The core hypothesis I am testing in this overall experiment/challenge is:

I can reach millionaire status by age 50, not by following someone else’s blueprint, but by running tiny experiments, applying my PGQ frameworks, learning from trusted mentors (to build a digital asset business), and persistently documenting and refining until present-me aligns with future-me (who I believe is already a millionaire).

I don't think I've talked about my why yet.

I’m tired of struggling, and I’m tired of watching people I care about struggle. I’m also done carrying shame and guilt for not living up to societal standards I never chose. My why is to break that cycle by building wealth and freedom on my own terms, through experiments and frameworks that flex with real life. If I can make it work, I’ll share the path so others can adapt it to their own realities, no shame, no blueprints, no rigid rules.

So, in order to do all of that, I have to finish building my business. Now, my context will be different from everyone else. We will all be at different stages on that business journey. I am not an expert; I cannot say definitively how to build a business correctly and successfully. So, I am just going to share with you the resources that I am using and give a nice general checklist that anyone can use, if they so choose.

So, I did some research and it was hard to find the ultimate, comprehensive online business building checklist. So, I gave ChatGPT a few that I liked (from Notion, Woocommerce, and GoDaddy) and asked it to give me a a general checklist. I then took Jason Priestley's pipeline stages and 24 assets and had ChatGPT overlay this on that new checklist along with rationales (because I looovvee (sung in a high voice for effect) rationales❣️❣️❣️). Then I asked ChatGPT to put them in order of how a person building and running a business would create them with that 24-asset overlay plus rationales for each step. Lastly, I asked ChatGPT to put it on that expedited 15-month timeline that I am on because I need to get to $1M in revenue within 15 months.

Here is the result:

The Ultimate 40-Step Online Business Building Checklist (v1)

(Mind you, a few of the steps were broken down into multiple micro-steps. Also, it doesn't include every step known to man, but I needed somewhere to start.)

🤔I think I might use this list to link out to different content related to each step...

Phase 1: Months 1–3 → Foundation + First Proof

Goal: Get a business you can actually sell from, with first sales & proof of concept.

(✅ means I've completed it.)

1. Define your Why✅
   • Pipeline: Pitch
   • Asset: Brand – Philosophy (#4)
   • Rationale: Anchors story & trust. Needed to inspire aligned buyers.
2. Set Revenue & Lifestyle Goals
   • Pipeline: Pitch
   • Asset: Funding – Business Plan (#21)
   • Rationale: Clarity → measurable targets (like $1M in 15 months).
3. Choose Business Model (digital product, service, etc.)
   • Pipeline: Product
   • Asset: Product – Core Product (#12)
   • Rationale: Defines how money flows; avoids wasted builds.
4. Research Market & Competitors
   • Pipeline: Pitch
   • Asset: Market – Positioning (#7)
   • Rationale: Ensures you’re solving a real gap, not reinventing a commodity.
5. Create Customer Persona(s)
   • Pipeline: Pitch
   • Asset: Market – Data (#9)
   • Rationale: Keeps messaging targeted & human.
6. Define Brand Identity (tone, visuals, values)
   • Pipeline: Profile
   • Asset: Brand – Identity (#5)
   • Rationale: Builds instant legitimacy.
7. Register Domain Name✅
   • Pipeline: Profile
   • Asset: Brand – Identity (#5)
   • Rationale: Secures your digital “home.”
8. Secure Social Handles (IG, Threads, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook, YT, Medium. Still need to make sure they are setup correctly)
   • Pipeline: Profile
   • Asset: Brand – Identity (#5)
   • Rationale: Consistency across channels avoids confusion.
9. Draft Starter Website (landing page/portfolio)✅
   • Pipeline: Profile
   • Asset: Brand – Identity (#5), Ambassadors (#6)
   • Rationale: A simple site signals legitimacy before launch.
10. Set Up Professional Email (you@domain)✅
    • Pipeline: Profile
    • Asset: Systems – Admin (#15)
    • Rationale: Trust & clean separation of personal/business.
11. Choose Legal Structure (LLC, Sole Prop, etc.)✅
    • Pipeline: Product
    • Asset: Funding – Structure (#23)
    • Rationale: Protects personal assets.
12. Get EIN/Tax ID✅
    • Pipeline: Product
    • Asset: Funding – Structure (#23)
    • Rationale: Needed for banking & compliance.
13. Open Business Bank Account
    • Pipeline: Product
    • Asset: Funding – Structure (#23)
    • Rationale: Keeps finances clean.
14. Define MVP (assessment, app, template, course, etc.)
    • Pipeline: Product
    • Asset: Product – Core Product (#12)
    • Rationale: Your first sellable product.
15. Write Clear Promise/Outcome Statement
    • Pipeline: Pitch
    • Asset: Brand – Philosophy (#4)
    • Rationale: Customers buy results, not deliverables.
16. Set Pricing Strategy
    • Pipeline: Product
    • Asset: Product – P4P (#11), P4C (#13)
    • Rationale: Pricing decides feasibility of scaling to $1M.
17. Add Payment Processing (Stripe, Gumroad, PayPal)
    • Pipeline: Product
    • Asset: Systems – Operations (#16)
    • Rationale: You can’t sell without checkout.
18. Set Up Product Delivery System (Notion, PDF, app, platform)
    • Pipeline: Product
    • Asset: Systems – Operations (#16)
    • Rationale: Smooth delivery builds trust & reduces churn.
19. Write One-Liner / Elevator Pitch
    • Pipeline: Pitch
    • Asset: IP – Methodology (#2)
    • Rationale: A crisp pitch makes selling faster & easier.

