Five ways to grow your passion project

Ah, the passion project. That uplifting and inspiring thing you wish you were doing while you slog away at the thing that actually pays your bills. But who says the daily grind has to be boring?

Not the thousands of women who have propelled their passions into viable businesses since the beginning of the pandemic. 

Yes, ICYMI, landmark new research from GoDaddy has found that the percentage of microbusiness owners under 35 has more than doubled since the COVID-19 pandemic began. 

Between job losses and job dissatisfaction, the number of workers who turned their true passion into a profit-turning microbusiness has soared in the last couple of years – with GoDaddy’s Venture Forward study of more than 2 million UK businesses also finding that those formed after March 2020 are also more likely to have been started by women, and people from minority ethnic groups and disadvantaged backgrounds. 

Thinking of joining those who have already taken the leap? Here are five tips for growing your passion project.

Find someone who’s been there, done that

Starting out on your own can be lonely. Your family think you’re mad, your partner is worried about money and your friends are all wondering whether they’ll ever see you again. So it’s important to have someone who really gets what’s going on to confide in.

Seek out a small business (or business person) you admire and be open about your desire to be advised and guided. Chances are, whoever you’re asking will be flattered and more than happy to give you some much-needed advice on entrepreneurship.

Credit: Getty

Pick a punchy brand name then snap up the domain

Naming a business is akin to naming a child: you want something that’s special to you, but you also want something that will age well and grow with your business.

The step after deciding on a name is just as important as the name itself, though. We’re of course talking about the domain name. What’s that, you ask? A domain name is the name of your website – AKA the most important part. 

GoDaddy makes it as easy as possible to get your hands on a domain that’ll make your business memorable. They’ve also put together a guide on how to choose a domain name to answer all your questions on the topic. 

Get yourself a professional email

Chances are, that email you set up way back when MSN was still around, isn’t going to cut it for your new professional venture. Choose a simple professional email with your business’ name in the title. GoDaddy’s Professional Business Email service will take care of the rest. Offering three packages to suit every business, you’ll be an email marketing pro in no time.

Shell out thousands of pounds for a web designer 

(Joking.) We live in a world where it couldn’t be easier to build a brilliant website for your business. And no, before you ask, being a coding whizz is not a prerequisite. 

GoDaddy Websites + Marketing not only helps you build the website of your dreams, but it helps get it noticed, too. From an easy-to-use website builder that’s become known as one of the best in the biz, to a tailored action plan from GoDaddy’s Websites + Marketing will help you beat out the competition, GoDaddy’s master package is a non-negotiable for new business owners. 

The best bit? 24/7 GoDaddy Guides are there to help you every step of the way. 

Photography: Noor and Zee

Go back to school

If there’s one constant with starting your own business, it’s the fact that everyday will be a learning curve. And while we’re big believers in learning from your mistakes, GoDaddy is here to help you pre-empt some of them with its online learning tools. 

From a YouTube channel that’s chock full of how-tos (who needs an MBA?) to a wealth of online courses with GoDaddy Guides, this does-it-all platform has everything you need to navigate the choppy but ultimately rewarding waters of launching your own business. (Well, GoDaddy and a good under eye concealer. That’ll definitely help too.)

You’re still here, why? Head over to GoDaddy now to see what the platform’s experts can do for you.