The sign is up. The lease is signed, or the van is lettered, or the business cards have arrived. You have told your friends, posted on your personal account, and had a good first week from people who already knew you. Then week three arrives and the door, the phone or the inbox goes quiet, and you realise nobody else knows you exist yet.
The first 90 days are not about being famous. They are about laying the foundations that every future customer will find: a verified Google Business Profile, a simple website with a page for each main service, your first honest reviews, listings with the same details everywhere, a list of customers you are allowed to email, and a social presence that shows your work. Some of this pays off within weeks. Some of it takes months to show results, and that is normal. A small, time-boxed ad test can bring in early customers while the slower work catches up.
Throughout, picture three new businesses: a café opening on a busy street, a mobile mechanic who drives to customers, and a bookkeeper working from a home office. The steps are the same; how they play out is different.
Weeks 1 to 2: get found on Google
Your Google Business Profile is the listing that shows up on the map and beside search results when someone searches your name or what you do nearby. For most local businesses it is the single most important thing to set up first, and it is free.
- Create or claim the profile with your real business name, the main category that matches what people search for, accurate hours, phone number and website.
- Expect to verify it. Google will ask you to prove the business is real and where it operates. The method varies and can take some time, so start early. Have your signage, business documents and a way to show your location ready.
- Be honest about your location. A café with a storefront shows its address. The mobile mechanic and the bookkeeper, who serve customers at the customer's place or remotely, can hide their home address and list the areas they serve instead.
- Add real photos the day it goes live: the café's counter and food, the mechanic's van and tools, the bookkeeper's friendly face.
Getting the details right from the start saves a lot of trouble later. Stuffed names or fake addresses can get a profile suspended. For everything that helps a profile show up on the map, see how to get more customers from Google Maps.
Weeks 2 to 4: a simple website with a page per main service
A profile alone can work for a while, but it gives Google and customers very little to go on. A simple website gives you somewhere to explain what you do, show your prices or what affects them, and collect enquiries. If you are wondering whether you need one at all, read do I need a website if I have a Google Business Profile.
Keep it small and useful:
- A home page that says what you do, where, and how to get in touch, in the first screen.
- One page for each main service. The mobile mechanic needs a page for brake repairs, one for oil changes and servicing, one for pre-purchase inspections. The bookkeeper needs one for monthly bookkeeping, one for payroll, one for catch-up work. The café needs its menu, catering, and hours and location.
- An about page with your face and your story.
- A phone number you can tap, and a short contact form that actually reaches you. Test it.
You do not need a fancy design. You need clear words, real photos and pages that answer the questions customers ask.
Weeks 3 to 6: your first reviews
A new profile with no reviews looks like a gamble. Your earliest customers are often your warmest: friends of friends, neighbours, people who were curious about the new place. Ask every happy one for a review, at the moment they are happiest, with a direct link.
- The café puts a small card by the till and has staff mention it when someone says they loved the coffee.
- The mobile mechanic texts the link the evening after the job, while the car is running well.
- The bookkeeper asks at the end of the first month, when the client has their first clean set of books.
Do not buy reviews, offer discounts for them, or ask family to pose as customers. Google can remove them and restrict your profile. The full how-to is in how to get more Google reviews.
Weeks 4 to 8: listings with the same details everywhere
Beyond Google, list your business on the main directories that matter for your trade and your area: general directories, your local business association or chamber, industry associations, and the social platforms your customers use.
The rule is simple: your business name, address, phone number and hours should read exactly the same everywhere. Google and AI assistants cross-check these details. When they match, the business looks solid and real. When one listing has an old phone number and another spells the name differently, they become less sure.
Keep a simple document with your exact details and copy from it every time. That habit is free and saves hours of clean-up later.
Weeks 6 to 12: a small, time-boxed ads test
The work above builds slowly. Google can take months to trust a new business enough to show it widely, and that is normal. A small ad test can bring in customers while you wait, and teach you which searches and offers actually turn into business.
Keep it honest:
- Set a budget and an end date before you start, and treat it as an experiment.
- Go narrow: your area, your hours, and searches that clearly mean someone wants what you sell.
- Send people to the matching page, not your home page.
- Judge it by customers, not clicks.
The mobile mechanic might test ads for "mobile brake repair" in the areas they cover. The café might test a small local social ad showing the food to people nearby. The bookkeeper might find ads too pricey and lean on referrals and local networking instead. Not sure which route to start with? See should I start with SEO or Google Ads.
From day one: an email list, with permission
Start collecting customer emails from your very first sale. It is the one marketing channel you own, and it becomes more valuable every month.
In Canada, commercial email is covered by Canada's anti-spam law (CASL). The principle: you need permission to send marketing email, every message must identify your business and include a working way to unsubscribe, and the kind of permission you have affects how long you can keep emailing someone. Check the current official guidance rather than relying on a summary. The simplest habit is a clear, unticked box at checkout or booking: "Send me occasional news and offers."
Then use it lightly. A café's note about a new seasonal menu. A mechanic's reminder before winter tires go on. A bookkeeper's note before tax deadlines.
Every week: social that shows the work
You do not need to post every day or dance on camera. Social media for a new local business has one job: proving you are real, active and good at what you do.
Show the work. The café posts the morning's baking and the regulars (with their permission). The mechanic posts a before-and-after of a worn brake. The bookkeeper posts a short, useful tip for small business owners. Two or three posts a week, real photos, a friendly caption. That is enough.
Being honest about what takes time
Some things work fast: telling people you already know, a small ad test, a well-set-up profile for searches of your own name. Other things take months: showing up for broader searches, building a steady stream of reviews, and becoming the name people recommend. That is normal for every new business. The ones that do well keep doing the basics consistently through the quiet weeks.
What to do first
- Create and verify your Google Business Profile this week, with real details and real photos.
- Write down your three main services and plan one website page for each.
- Add a permission box for email to your checkout or booking process.
- Ask your next five happy customers for a review.
If you would like an outside view once the basics are in place, our website and marketing audit looks at your profile, website and listings and tells you what to fix first. If you would rather have the website, ads, social and email handled together from the start, that is what our growth retainer covers.