—so they can finally see real results.
https://newschoolofmarketing.com/club

🔵 MARKETING STRATEGY & COACHING: customised marketing strategies, expert guidance, and hands-on support to help business owners attract more leads, increase sales, and grow sustainably—without the guesswork. https://www.biancamckenzie.com/coaching/

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Transcript

Welcome to the new School of Marketing podcast. I'm Bianca McKenzie, and this is the place where we break down marketing strategies that actually work without the overwhelm.

Before we dive in, I want to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land I live and work on, the Palawa people of Lutruwita. I pay my respects to their elders past and present, and acknowledge the deep connection they have to this land, culture and community.

All right, let's dive in and make marketing work for you.

I'm super excited about this podcast because I know so many of you that are listening are either just starting your business pivoting, or you feel like you're in that starting over face with marketing.

I start over quite often, to be honest. I honestly, I get it. 

I get it. I've been there too. I am there regularly. I started over in a way not long ago. If you scroll back far enough on these podcast episodes, you'll see that they kind of look a bit different.

So, yeah, when I moved countries, changed careers, and eventually went full time in my business, I had to build my marketing from scratch more than once.

I've had multiple businesses and it's overwhelming, but it's also one of the most empowering experiences because I got to do it with intention.

And that's what today is all about. If I had to start my marketing completely fresh today, here's exactly what I would do. 

First things first. Before we even touch strategy, I'm going to start with mindset.

Marketing isn't a once off. It's not something you only do when you feel inspired. It is the heartbeat of your business growth. It's kind of like planting seeds.

You know, some seeds sprout really quickly.

And others take months. And some are like seasonal.

They're not quite seeds.

Like, if I think about my dahlias, I grow dahlias.

Yeah, they're like, you know, seasonal kind of thing, but without daily action, nothing grows.

So if you're starting from scratch or you feel like you're starting over, commit to the long game right from the start.

Trust that small actions done consistently lead to big results over time. And this is one that I often have to look back on. Some days I feel like I've gotten nowhere. I honestly feel like I've gotten nowhere. And then I look back and I'm like, oh, but you have all these subscribers on your list. Oh, and you have all these followers. Oh, and people refer to you like, if I hadn't done any of the actions that I have over the years, nobody would really know me or what I do. So, yes, small actions done consistently lead to big results over time. 

Next, I would get crystal clear on three things. The first one is who I help. What is the specific group of people you want to serve? Who are they? Who do you help? You need to be super, super, super clear on those. The next one is, what problem do I solve?

What result or transformation do I offer. To that specific group of people? And then the next one is, why me? And this is always really hard. The first two, I know we can kind of get through that. But the last one, the why me? It's not always comfortable to talk about yourself or to think about yourself or all of those things.

But what is my unique story? What is my experience or what is my approach that makes me the right person for them?

You know, why me?

And if you're unclear on these, it's like to driving somewhere with no map.

You'll just waste your time and your energy just like, you know, trying to figure it out. It's not really straightforward. You might get there eventually, but it'll be like way after dark and you're hungry and all of those things.

So the clearer you are, the easier marketing becomes.

Then the next one is that I wouldn't try to be everywhere at once. And whenever I mentor clients, we are very, very like strategic and deliberate about where we are going to spend time. So honestly, if I started from scratch today,

I would choose one platform to build community. Maybe Instagram or a Facebook group or I don't know.

I always find that I'm like, okay, well if I can do Instagram, I can also do Facebook because they're kind of like connected.

But really you need to focus on one platform. I probably would go in like YouTube maybe, because the content there can be monetized. It would last longer. Yeah.

So choose one platform to build a community and one platform to build an.

Email list so you actually own your audience.

And I do this already. You know, I feel like I have.

Spread myself a bit thin because there's Facebook, there's Instagram, I do the podcast, all of those kind of things.

So really, if I'd started from scratch I would probably put the podcast together with YouTube because you can, like, I could do these episodes on, like, on YouTube and on a podcast.

So one platform to build community, one platform to build an email list. Now, don't just randomly pick, like, a platform just, like, out of thin air.

You need to obviously know who your audience is and where they spend their time.

So, you know, are they actually on Facebook? Are they actually on Instagram? Are they maybe. Are they are on YouTube? Maybe they're not. Maybe they're on Pinterest. Maybe. You know, you got to figure that out and that's it. Like, no overthinking, no like, I should be on 6 platforms.

All that kind of stuff.

