What Equipment Do You Need to Start an Online Business Club?

In my last blog post I covered the top 3 barriers preventing people from starting an online business club and how you can overcome them.

Now, I want to look at exactly what equipment and technology you need to get started with your online business club. 

The great news is you don’t need a lot of stuff! It’s really easy technology nowadays and you’ve probably already got the software that you need because you’re already using it for online meetings.

Software

The first thing you need is software for hosting your online business club.

When I started the Value Pricing Academy in 2014, I was using GoToMeeting, and then we shifted over to Zoom. But there are so many other platforms as well.

Hardware

The other thing you need is a few bits of hardware, which you also probably already have because in the last year or two we’ve gotten so used to meeting with clients online. So, you probably have the equipment you need, but you might want to upgrade it over time to create higher quality.

There are four essential pieces of hardware that you need:

Microphone

Firstly, you need a microphone so that people can hear you. People will forgive a blurry webcam to an extent, but they won’t if they can’t hear you! 

Although you probably have an inbuilt microphone in your laptop or computer, these are often not very good quality. It’s far better to get an external microphone.

 When I started the Value Pricing Academy, I was using a Blue Snowball external microphone, and that’s a great starter microphone – it’s extremely good quality!

I’ve upgraded my system a few times over the years, but a Blue Snowball lasted me for many, many years as I built the Academy.

Lighting

The second thing you have to think about is your lighting. Lights these days are really inexpensive. You might want to start with some LED lights such as Neewer lights.

You only need one light to get you started. You can get a studio light which you put in front of you to light your face up.

But if this is something you decide you want to get more professional with, then you might upgrade to two lights, and then three, and I’ve now got a four-light setup.

Camera/Webcam

You also need a camera or webcam, and there are so many options.

Of course, you could use the webcam built into your laptop or computer, but just like with microphones, they’re not great quality so I would suggest investing in an external webcam.

Until about a year ago, I used a Logitech C920 webcam, and this is a great webcam.

If you want an even higher level of quality, ultimately you could upgrade to a mirrorless camera. That’s what I use now.

Another really inexpensive option is to use your iPhone as a camera, because newer model iPhones have such good camera quality. You can use an app like Camo which turns your iPhone into a webcam.

Tripod

The last piece of equipment I recommend getting is a tabletop tripod of about 30-40cm high. You can use this to mount your phone or webcam to your desk so you can have your camera in front of your face so you can really engage with your audience.

So, those are the essential bits of software and equipment you need to start your online business club. In the next blog post, I’m going to teach you 3 tips for becoming more confident online.

Watch the full video on building an online business club here: How to Build a Business Advisory Online Club

The world has changed. We have all gone online. We are living with Zoom and Microsoft Teams every day. And it’s changing the way we communicate. You need a different set of skills to communicate through a webcam or camera, and when you master these skills, you will stand out from the rest of the profession, win more work and have more success.

If you found this content helpful and want to build your confidence in online communication, enrol in the Online Live Academy to get live training every month, plus additional video training, systems, tools and resources designed to get results FAST!  

If you found this valuable and would like to learn more about value pricing, I run a free live online training session every month with a topic chosen by you. Attend live and you can ask me any questions you have. Click here to register and I will send you an invitation to the next session.

Wishing you every success on your pricing journey

Mark Wickersham

Chartered Accountant, Public Speaker and Author of Amazon No.1 Best Seller “Effective Pricing for Accountants”