Phase 2: Months 4–6 → Validation & Traction

Goal: Prove people want this. Build audience + make repeatable sales.

20. Draft FAQs / Handle Objections
    • Pipeline: Pitch
    • Asset: Market – Positioning (#7)
    • Rationale: Preempts doubts; accelerates conversions.
21. Choose Anchor Channel (TikTok, Blog, YouTube)
    • Pipeline: Publish
    • Asset: Market – Channels (#8)
    • Rationale: Compounding growth comes from one main channel.
22. Define 3–5 Content Pillars
    • Pipeline: Publish
    • Asset: IP – Content (#1)
    • Rationale: Keeps authority clear & prevents scatter.
23. Create Lead Magnet (checklist, guide, free tool)
    • Pipeline: Product
    • Asset: Product – Gift (#10)
    • Rationale: Converts attention into email signups.
24. Set Up Email List + Welcome Sequence
    • Pipeline: Publish
    • Asset: Market – Channels (#8), Systems – Marketing (#14)
    • Rationale: Email = owned distribution, not reliant on algorithms.
25. Build Waitlist or Pre-Order Page
    • Pipeline: Product
    • Asset: Product – P4P (#11)
    • Rationale: Validates demand before heavy investment.
26. Soft Launch to Warm Audience
    • Pipeline: Product
    • Asset: Product – Core Product (#12)
    • Rationale: Early sales = proof of life.
27. Public Launch
    • Pipeline: Publish + Profile
    • Asset: Market – Channels (#8)
    • Rationale: Visibility + accountability = traction.
28. Collect Testimonials from Early Buyers
    • Pipeline: Profile
    • Asset: Brand – Ambassadors (#6)
    • Rationale: Social proof accelerates later conversions.

Phase 3: Months 7–12 → Scale & Acceleration

Goal: Grow revenue per customer + add recurring revenue.

29. Expand Product Ecosystem (bundles, upsells, add-ons)
    • Pipeline: Product
    • Asset: Product – P4C (#13)
    • Rationale: Increases customer lifetime value → critical for $1M target.
30. Add Subscription/Membership Model
    • Pipeline: Product
    • Asset: Product – Subscription (#14)
    • Rationale: Recurring revenue compounds month-over-month.
31. Repurpose Content Across Platforms
    • Pipeline: Publish
    • Asset: Systems – Marketing (#14)
    • Rationale: Maximizes reach without more effort.
32. Start Collaborations / Guest Posts / Podcasts
    • Pipeline: Profile + Partnerships
    • Asset: Brand – Ambassadors (#6), Partnerships (#22)
    • Rationale: Borrow other people’s trust and audiences.
33. Run Small Ad Tests
    • Pipeline: Publish
    • Asset: Systems – Marketing (#14)
    • Rationale: Paid reach validates if funnels work beyond organic.
34. Apply SEO Basics + Long-Form Content
    • Pipeline: Publish
    • Asset: Market – Positioning (#7)
    • Rationale: SEO traffic compounds over time → future-proofing.
35. Gather Structured Case Studies
    • Pipeline: Publish + Profile
    • Asset: Brand – Ambassadors (#6)
    • Rationale: Case studies = credibility + sales tools.
36. Build Marketing/Sales Automation (funnels, sequences)
    • Pipeline: Publish
    • Asset: Systems – Marketing (#14)
    • Rationale: Sales can’t depend on manual effort if scaling fast.

Phase 4: Months 13–15 → Durability & Moat

Goal: Protect gains, reduce fragility, extend reach.

37. Launch Referral or Affiliate System
    • Pipeline: Partnerships
    • Asset: Partnerships – Affiliate (#21)
    • Rationale: Happy customers become your salesforce.
38. Build Strategic Partnerships (alliances, influencers, brands)
    • Pipeline: Partnerships
    • Asset: Partnerships – Strategic (#24)
    • Rationale: Expands distribution quickly.
39. Review Finances & Implement Risk Mitigation
    • Pipeline: Product
    • Asset: Funding – Valuation (#22), Risk (#24)
    • Rationale: Protects against failure in the final sprint.
40. Document Workflows & Create Fallback Systems
    • Pipeline: Profile + Culture
    • Asset: Systems – Admin (#15), Culture – Sales/Marketing (#18)
    • Rationale: Prevents burnout; prepares you for repeatability.

UPDATE...

The moment I posted this, I realized, while I tailored this to my expedited timeline, I didn't tailor it to my context... ADHD, several persistent identities other than single mother and their associated capacity patterns, and heck, just life in general...

So in my case, some steps, like creating fallback/recovery systems, aren’t “optional” later-stage durability tasks. They’re foundational survival tools I'll need early, or else I risk burnout and derailment long before the 15-month mark. But, the name of the game is flexibility. So, this is not some rigid creation, but something that will evolve as necessary.