It's better to show up well in a few places than show up poorly everywhere.

It's too hard. You can't be everywhere. Honestly, start with one and then you can always build on that.

The next one is. My content strategy would be really simple.

It would be attract, nurture, invite.

So attract.

In terms of like, creating content, I would create content that helps new people find me.

The nurture part would be sharing valuable insights, stories, and just, you know, that trust factor. So help people trust me.

And then invite would be making clear offers to help them take the next step.

So attract, nurture, invite.

And when I first started helping businesses I didn't have, like, fancy content calendars or big launches. I just showed up regularly, I shared what I knew, and then I invited people to work with me. Literally. It does not have to be perfect. You just have to be present.

And it comes back to that, like, accumulation. Like, you know, keep doing it small, small steps, you know, lead to big results.

And then the next part is tracking progress.

Numbers tell the truth. If I'd started over again, I would track simple numbers each week. I would track how many new conversations did I start and how many invitations to work with me did I make. Just, you know, tracking simple numbers.

This really gives you feedback on what's working instead of, you know, letting your brain trick you into thinking that nothing is happening.

And yes, like, growth of social platforms and all of that, you know. Hmm. Is it important? Yes. Maybe, maybe not. I would rather look at my email list and also, you know, how many conversations did I start? How many people did I actually invite to work with me?

It is so, so important to make connections because, yes, followers, great, but they might not necessarily be paid customers. It really, in the end comes back to connection people, you know, really trusting that you are the one to help them.

And then lastly, and this is a big one. I wouldn't try to build it all alone. Even when you're just starting out, and I would say, especially when you're just starting out, surrounding yourself with a community, with a mentor, or even just a business buddy can make such a big difference.

Having someone to ask questions, to bounce ideas off, or to someone to keep you accountable, it can honestly save you years of spinning your wheels.

This is exactly why I joined mastermind groups, communities of other business owners. I'm still in a small mastermind group. We hold each other accountable, we can ask questions, things like that. And it just, it makes such a big difference because building a business alone, I don't know, I don't know anyone who has done it successfully.

Maybe there are people out there, but I don't know anyone who has done it successfully.

Most people have had at least a mentor or someone to ask questions. I'm actually a mentor here in our local area in Tasmania.

And the amount of businesses that I have helped send, set up and the amount of business owners, you know that they have an amazing idea and they are so keen to get started but the overwhelm of, you know, just even setting up a website or figuring out how, how to create a strategy for their social media, you know, what to post, things like that and the whole world of, you know, email marketing and potentially newsletters and how that could work for their business, like they're all familiar with some pieces and parts of that, but then to figure out how to make that work for their business, it's been so valuable for them to have someone to ask questions to get them, you know, to help them get started and things like that.

And that is literally why I do what I do. I just, I know all the things that are needed.

I know what to do and I love people, I love helping people with it.

Anyway, quick recap.

If I had to start my marketing from scratch, I would lock in my mindset first.

I would get clear on who I help, what I offer and why it matters.

I would pick a couple of platforms and show up consistently, like consistently go all in on it.

I would create a simple kind of like content structure to attract, to nurture and to invite.

I would track real numbers, not feelings.

And I would get support early.

And if you're starting fresh right now, I want you to know it's normal.

For it to feel messy at first. You'll probably feel messy for a while.

That's totally okay.

You also don't need a million followers or the perfect strategy.

You just need consistent action and you.

Need the belief that your work matters. Remember, it's all about laying a solid foundation, focusing on the right audience, and creating content that builds trust and connection over time.

And if you're ready to put these into action, these steps into action and really get started with your own marketing plan, I've created something special for you. It's completely free. You'll find it in the show notes.

So yeah, download my Starting From Scratch Simple Marketing Action Plan.

It is packed with actionable steps to help you map out your marketing strategy.

And get started right away. Just head to the link in the show notes and grab your free download today. All right, thank you so much for tuning in to the new School of Marketing podcast.

I hope it was helpful to you. If you're ready to take your marketing strategy to the next level and to really dive in to your business growth.

I have an invitation for you. Join our new School of Marketing Business Club, a vibrant, supportive community of entrepreneurs and marketers who are dedicated to working smarter and achieving sustainable success. In the Business Club, you'll get exclusive access to advanced strategies, coaching and resources that will help you build a stronger brand and a more profitable business.

Head on over to newschoolofmarketing.com to learn more and to sign up today.

Thank you so much for being a part of this journey. Until next time, keep marketing your business every day.