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Sometimes you get stuck.
I mean really stuck. You know… “Should I even keep doing this!” stuck.
I know I do. And when I do, I often break out what I think is Seth Godin’s most motivational book, The Dip.
The Dip is a book about quitting.
I know, it’s blasphemy to utter the “Q word.” But Seth eloquently explains that the only time you should NOT quit is when you know that there is huge benefit if you don’t quit. In addition, Seth explains, you must be commited to pushing all the way through to the other side — where that huge benefit lies.
If you have a truly good idea, something worth fighting for, you must pay the price to get there.
That price is The Dip.
Here are some examples of Dips your tiny business may be facing:
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This mistake is usually avoidable.
Steve Jobs became synonymous with Apple. His jeans, stunning presentation skills and magical product launches have become intricately woven into the Apple brand.
It was great while it lasted, but now Steve is gone.
Don’t let this happen to you and your tiny business.
Can it go on without you?
Surely, Apple is in no danger of folding. They are now in the capable hands of new CEO, Tim Cook. Hmmm… Tim Cook. Doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it?
But your tiny business may not be able to withstand The Steve Jobs Error the way Apple can.
At some point, if your tiny business is successful, you will want to do one of the following:
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If you do nothing else, do these three things.
Without them, you’re really just running on intuition and not running your business by the numbers. With them in your arsenal, you’ll be holding yourself accountable for meeting your personal financial goals.
1) Build and maintain a basic budget or financial projection
Put together a spreadsheet that mirrors your P&L, with projections for every month during the next one to three years.
This P&L budget will answer numerous questions including:
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We, as Tiny and Mighty businesses, should adopt that as our mantra!
We should then practice it every day! The fact is that it’s not very hard to distinguish yourself from others in a positive way. Amazingly, it’s relatively easy because so many people don’t GET IT!
Those subtle little differences can make all the difference in how others perceive you, your products, services and business.
Here are some examples:
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The concept isn’t new, the tactics are.
Business has been done this way for decades. What is different is the tools we are using to execute this strategy and the power we now have as tiny business owners to make this strategy work.
Here is the 3 step routine:
- Create valuable content
- Build an audience around that content
- Make offers to the audience
Television, radio and print advertising all work this way. It’s not new.
It all starts with the content. If the content is no good, there will be no audience. No audience, no offer. No offer, no money.
Think about what happens to television shows with poor content. They are unable to gather an audience and therefore, there are no advertisers willing to make offers around that content. For further information, see any television program Julia Louis-Dreyfuss has done since Seinfeld.
It’s important that all three aspects of the routine be in place and be executed consistently. Without content, there is no audience. Without an audience, there is no one to which to make offers.
Step 1 – It begins with content
Ask yourself this question:
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Do you want the idea for your product or service to spread like a virus?
Find those that are doing all the talking and promote them.
“It’s not about what you know. It’s not about who you know. It’s about who you know knows.“
This post is about finding those that can take your product or service viral — they are called the sneezers.
What Is A Sneezer?
A sneezer is someone that is influential and commands the attention of others in a particular niche. They are different sort of folks.
They are borderline obsessive about a product or service — think Star Trek convention here.
They have an audience. People look to them for the “Gospel” about the product or service in this particular niche.
Some of these people are absolute rock stars (in their niche.) You know, these are the sort of people you think are gods and your friends couldn’t pick out of a police line-up.
In your industry, when they talk, people listen.
They are early adopters of new ideas in your niche, they make judgments and they share those judgments with their audience.
These are the sneezers and this is how you find them…
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In 2004, I met with a small business loan officer to discuss an SBA loan.
I was all but laughed at.
I understand. They needed a solid three years of Profit & Loss statements. They wanted to know my cash position. They wanted a business plan.
My answer … I have no P & L’s (it was my first year), no cash position (I was broke) and a business plan I typed up on Microsoft Word using a Quickbooks template.
No dice, they said.
It was then that I realized I was talking to the wrong people. I didn’t need the Small Business Administration (SBA), I needed the Tiny Business Administration (TBA.)
Upon further investigation, I learned a few things about what the federal government thinks is a small business.
Find your industry below…
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Let me get this straight.
You know…
- Google will send you more love if you blog
- you will get “retweeted” and “liked” on social media channels if you blog
- your prospects and customers will be convinced of your expertise if you blog
- you will likely get covered by mainstream media if you blog
But you don’t blog.
You have nothing to blog about
So you’re in one of those non-sexy industries, eh? An industry where it makes no sense to blog?
What do you sell? Office Supplies? Real Estate? Karate Lessons?
No matter what you are selling, you can get all the benefits of blogging. You just need to put on your thinking cap.
Let’s get busy…
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Same as it ever was.
Off-line events are still one of the best ways to grow a business. And not just attending other people’s live events, but creating your own as well.
Hands down, the cheapest and most effective way I market my business is by running live business events. It is not only low-cost from a financial perspective, but it also doesn’t have to be a burden on your time.
When you combine off-line events with a blog and social media, you will generate a staggering amount of sales, leads and referrals for your business.
Do your homework and develop a plan for your own off-line business events.
Why run a live business event?
Here are five reasons to run live business events:
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I’m like you, not like them.
It’s classic marketing. Us vs. Them.
There is no better way to create loyal customers than picking a fight. You don’t just tell us who you are, you tell us who you aren’t.
How to spot your enemy
You’ve heard it before: “You can’t be all things to all people”
Answer these questions:
Who are you? Who are your customers?
Now, answer these questions:
Who aren’t you? Who are not your customers?
Here are some characteristics to consider when picking your enemy:
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