Starting an online presence for your creative business can feel like a big step.

You might be wondering:

• Where do I even begin?

• Do I need a website straight away?

• What should I focus on first?

It’s easy to feel like you need to do everything at once.

But you really don’t.

What an “online presence” actually means.

Before you start, it helps to simplify what this actually involves.

At its core, your online presence is just:

• A place people can find you

• A way to understand what you do

• A way to stay connected

That’s it.

You don’t need a complicated setup - just something clear and consistent.

What you actually need to get started

If you're starting from scratch, a simple setup might include:

1. One main place to direct people

This could be:

• A simple website

• A landing page

• A link-in-bio style page

The goal is to have one clear home for your business online.

2. A way for people to stay in touch

This is where many people miss an opportunity early on. Instead of relying only on social media, you can:

• Add a simple email sign-up

• Offer updates or early access

• Start building your own audience

This gives you a way to stay connected over time.

3. One platform to show up on consistently

You don’t need to be everywhere. Choose one place (like Instagram) and focus on:

• Sharing your work

• Letting people get to know you

• Pointing people back to your main page

4. A way to connect everything together

This is where things can start to feel complicated. You might end up with:

• A website in one place

• Emails in another

• Social media somewhere else

Keeping things simple and connected from the start makes everything easier to manage as you grow.

A simpler approach

Instead of using lots of different tools, you might prefer to keep everything in one place.

This is exactly what Donato is designed for - helping you build your online presence, connect with your audience and grow your business without juggling multiple platforms.

You don’t need everything at once!

It’s easy to feel like you need:

• A full website

• An online shop

• A way for people to join your email list and receive a short series of welcome emails

• A content plan for regular newsletter emails

...before you even begin.

But starting small is often the best approach.

What this could look like in practice

Your setup might start as:

• A simple page introducing your work

• A sign-up form for your email list

• A link from your social media

From there, you can gradually add:

• More pages

• Regular emails sent to your growing email list

• An online shop

Let it grow with you.

👉 Not sure what you need to get started?
Take our quick quiz to explore what could work for your business and whether Donato is the right fit.