Building a Business from Scratch: Why Your Audience Is Everything

building audience

After dragging myself home from my day job, with what little energy I have left, I tidy up and crack open my laptop. It’s late, and I’m worn out from the daily grind, but there’s this pull I can’t shake—the dream of building something of my own. Not a corner store or a physical shop like my parents used to talk about, but a business that thrives online, one I can run from anywhere. The problem? I don’t have a product, a plan, or even a clue where to start. Sound familiar? If you’re nodding, let’s talk about the one thing you can start with today: building an audience.

The Old Dream, Crushed by Reality

Growing up, I watched my family pour everything into a small retail business. They’d rise before dawn, haul inventory from a rented warehouse, and put in 12-hour days hoping enough customers would show up to cover the bills. Their shop was in a decent spot, with steady foot traffic, but the costs—rent, utilities, unsold stock—piled up faster than the revenue. Eventually, it all came crashing down. Seeing that failure unfold left a deep mark. Starting a business felt like walking into a minefield.

That was the old world. Back then, a business meant a physical space, shelves full of products, and a lease that could strangle you. Today? You don’t need any of that. According to a 2023 U.S. Census Bureau report, over 5.5 million new businesses were launched in the U.S. last year, and a growing number of them were online-only. The internet has rewritten the rules, and you only need two things to get started: traffic and an offer.

Traffic: The Lifeblood of Any Business

Let’s break it down. “Traffic” is just a slick term for an audience—people who know you exist and care about what you’re saying. An “offer” is what you’re selling—a product, a service, or even someone else’s stuff through affiliate marketing. Here’s the key: traffic comes first. Without an audience, even the greatest product will just collect digital dust.

Picture it like this: my parents’ shop survived as long as it did because it was in a busy mall. People walked by, peeked in, and sometimes bought something. The location—the traffic—was more important than what they were selling. If the shop closed, another vendor could move in and make sales because the foot traffic was still there. Online, it’s the same deal, except your audience isn’t limited to a mall. It’s the whole world.

Building traffic doesn’t require quitting your job or spending a dime. You can start creating content on platforms like Medium, Substack, or YouTube, even while working a 9-to-5. A 2024 Pew Research study found that 59% of Americans aged 18-29 have discovered new brands or products through social media. That’s a huge opportunity to carve out your own space online.

The Power of Owning Your Audience

Not all traffic is equal, though. There are three types of traffic:

1. Borrowed traffic: This comes from platforms like Instagram, TikTok, or Google search. It’s great for exposure, but you don’t control it. If the algorithm shifts or your account gets shadowbanned, you’re done.
2. Paid traffic: Think Facebook ads or Google AdWords. It works, but it’s pricey. If you’re just starting out, this isn’t your first move.
3. Owned traffic: This is your goldmine—an email list, a CRM, or any direct way to reach your audience. This is traffic you fully control, and it’s why smart business owners always funnel their followers into a list.

A few years back, when my sales job tanked during the pandemic, I started posting on LinkedIn. Nothing fancy, just thoughts on business and marketing. Those posts built an audience that became my first coaching clients. From there, I launched a course and grew an email list that’s now over 5,000 strong. That list is my safety net. I don’t need to chase likes or beg for algorithm love. I can send one email and make sales—whether it’s my own product or an affiliate offer.

For instance, I once sent six emails promoting someone else’s online course and pocketed nearly $6,000 in commissions. No product of my own, no inventory, no overhead. Just an audience that trusts me. That’s the power of owned traffic.

You Don’t Need a Product (Yet)

Here’s the liberating part: you don’t need a product to sell right away. Affiliate marketing lets you promote other people’s stuff and earn a cut. Or you can sell your traffic itself—think sponsored posts or brand deals. The trick is to build an audience first and figure out the product later.

How do you know what your audience wants? Ask them. Send a survey or toss out an idea in an email. I’ve tested product ideas this way before spending a single hour creating them. It’s called validation, and it saves you from building something nobody wants. A 2022 CB Insights study found that 42% of startups fail because there’s no market need. Don’t be that statistic.

Where to Start: Pick a Platform, Pick a Niche

Getting started is simpler than you think. Pick a platform that feels right—Medium if you love writing, YouTube for video, Substack for newsletters—and start creating content around a topic you care about. Don’t overthink it. Marketing guru Seth Godin once said:

“The best way to get good at marketing is to do marketing.”

It’s a skill you learn by doing, not by planning.

Focus on the “eternal markets”—things people will always care about, like health, wealth, relationships, or happiness. These tie back to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, the core drivers of human behavior. If you’re talking about how to save money in a rough economy or how to feel less lonely in a hyper-connected world, you’re tapping into something timeless.

I started on LinkedIn because it felt natural for the business topics I liked. It worked for me, but I know people who’ve built huge audiences on YouTube or Medium. Pick one, stick with it, and don’t expect instant results. Building an audience is a long game, but it’s worth it.

The Freedom of Starting Small

The beauty of this approach is the freedom it gives you. Unlike my parents’ shop, where every month meant another rent check, an online business has next to no fixed costs. I can take a week off—or a month—and my email list doesn’t disappear. I can test ideas without risking everything. And if I pivot, like I did from coaching to selling digital templates, my audience comes with me.

If you’re sitting there, like I was, feeling the urge to build something but scared to take the leap, start with traffic. Create content. Share what you know. Build a tiny corner of the internet that’s yours. The rest—products, offers, income—will follow.

So, grab your laptop, open a blank doc, and start typing. Your audience is out there, waiting to hear from you.