Starting a new business can be really exciting but it can also be quite daunting with so many things to set up.

That’s the word from Iona Elwood-Smith who runs the Wellington women’s business network Chrysalis and sees first-hand the struggles these businesses have.

“One of the big stumbling blocks is creating the content for their new business website. Honestly sometimes the hardest thing in the world is writing about yourself and your own products and services. People struggle with where to start.”

Ms Elwood-Smith is a web developer by day and sees the content struggle daily with her clients.

“It’s a fine balance, some people are like rabbits in the headlights and can’t put a word down, others just go into total overload and write far too much, and that is a total turn-off for their customers.”

She has joined forces with local businesswomen Angela Bensemann, and Jane Comben to create a simple-to-use guide to developing web content.

Ms Bensemann, the wordsmith of the trio, says gone are the days when you could start up a business and not have a website. “Now it’s the validation that you actually exist, and you actually only have a few seconds to make the right first impression.”

A critical component of that first impression is your business branding. Graphic designer Ms Comben has included easy to follow tips on how to make your branding consistent and make the right first impression, not to mention also doing all the design for the book.

The perfect recipe for creating awesome content is aimed specifically at women business owners and provides a step-by-step approach to planning content, creating it, making it look awesome, ensuring the website is searchable and then how to promote it. Copies are available from www.collaborationstation.co.nz/the-book/.