For the cake:
1. Sift together the Hustle, Persistence, Courage, Common Sense and Focus in a large bowl. Begin adding the Technical Skill very slowly until you get an Internet presence that will coat a spoon. CAREFUL: Adding the Technical Skill too quickly will cause the Tiny Business to break.
2. Add the Remarkable Product or Service, Market Awareness and Fantastic Content, beat at a low speed for 1 month and then on high speed for at least 3 months before expecting the batter to come together. Tip: Stop the beater once in a while and let existing customers and prospects in your market lick the beaters. Adjust the batter based on their feedback.
3. Bake at 425 degrees until a prospective customer can stick a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean, this means the cake is done.
For the icing:
The icing is the best part of this cake, there are many variations.
Here are two variations that I love:
Go-Giver Icing (inspired by Bob Burg and John David Mann)
1/2 c Value
1/2 c Service to others
1/2 c Influence
1/2 c Yourself
1/2 c Receptivity
Vay-ner-ice-ing (inspired by Gary Vaynerchuk):
2 c Sweat
2 c Passion
2 c Authenticity
Splash of fine Champagne
What kind of icing would you put on top of your cake? Who inspired it? What would you change about the cake recipe? Please leave your thoughts in the comments.
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{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ll add a little ‘Failure Icing’ to that recipe, Russ.
We learn more from our failures then the things we do that go correctly.
If the cake falls, make another one.
Try different flavors and ask for advice from those who have ‘baked’ before you.
YUM!
@Fred Miller — I second that notion Fred — failure is all part of it. I think my young days as an athlete taught me how to lose and learn from it. I think there may be a new blog post in this topic – Thanks!
I would really like to have a taste of this mighty business cake. Great idea and loved the post.
@Greg London — follow the recipe.
Ummmm . . . I’ve been trying to make this cake for about the last ten years or so. Seems I keep leaving out one or more of the ingredients! I guess I should tape the recipe to my forehead . . . one of these dayse I’ll get it right!
Thanks Russ.
@Sue Harrison — Keep at it Sue, Persistence is one of the key ingredients! Thanks so much for the comment!
It seems that all the commenting on this great post has been done by men….hmmm…step over “Bobby Crockers”
and let a “Betty Crocker” add her business Two cents to the mix.
Russ, your recipe is excellent in naming the right ingredients, but I find that this recipe is best baked in “layers” as there is definitely an order to use for best finishing results which I guess You did mention in the timing of what components to add when.
The icing is what really sweetens the cake. I correlate our PASSION and belief in what we do as the sugar. One can have every tool, tip, content and tech skill to drive a tiny business to production success, but if the passion is missing for the solopreneur…..he/she can not sustain the required ingredients in the cake mix above.
” Love what you do and do what you love” A spoonful of sugar is always good!
Jennifer
@jennifer — That’s what’s so exciting about this recipe, you can start a tiny business around the very thing you love the most. As I often say, sometimes the line between work and play is very blurry for me. There is certainly things that MUST be done and that aren’t all that much fun — but the majority of what I do is very enjoyable.
Another creative post, Russ!
As a newer tiny business, my inclination would be to double up on the courage, and add a dollop or two of patience!
A BIG THANKS for generously sharing your recipes and expertise, which have been instrumental in keeping the valuable information and inspiration levels high.
@Julie Welch — Patience is definitely a key ingredient — but as you know — you can’t just sit and hope it comes to you, you have to be willing to get out there and grab it. I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts — keep it up! It will pay off in the end.
Great post Russ! You are so creative. I don’t know how you do it.
Sounds delicious Russ. I would add that you would be smart measure your recipe ingredients carefully.
Say you’ve prepared your ingredients but somehow left an important one out of your cake. It happens… and the cake tastes like crap. If you’ve been mindful and “measured” carefully, you’ll know just what to adjust the next time you bake.
Bon Appétit!
@Tom — that’s a great piece of advice Tom. We are always learning to bake a better cake. Thanks for stopping by!